Punk rock singer John Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, is re-forming his band Public Image Ltd -- or PiL -- after a 17 year hiatus with a five-date tour in December, according to media reports.

Lydon told Britain's Guardian newspaper that the influential band he created in 1978, a year after the disintegration of the Sex Pistols, and which lasted for 14 years, would reform with a new line-up.

He said the new-look PiL will not contain original band members Jah Wobble or former Clash guitarist Keith Levene but will feature guitarist Lu Edmonds, drummer Bruce Smith and a new arrival, multi-instrumentalist Scott Firth.

PiL, which had chart success with singles such as Public Image and This Is Not a Love Song, will start its tour on December 15 in Birmingham. The band is also launching a new website (www.pilofficial.com).

We'll see where we can go, 53-year-old Lydon told the newspaper. Some things may be quite similar, some may not.

Lydon reunited with other members of the Sex Pistols last year for a series of gigs to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's seminal album Never Mind The Bollocks.

But Lydon, who became a figurehead of the short-lived punk revolution in England in 1970s with his anti-establishment stance and attacks on Britain's class system and the monarchy, appears to have mellowed in recent years.

He starred in British reality TV show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2004, has hosted a few animal documentaries, and also starred in an advertisement for butter wearing a tweed-suit.

He also has no tolerance for noisy, opinionated youngsters any more, it seems.

Younger people at the moment are very mouthy and aggressive, Lydon told the Guardian.

United kingdom