With such a strong music and art scene, it's no wonder that John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, is bringing his first tour in four years to Rock City with his band Public Image Ltd. However, it's not his first trip to Nottingham as he recounts a famous court case he helped to win and a legendary triumphant pub crawl.
The court case centred over the word B****** on the front of the Sex Pistol's 1977 album, Never Mind the B*******. While most stores obscured the word, Nottingham's Virgin Megastore which proudly displayed the full artwork. This resulted in an arrest for the store's manager.
Mr Lydon recalled: "I travelled to Nottingham with Richard Branson and we won the case because we managed to prove that the word is of Anglo-Saxon origin. Although it can be confused with testicles, it could also mean personal images of the vicarage or church. Everyone was really frightened at the time because they were worried about getting arrested."
Read more: Nottingham vegan burger business with rave reviews joining brewery to create taproom
He added: "If you believe in what you are doing then nothing can stop you - certainly not fear or pain. We won that case and it was lovely then we went out on the town after visiting the radio stations where I dedicated Cliff Richard's Devil Woman to Malcolm McLaren. Nottingham has my kind of people. Going around the city that day and night was fantastic and the best pub crawl I've ever been on."
Nottingham is just one stop on Lydon's 13 date tour which sees PiL travel across the UK. While the idea of touring after a long break is daunting, Lydon says he will struggle to be away from his wife, Nora.
"One of the hardest things will be missing Nora. She relies on me heavily because of her Alzheimer's and one of the real blessings is that she has never forgotten me or my name. One night, she was frightened but rolled over and said, 'Johnny', which is so comforting and that's my reward. I'll miss that very much while I'm away and it breaks my heart. My brother will look after her though so she won't be alone," he said.
Rock City has hosted some of the most legendary gigs over the decades so it seems only right that PiL will perform there. What can Nottingham fans look forward to?
"Nottingham is a great place to do a gig as the audience is always well up with us. Four-year gap or not, people will know me by now to know I'll do the best I can with my band by my side. It's PiL, our songs are about deep emotional feelings and some of that is very painful but it's lovely to share that with the audience. I can tell when I look out at them and they look back that we are connecting. Thats the purpose of PiL."
When it comes to the music, its an important time for both PiL and the Sex Pistols as their music is re-released to mark anniversaries and the Jubilee. Lydon is proud of what he has written but stands firm that it does not have his approval.
"I have no say on Sex Pistols anymore so I'm outvoted when it comes to this and it doesn't have my approval in any shape or form. I let God Save the Queen go as a limited edition single. It's a great record and I'm proud of it and what I achieved and wrote there."
Lydon has also moved into the art world by producing Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). There will be 100 NFTs which are authenticated by his digital signature and 5 percent of all sales will go to The Spitz Charitable Trust. The charity takes professional musicians into care homes and day centres to use the power of live music to improve cognitive function for those with dementia.
"Painting is one of my hobbies and I like to do really detailed images. When it came to NFTs, I got approached to do them and it's an exciting new industry. I do love my art and this is a new way of exhibiting creativity so I'm up for that. It's really interesting to me and exciting."
So when it comes to his return to the city, will Lydon be recreating his 1977 pub crawl or is it a more sober affair these days? Fans may get the chance to buy the legendary musician a few cheeky ales.
"I won't be drinking before the gig because I have to go on stone-cold sober or nothing will happen. Afterwards, I will happily have a few ales with some fans. I like to do meet and greets afterwards as I like going outside to meet people and ask what the gig was like for them. That's the best learning process you can put yourself through because some will just let rip on you."
He added: "It's exciting to be hated so much but then others are full of praise which is less interesting. You get lovely people coming who have family or health issues or have dying loves ones which creates a connection with us. People will tell you straight out and that's what I love about the north of England."
Public Image Ltd return to Rock City on Thursday, June 23, with tickets available through the Rock City website.
