Cantankerous Sex Pistols and PiL singer John Lydon has taken a swipe at Arctic Monkeys calling them a “mockery.”

The 54-year-old punk rocker, who has previously slammed Coldplay, Duffy, The Eagles, Bloc Party etc..., savaged the Sheffield indie outfit in the latest edition of Q Magazine.

He blasted: “That's not a band. That's a showbiz construct. A mockery. That's very much like that awful band Green Day or Avril Lavigne”.

Asked about Alex Turner's song-writing ability, Lydon blathered on: "He just turns on the computer and types in 'punk' and it goes ping.

“I see no gut-wrenching soul-searching going on there. Just pleasant little ditties. There's room for that, but I'm seeking more substance."

(by Scott Colothan)