Last night, Britain’s BBC Four aired the first installment of the new three-part ‘Punk Britannia’ documentary series, billed as a look at the ‘historic cosmology, meteoric impact and smouldering aftermath of the most genuinely transformative force in British popular music history.’ Watch Part 1 here.

The Cure played a 36-song set at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound 2012 peppered with surprises, including the first performance of ‘Fight’ since the ‘Kiss Me’ tour, only the third-ever performance of ‘The Caterpillar,’ a rare airing of ‘Dressing Up’ and the first-ever performance of B-side ‘Just One Kiss.’

Two members of Public Image Ltd.’s most famous lineup — bassist Jah Wobble and guitarist Keith Levene — have reunited after 30 years, playing a handful of ‘Metal Box in Dub’ shows in the U.K. this year that spotlight PiL’s classic 1979 sophomore album. John Lydon takes issue: ‘It’s very unfair.’

The Smithereens — who released the aptly titled ‘2011,’ their first collection of new material in more than a decade, last year — will keep busy this on the road summer, criss-crossing the U.S. to play at least 15 concerts between June and September at a variety of clubs, theaters and a number of small-town festivals

Last month, World Party mainman Karl Wallinger did a low-key round of radio station appearances and record shop in-stores in the U.S. to promote the release of the ‘Arkeology’ box set — including this 40-minute performance at Fingerprints in Long Beach, Calif., on Record Store Day.

BBC Four next month will follow up its excellent documentary ‘Synth Britannia’ with the new three-part ‘Punk Britannia,’ a look at the ‘historic cosmology, meteoric impact and smouldering aftermath of the most genuinely transformative force in British popular music history.’ The three parts air Friday, June 8 and June 15.

The Cure tonight played the first of at least 19 European festival dates on the books this summer, and Robert Smith had a little secret to reveal at Holland’s famed Pinkpop Festival: new guitarist Reeves Gabrels, a former David Bowie collaborator who previously recorded with Smith in the late ’90s.

The Buzzcocks staged the first of two ‘Back to Front’ concerts last night, performing music from three different eras of the group’s history with three different lineups — including a closing set that saw the return of original frontman Howard Devoto, who hadn’t appeared with the band in more than 33 years.

The Stone Roses — Ian Brown, John Squire, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield and Alan ‘Reni’ Wren — played their first concert in 16 years Wednesday, a free, 11-song warm-up show for fans crammed into the 1,100-capacity Parr Hall in Warrington, England. The surprise concert was announced earlier the same day.

Paul Weller recently taped a session for The Wall Street Journal’s “WSJ Cafe,” which featured acoustic performances of Sonik Kicks tracks “That Dangerous Age” and “When Your Garden’s Overgrown,” plus a short interview in which Weller reveals he might play some West Coast dates this fall.

When it came time to announce their slot headlining the U.K.’s Bestival, Britain’s Florence + The Machine opted for an unusual unveiling: The whole band dressed up in animal costumes and rambled their way through a stripped-down take on the Talking Heads hit single ‘Wild, Wild Life.’

Thirty years ago tonight, The Haçienda — the famed Manchester nightclub opened by Factory Records, New Order and Tony Wilson — opened its doors to the public. Check out clips of New Order playing there, plus full sets from The Smiths, The Stone Roses and The Chameleons.

With their new album, ‘Choice of Weapon,’ out Tuesday and a North American tour slated to open Friday in San Diego, The Cult stopped by ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ last night to perform one of the show’s outdoor concerts. Check out ‘For the Animals,’ the new record’s lead single, and the classic single ‘Wildflower.’