John Lydon is heading out on tour - but don’t expect to hear any music from the former Sex Pistols frontman.

The punk pioneer, also known as Johnny Rotten, will instead be sharing stories from his extraordinary career and taking questions from fans during the 45-date tour.

The spoken word show, which stops off at Folkestone’s Leas Cliff Hall in May next year, will take audiences on a journey from the singer’s early days at Vivienne Westwood’s London boutique to his time in the spotlight as one of the UK’s most prolific frontmen.

The informal evenings of conversation and audience participation will also include anecdotes from his memoirs.

Since joining punk band the Sex Pistols in 1975, Lydon has often found himself in the middle of controversy.

The band’s appearance on the Today show, where they repeatedly swore at host Bill Grundy live on TV, their expletive-filled album title and the deaths of bassist and Lydon’s childhood friend Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen all saw the band make front page news.

Since the Sex Pistols disbanded in the late 1970s, the God Save the Queen singer has been the frontman of post-punk band Public Image Ltd.

Despite line-up changes over the years, which have featured members such as The Clash guitarist Keith Levene and the Pop Group drummer Bruce Smith, the band are celebrating their 45th anniversary this year.

The anniversary tour, which includes a concert at Dreamland in Margate, will be a nod to some of the band’s biggest hits such as Public Image and This is Not a Love Song.

Lydon’s solo tour begins in spring next year and will visit Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone on Friday, May 3. You can book tickets online here.

The full list of tour dates can also be found on the John Lydon website.