John Lydon's PiL Seek Eurovision Glory With Their Bid To Represent Ireland

Public Image Ltd, aka PiL, the alternative band Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon founded following the group's demise, have put in a bid to compete at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

While Lydon was born in London to two Irish parents and holds Irish and American passports, he previously told Vice Magazine that he views himself as British. He added, "When my parents came over from Ireland they became intrinsically working-class English. [I’m] proper London working-class." The quote was also featured in The Guardian.

PiL have been added to the shortlist of six acts competing for Eurovision glory for Ireland with Hawaii, a reflective track that's "a personal yet universal love song that will resonate with many," the band described in a statement. 

Hawaii is dedicated to Lydon's wife, Nora Forster, who lives with Alzheimer's disease. The two married in the late 1970s and moved to California in the 80s. Lydon has been Forster's full-time carer since 2020, he revealed in an interview with The Observer.

"I don’t make commitments lightly and this is my Babbie," Lydon noted, using the nickname he calls his wife. "When we decided to commit, that was it – it was going to be that way for ever."

Lydon added in a statement, "It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most. It’s also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all."

Hawaii is now on streaming services and will be released on a 7" vinyl later this year.

The heat to determine Ireland's Eurovision competitor will occur on 3 February, when PiL will perform Hawaii on The Late Late Eurosong 2023 Special. The other artists on the shortlist for Ireland are ADGY, K Muni & ND (Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare), Leila Jane, Wild Youth, and CONNOLLY.

Keith Levene, a founding member of PiL, passed away last November at 65 years old. 

After the Sex Pistols disbanded in 1978, Levene and Lydon (formerly known as Johnny Rotten) co-founded PiL with bass player John Wardle (known as Jah Wobble).

Levene was involved in the writing, creating, and producing of PiL's earliest albums: First Issue (1978), Metal Box (1979), and Flowers Of Romance (1981). 

The PiL debut landed at #22 on the UK Albums Chart, and the album's renowned single, Public Image, reached the Top 10. First Issue is considered one of the pioneering records of the post-punk genre. 

Metal Box is known as a post-punk classic and featured Levene's abrasive, "metallic" guitar playing.

Levene told The Guardian in 2012, "People thought I was classically trained, which was bollocks. I knew the E chord, and ventured into E minor. We laid the music out on a plate for Lydon. He was very hip at the time and did really good work."