GIG REVIEW: Subalternos + Zero Tolerance + Slalom D @ Trillians, Newcastle, Wednesday 24 July 2024
One of the spin-off benefits of the annual Rebellion Punk Festival every August is the fact bands want to bring their A-game to the Blackpool stage.
That means that in the week or so before the event you get a good smattering of grassroots gigs like this the length and breadth of the country as artists hone their set.
This one’s slightly different in that the headliners flew 6,000 miles to play in the wonderful basement venue that is Newcastle institution Trillians.
Subalternos are a four-piece melodic street-punk band from Sao Paulo in Brazil, who’ve proved so popular they’ve been asked back to Rebellion for a fifth time since making their debut in 2018.
They’ve been to Trillians before too, and word of how good they are has obviously got around, as there’s a great midweek turn-out to greet their return.
Although most of their songs are in Portuguese, and they could be singing absolutely anything, they make it clear from the start that they’re an anti-fascist band, which draws loud cheers from the assembled punkers.
If there’s a happier man in punk rock than Subalternos frontman Alberto, who sings and plays guitar, I’ve yet to meet him, and his energy and enthusiasm are infectious as he bounds and leaps around the small stage.
Thank You England
He seems eternally grateful that so many folk have turned out to watch his band, and has even penned a song about it, Thank You England, which is a highlight of a very enjoyable set.
He gets Graeme Kitto, the frontman of main support Zero Tolerance, up on stage for one song, showing that although he says his English is not so good (it’s a damn sight better than my Portuguese!), the language of street-punk is truly international.
Kitto is grinning like the Cheshire Cat (he’s probably pleased the song he’s been asked up for is in English, not Portuguese!), and puts just as much into it as he did into his own band’s set.
Zero Tolerance, from County Durham, seem to be on the same trajectory as Subalternos; they debuted on the Rebellion Introducing Stage in 2022, then pulled a huge crowd in the Casbah last year, which makes it all the more surprising they haven’t been asked back for 2024.
They’re a band who impress me every time I see them, with their anthems of working class solidarity, slices of nostalgia and questioning of authority, politicians and religion.
They have released two full-length albums, 2021’s Too Young To Die (reviewed here) and 2023’s One Rule For Them…One Rule For Us (reviewed here) and are getting better all the time.
Alberto joins them here for Too Young To Die, and clearly loves every second. Check out Zero Tolerance if you get the chance, you won’t regret it.
Opening the night’s proceedings are another local band who ARE on at Rebellion this year after debuting in 2022 and stepping up in 2023. Slalom D, from Sunderland, are a political punk band fronted by the force of nature that is Fiona Duncan.
They have two albums to their name, 2021’s Happy Skies (reviewed here) and last year’s Waltz Into Anarchy (reviewed here). They’re working on No 3, with a couple of new tracks getting an airing tonight, along with excellent latest single Medusa.
Originally a four-piece, they added a keyboard player for their most recent album, and it makes their already impressive sound even bigger. Again, don’t take my word for it, go see them for yourself.
Nights like this are an encouraging sign that punk rock is in good shape. Although none of these bands are youngsters, they are keeping the flame burning, and hopefully passing it on to younger malcontents.
- Subalternos play the Arena stage at Rebellion 2024 at 10.10pm on Thursday, and an Almost Acoustic set at 12.45pm on Friday.
- Slalom D play the Arena stage at 7.05pm on Thursday.
- Zero Tolerance are playing a Rebellion Fringe gig on Sunday night at the Washy pub in Blackpool.
