Thursday 1 August @ Winter Gardens, Blackpool
The first weekend in August is the most important date in any self-respecting punk rocker’s diary; the annual get-together that is the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool.
Now in its 28th year, it sees alternative music lovers from all over the world flock to the Winter Gardens in this jaded seaside town.
This year was no exception, with weekend tickets sold out, and day tickets only available for the Thursday and Sunday, despite complaints on social media that the line-up ‘wasn’t very good’ this year.
I’m sorry, but if you can’t find something you like from more than 300 acts spread over eight stages on four days, you’re really not trying. Half the fun of Rebellion is finding new bands, and watching those you’ve previously discovered rise up the bill, as much as watching old favourites.
I’ve attended since 2012, and have lost count of the number of bands I’ve seen for the first time here, and become an avid follower of.
There have been a few changes to the festival this year, and the best is the decision to move the Rebellion Introducing Stage (RIS) into the Pavilion in the centre of the horseshoe-shaped main drag.
It’s long had the best since had the best sound of any of the stages, and it’s ideally placed to draw in punters who like what they hear as they browse the stalls outside, or make their way between stages.
It’s become a personal tradition to try to see the band who get the honour of opening the festival, and this year its Crapsons, a band I’ve never heard of before, let alone heard or seen. They’re a three-piece from Birkenhead, and I clock straight away that their drummer, who’s playing standing up in the centre-stage spot usually reserved for the singer, is wearing a Half Man Half Biscuit T-shirt. Now there’s a band I’d love to see at Rebellion!
Crapsons call themselves a ‘topical junk punk trio’, and I warm to them immediately as they slam through their 30-minute set of songs which are by turns angry and irreverent with real passion and enjoyment. The lads are clearly over the moon to be playing Rebellion for the first time, and moments like their group hug at the end of their well-received set will stay with me for a long time.
I head back to their merch table after a bit of stage-hopping to find there’s nothing left; I’m not surprised, as they were great, but you can still listen to or download their 2022 debut album Songs To Make A Brew To or this year’s Half-Time Executions EP at their Bandcamp page HERE.
Over in the Opera House, another new-to-me band A Void are impressing a good-sized crowd with their grungy rock, even if they do look a little lost on the huge stage. They’re a three-piece from Paris/London, and they have a couple of albums and an EP to their name. Check them out on Bandcamp HERE.
Down in the Casbah, Liverpool-based all-girl trio Tits Up are opening the stage, and their L7/Bikini Kill-inspired riot grrrl set gets a good reception, despite the sound bouncing around the cavernous room. They sound much better HERE.
In the Empress Ballroom, Durham/Sunderland quartet Chaos 8 are first up, and although they’re kicking up a hell of a racket, it’s singer Beki Straughan who’s the star of the show, a real force of nature who owns every inch of the stage as she belts out their industrial gothic rock. They’ve got a couple of full-lengths to their name, but have released nothing new since their 2021 EP One Last Kiss, so let’s hope that changes soon.
Back in the Casbah, Leeds Oi! band Geoffrey Oi!Cott are digging in for a spell at the crease to belt out songs about cricket, Yorkshire, beer, darts, and some of their other favourite subjects. Cricket-based Oi! probably shouldn’t work, but it does, and I always enjoy one of the first bands I saw at my first Rebellion, and have kept going back to.
If you like your punk delivered with plenty of pace and in a gruff northern accent, you’ll like them too. Their new album, Motorheadingley, is available digitally from their Bandcamp page HERE, though the very limited Howzat! 7in is sold out.
Yur Mum are a garage-rock two-piece from Brazil now residing in London, and the first of several duos we’ll see this weekend. Anelise (bass/vocals) and Fabio (drums) are one of those acts who are making their way up the ranks after debuting on the RIS stage in 2022.
It’s the first time I’ve seen them, and although they give it their best shot, they seem a bit lost on the huge stage, even with mics placed at either end so Anelise can scamper between them and try to make it a bit smaller. They released their third album, Duality, in April, and I’d like to see them in a smaller venue before passing judgement. Check them out at Bandcamp HERE.
Cyanide Pills are a band I’ve seen a few times, and always been very entertained by, and their set today is no exception. Their low budget rock ‘n’ roll slips down a treat, bolstered by some tracks from their latest album, last year’s Soundtrack To The New Cold War, which becomes my first merch buy of the weekend as soon as they’re done.
Bands this early on the bill only get half an hour to impress, but that’s not a problem for these Leeds lads, who smash through their Heartbreakers-inspired sleazy punk rock like their life depends on it.
Back in the Arena, Canadian band Belvedere are slamming through a set of melodic hardcore, and although it’s fine, and going down well with the assembled crowd, I’m in a stage-hopping mood, so only stay for a few songs before heading back to the RIS stage.
Next up there are Sick Pins, a four-piece ska-punk band from the West Midlands, and as well as being their first Rebellion appearance, it turns out it’s their last show, as they’re calling it a day after six years together. Seems a bit of a waste of a slot that many other bands would give their eye teeth for, but hey ho.
Again, they don’t hold my attention for more than a few songs, particularly as the singer seems well ‘lubricated’, so it’s down to the Casbah for a look at 18 Fevers, a punk-metal quartet from South Korea who’ve been invited back after impressing on the RIS last year. They’re two girls (the lead vocalist/guitar player is called Christmas!) and two guys, and they get a good response in their mid-afternoon slot.
In the Arena, Glasgow ska-punks The Guillotines pull a big crowd, and it’s easy to see why. They kick up a hugely enjoyable racket, with their one-man brass section stealing the show in his purple suit and shades. They’re a new band to me, and I make a mental note to check out more of their music (they have three albums to their name, most recently 2022’s Antagonistic, which you can check out on Bandcamp HERE.
From a new-to-me band to some Rebellion favourites, Spunk Volcano & The Eruptions, who are next up on the Casbah stage, and although they don’t pull as big a crowd as the gimp-masked frontman’s other band (more of them later), they are plenty of devotees here to sing along with their all-too-brief 40-minute set of nostalgia-steeped punk, including a new song which is set to feature on a free 7in in a future issue of the excellent Safety Pin fanzine.
Back to the Ballroom, which is rammed for the triumphant return of Britpunk duo The Meffs. While some two-pieces struggle to fill such a huge stage, Lily and Lewis have no such problem, reaffirming my belief that it won’t be too many years before they’re headlining here. They open with a blistering version of Everything’s Gone, and crowd favourite Stand Up, Speak Out follows in short order.
A cover version of The Prodigy’s Breathe goes down a storm, as does Clowns, the lead single from their forthcoming album What A Life. They end by performing a double crowd surf deep into the audience while two members of Death Trails play their instruments, and finish with an exultant Broken Britain, Broken Brains. What a set by one of UK punk’s brightest up and coming talents. It’s certainly set the bar high for those who follow.
Speaking of which, it’s back to the Casbah for one of my most eagerly anticipated bands of the whole weekend, The Drowns. I first saw the four-piece from Seattle at Rebellion 2019 and immediately fell for their riff-filled punk rock ‘n’ roll. This is the fifth time I’ve seen them, and they have a whole new set of songs to pick and choose from after releasing one of my favourite albums of 2024 so far, Blacked Out (reviewed here).
They kick off with an oldie, Black Lung, and the first thing to note (apart from their new Greggs-inspired backdrop!) is new guitarist Christian Martucci (Stone Sour/Dee Dee Ramone/Black Star Riders), who fits their punchy style like a glove. Frontman Rev lets it slip that the show is being recorded for a live album, and despite the sound which mars other bands’ sets, they sound great.
Other old faves like Wolves On The Throne rub shoulders with new songs like Blacked Out and Ketamine And Cola, and a stunning cover of The Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz. After emphasising their anti-racist, anti-fascist stance, they bring things to a tumultuous close with Them Rats. Remember that bar I said The Meffs set? It’s just gone up a notch. Outstanding. The Drowns return to the UK in November. You’d be a fool to miss them.
How the hell to follow that? Catching the end of Clobber on the RIS stage, that’s how. I saw the London hardcore outfit supporting Grade 2 last year (reviewed here) and was well impressed with their short, sharp bursts of pure aggression, so it’s unfortunate they clash with The Drowns, who have long been on my ‘A’ list of bands to see.
Others have obviously heard about them too, as the Pavilion is chocka, and Clobber’s oi-infused HC is so intense and confrontational that some people actually look scared. Vocalist Charlie is in top crowd-baiting form, inviting the audience to ‘come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’, and informing them “we’re the best looking and best sounding band of the week, and when we’re done you can all fuck off home”.
Songs like Karens, Gammons, Hippies & Conspiracies, Bully Boys and Council Estate Of Mind certainly hit the spot, and I’m straight out to the merch stand afterwards to bag a copy of their limited edition 12in Violent Back Beat Noise. Clobber hit the road in September, joining The Last Gang, Last Hounds and Split Dogs on the Hi-Stakes tour. Another must-see gig.
It’s only seven bells, I’ve seen 15 bands already, and another of my must-sees are up next in the Arena. Slalom D, a political punk band from Sunderland, were only formed six years ago, and already have two excellent albums to their name, most recently last year’s Waltz Into Anarchy (reviewed here). They overcame the huge blow of losing original vocalist Craig McBeth after releasing just one single, and have gone from strength to strength since recruiting the force of nature that is Fiona Duncan as his replacement.
This is their third year in a row at Rebellion, and their best set yet, featuring old favourites like Chelsea Bonfire, songs from both albums, superb latest single Medusa, and, such is their growing confidence, an as-yet-unreleased song that not many people have heard. They go down the proverbial storm, and their merch stand does a brisk trade after their allotted 40 minutes.
After a brief chat with a couple of Slalom D members it’s back to the Casbah for a band I’ve admired from afar but never seen live, US street-punks Noi!se, from Tacoma in Washington State, who are playing their first-ever UK show. They’ve been going 15 years, but their touring is restricted by the fact vocalist Matt Henson is a serving member of the US military.
It might be their first time here, but the five-piece pull a sizable crowd, and go down well, even if the muddy sound in the venue does them few favours. Highlights of their set include early single Idle Action and The Real Enemy, the title track of their second album proper. It might be their first time, but I think they’ve done well enough to be asked back, and hopefully be given a slot on a stage with better sound.
A quick dodge into the RIS After Dark stage for Californian first-timers Nixed doesn’t last long. They’re fine, but don’t really grab my attention after a run of bands I really wanted to see, so it’s back downstairs.
Watford Oi! crew Tear Up are laying waste to the Arena. They’re cut from the same cloth as Clobber and their hooligan rock ‘n’ roll has pulled a big crowd after a successful set last year. Songs like Fighting Down The Boozer and Playground Politics slip down nicely and a cover of The Business’s The Real Enemy prompts a huge singalong which reminds you how much Micky Fitz is missed.
Now then. It’s time for another of my A-listers, The Bar Stool Preachers, who I first saw back in 2015 after being one of the droves who walked out of the Boomtown Rats’ Empress set when Geldof insulted 90% of the crowd for wearing ‘a uniform of black T-shirts with shit band names on them‘. I ventured to the Arena instead, and fell hook, line and sinker for the Preachers, who I’ve seen more than 20 times since.
They started off as a ska-punk band but have really broadened their sound, culminating in last year’s wonderful third album Above The Static (reviewed here). In Tom McFaull they’ve got one of the most charismatic frontmen around, and the band are sounding awesome. Doorstep is huge, 8-6 Days (All The Broken Hearts) from second album Grazie Governo gets huge cheers and their cheeky cover of Suicide Girls, by Tom’s dad’s band Cock Sparrer, shows their growing confidence. Things are rounded off with their anthem Bar Stool Preacher and they depart to a heroes’ ovation. Give them a couple of years at most and they’ll be headlining here.
It’s after 11 o’ clock and I’m knackered, so it’s time to round off the night with a sit down in the Opera House, where Tom Robinson Band are tonight’s final attraction. Somehow I’ve never managed to see them, and I’m pleased to report that they were great, even if, at 74, Tom’s voice isn’t what it was. He might be a BBC presenter these days, but still commands huge respect for his championing of gay rights and anti-establishment activism back in the late ’70s, when it was a dangerous time to be a rebel.
He says this show isn’t just about him and asks for the lights to be turned on every member of his band, and I thoroughly enjoy their set which includes new wave classics like Glad To Be Gay, Up Against the Wall, Power In The Darkness and 2-4-6-8 Motorway, as well as his solo hit War Baby.
As first days at Rebellion go, this is probably the best one I’ve ever had. I’ve seen 21 bands, including half a dozen from my must-see list. And it’s only Thursday. Roll on the rest of the best weekend of the year.
Today’s six of the best: The Drowns, The Bar Stool Preachers, Clobber, The Meffs, Slalom D, Tom Robinson Band.
Best new-to-me band: Crapsons.
