What on earth is the world coming to when a punk icon - and notorious anti-establishment musician - praises a manufactured boyband for their singing talents?

Either John Lydon - aka former Sex Pistols/PiL frontman Johnny Rotten - has mellowed with age, or he's lost the plot entirely.

In any case, the punk singer found himself inadvertently praising One Direction in a new interview with The Sun newspaper, which he undertook to promote Public Image Ltd.'s new album 'What the World Needs Now...'

"The thing with those boys is, they can really sing. Fair play to them," he said. "I'm never going to put another artist down. Anyone who wants to make music is all right by me."

Well, we've heard it all now.