The BBC said Okereke, frontman for the British indie rock group Bloc Party, accused members of the crew for Lydon's band of attacking him after he approached Lydon backstage at the Summercase music festival in Barcelona and asked Lydon if he had considered reforming his old band, Public Image Ltd.

Okereke told the BBC the assault, which included punches to his face and head, was "unprovoked" and left him with a split lip and bruises.

He also described Lydon as "intimidating and aggressive," and said someone in Lydon's group told him, "Your problem is your black attitude."

"I feel very sorry for a man that needs to lie about what was a perfect evening," Lydon, who goes by the stage name Johnny Rotten, said in a statement issued to the BBC.

"After the show, John Rotten and management remained behind to sign autographs, which we did for four solid hours without incident and had a great time talking to other Spanish bands. This seems to have sparked jealousy in certain bands. The trouble was brought to us, resulting in those causing the trouble being physically removed by festival security."