How Yungblud came to play Steve Jones’ iconic Sex Pistols Les Paul onstage in Paris
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Yungblud recently played Steve Jones’ Les Paul onstage for a rendition of his 2018 song I Love You, Will You Marry Me during his July 11 set in Paris.
The performance – amid the city’s Festival Musilac event – is the latest in a string high profile loan appearances for the instrument, courtesy of current owner and guitar dealer Matt Lucas.
The 1974 Les Paul Custom was used on the Sex Pistols’ era-defining album, Never Mind The Bollocks and, accordingly, has plenty of character.
As you’d expect from a guitar owned by several ‘70s punk/punk-adjacent icons (it previously belonged to Sylvian Sylvain from The New York Dolls), the once-white Custom has been battered and bruised over the years, and its finish yellowed by cigarette smoke.
Despite – or, perhaps, because of – its less-than-resplendent state, the guitar nonetheless recently sold for $390,000 at auction. It was bought by Lucas, best known as the owner of Parisienne guitar mecca Matt’s Guitar Shop.
Lucas is eager to see the Gibson used by appreciative big name players. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, who played the iconic punk axe in Paris earlier this year, was the first in line. Now Yungblud has had the chance – and more are expected to follow.
“I want this guitar back onstage with everybody, [to be] sharing it with the world,” Lucas tells Guitar World. “It’s going to be regularly back onstage.”
Lucas says Yungblud – AKA Dom Harrison – is “a huge Sex Pistols and Steve Jones fan” and reveals the pair were introduced through a mutual friend, Yianni, who plays bass with Yungblud’s partner, Jesse Stark.
“Dom and Yianni were in Paris for Lenny Kravitz’s birthday party, and Yianni told Dom he had to see the Shop,” Lucas explains.
“He was crazy about the idea of playing the Les Paul on stage and we’ve been talking about this for a month.
“He played the guitar at the shop right after Bille Joe Armstrong played it in Paris and then I brought the guitar to Festival Musilac where my friends Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross were playing. Craig also played the guitar the day before on stage, most notably, for Always on the Run.”
Yungblud unveiled his own signature Epiphone SG Junior earlier this year. The guitarist, who once told GW he owed his success to “my fanbase and my community”, has been repaying their patronage by inviting fans onstage to play guitar – and letting them take home his signature model as a souvenir.
