GIG REVIEW: North East Calling @ Northumbria University, Newcastle, Saturday 3 October 2026
North East Calling has become an important part of the region’s annual gig calendar since it began as a celebration of 30 years of punk in Durham way back in 2006.
It’s long since moved to Newcastle, finding a home from home at Northumbria University, and hosting some of the biggest names in punk over the years; The Damned, Angelic Upstarts, The Exploited, Sham 69, UK Subs, Buzzcocks, Discharge, Skids and The Adicts are among those to have graced its stage over the years.
2026 is the 50th anniversary of the music and social movement called punk, and there’s no sign of it going away yet, if the quality of newer bands on the bill is anything to go by.
JS Promotions, which organises the Calling events, generally has three or four punk rock legends on the bill, along with a supporting cast of up and coming bands.
As the number of active original bands dwindles, filling the top-of-the-bill heritage slots gets harder every year, but newer bands are lending fresh impetus and lowering the age of those who attend, which hopefully mean there’s plenty of life in the format yet.
Today’s line-up is a good mix of legends and up and coming acts, but the honour of opening the day falls to a band who have been here many times before. Fire Exit are from Glasgow, and play old-school punk rock, with no frills and even fewer fucks given.
Frontman Gerry Attrick is the only original member, and he vows: “Fire Exit will continue to play until I physically can’t do it any more.” There’s certainly no evidence of that today as they rattle through their half-hour set of anthemic songs like United And Strong and We’re Gonna Drink.
They know they’re the warm-up act for better-known bands to come, and they’re fine with that, but they’re always a canny turn, as they say in these parts, and they leave the stage to warm applause from the slowly-filling room.
Many punters still haven’t left the nearby ‘Spoons by the time the second band, Voodoo Radio, come on, but they’re reasonably local (hailing from Barrow in Cumbria) and have played in Newcastle a few times, so are familiar faces.
They’re the first of three duos who will play today, a format which is increasingly popular, as it cuts on costs and is easier to organise. That’s particular the case with VR, who are singer/stand-up drummer Paige Cooke and her dad Tony.
Formed in 2018, they cut their teeth busking in London subway tunnels, and play power-pop/garage rock with a punk attitude. Songs like Slag Bank, Pretty Boy and Ice Cream Man even get a few people singing along, though being asked to bark along to Dog (“the worst film song ever written”) seems a step too far for some.
Do check out Voodoo Radio if they play at a venue near you. Their songs are catchy, and their between-song banter is a reminder that punk doesn’t always have to be serious – it can be fun too. You won’t find their records in shops or on Bandcamp, but you can buy them from their merch table at gigs or from their website HERE.
Another very different duo are up next. Yur Mum were a late addition to the bill, added in the last week when UK82 legends GBH had to pull out due to a member undergoing a medical procedure. They’re a London-based Brazilian couple, with Anelise on vox and bass and Fabio on drums, and together they make a very pleasing grunge-punk racket.
They’ve got three albums under their belt, and have a huge sound which doesn’t suffer at all from the lack of a guitarist (they had one for their first album, but he left and they decided to continue as a two-piece).
I’m not overly familiar with their music, but songs like Guilt and New Beginnings (both from their latest album, 2024’s Duality) hit hard, and have the heads of those who like their music heavy nodding along in appreciation. This was their first North East Calling appearance, but I doubt it’ll be their last, as they’re different to anyone else on the bill.
Riskee and the Ridicule are next, and I’m surprised they’re not higher up the bill, as they played here two years and absolutely smashed it. They’re in the same slot on the bill, so I wonder if they’ve got another gig elsewhere later? Whatever, it’s wonderful to see them grace a North East stage again, as they always put on an electrifying show.
Their brand of grime punk isn’t for everyone, but for me it blends the best of punk, post-hardcore and rap, and in Scott Picking they have a frontman you can’t take your eyes off. He covers every inch of the stage, prowling like a caged animal, and putting every ounce of his being into the show.
They come out all guns blazing with Banger, before Our Time lifts the atmosphere even higher. Then they wheel out latest single Ghetto Blaster, which is already a live favourite, and follow that with their cover of Lana Del Rey’s Young & Beautiful. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and they simply get better from there.
Molotov Cocktails from second album Blame Culture slips down a treat, and after a couple from most recent album Platinum Statue they finish with Accelerate from Body Bag Your Scene, which for me is their best work. They’ve smashed it once again, and if you haven’t seen Riskee before you really need to do so, as they’re superb.
The band with the unenviable task of following that are Hi-Fi Spitfires, fronted by Steve Straughan, who’s from just down the road in Sunderland. Like Fire Exit’s Gerry, he’s a punk lifer, playing in bands like Holy Racket, Loaded 44 and The Last Gang, as well as a nine-year stint playing guitar for the legendary UK Subs.
They’ve got three albums to their name, and it would probably be more if bassist Tony and drummer Dean didn’t live in the Midlands. They play ’77-style punk with a modern edge, and their set is very different to the last time I saw them play in Sunderland back in 2022 (reviewed here).
That’s because it’s based around their most recent album, 2024’s Off The Radar, with no fewer than six of its tracks making the cut here. The pick of them, for me, is Berlin, closely followed by The Melting Men. There’s a couple of older cuts too, and a handful of brand new songs, which haven’t been released yet.
It’s a typically high-energy set, and they go down well with what’s almost a hometown crowd. If you don’t know Hi-Fi Spitfires, do yourself a favour and check them out at Bandcamp HERE.
We’re at the halfway point of today’s shenanigans, which means it’s time for Random Hand. They’re a four-piece ska-punk band from Keighley, West Yorkshire, and although they were formed in 2002, they’ve played NEC just once before, a couple of years ago.
If you’ve ever seen them live you’ll know that a Random Hand show is all about the energy, as well as a killer combination of ska rhythms and punk attitude. Guitarist Dan has his shirt off as they take to the stage, so you know it’s going to be a sweaty one, and so it proves.
Their moshpit is a lively place, not for the faint-hearted, especially when frontman Robin dives into it after a couple of songs. How he manages to sing, play trombone and leap around the stage like Tigger on speed never ceases to amaze me, and he must be knackered after their 40-minute set.
They launch into it full tilt with The Cycle from their most recent album, 2023’s excellent fifth studio effort Random Hand, and it also gives us two of my set highlights, Lifejackets and Devil With A Microphone.
All five of their albums are represented, with oldies like Anger Management and Scum Triumphant going down a storm with a crowd who are clearly up for a skank. They end with their best-known song, Play Some Ska, and it’s another show absolutely smashed.
If Riskee and the Ridicule set the bar earlier, Random Hand just raised it even higher, and we’re not quite at the business end of the day yet. And Dirt Box Disco are up next.
The glam-punk quartet have become firm NEC favourites since their first appearance in 2016, and it’s a welcome return, as they haven’t played since 2022.
They’re rude, crude, and catchy as hell, and have put the fun back into punk in an era when it was in danger of becoming really fucking depressing due to all the bad things happening in the world.
Yes, they wear silly costumes, yes, some of their lyrics will make you spit out your beer, and yes, you might just discover they’re your favourite new band if by some chance you’ve been living on a remote island for the last 15 years.
I’ll never tire of the sight of punks of all ages bopping around and singing along to songs with titles like Up The Dirtbox, Second Hand Sex Toys and Let’s Get Wasted. By the time we get to traditional closer My Life Is Shit the whole room is joining in. I mean, why wouldn’t you? Job’s a good ‘un. Up the Dirt Box.
With the exception of Fire Exit, the line-up so far has consisted mainly of what many would call ‘new’ bands, which is fine by me, as the scene needs fresh talent coming through to keep it alive. Now though it’s time to step back into the ’80s with Peter And The Test Tube Babies.
The band were formed in Peacehaven, Sussex, back in 1978, and came to most young punks’ attention with the release of two excellent singles, Run Like Hell and Banned From The Pubs, on the iconic and influential No Future label back in 1982.
Though they’ve had fallow spells, they’ve never gone away, and they still have two original members, singer Peter Bywaters and guitarist Del Greening.
Known for their tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and cheeky song titles, they were considered part of the punk-pathetique movement, but probably drew the template for modern bands like Dirt Box Disco and Hung Like Hanratty.
They’re in good form here, mixing the classics with newer songs like In Yer Face and None Of Your Fucking Business from 2017 album That Shallot and Hell To Pay from their most recent offering, 2020’s Fuctifano.
It’s the oldies people want to hear though, and they oblige with spirited run-throughs of the singles and other favourites like The Jinx and Moped Lads. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but the Test Tubes certainly know how to please a crowd.
Now for the most intriguing part of the bill. Essex duo The Meffs are undoubtedly one of the fastest-rising bands on the UK’s punk scene right now. But how will they go down as second headliners at a one-dayer better known for its heritage acts than newcomers?
Well, I should never have doubted them, as they absolutely stormed it from the get-go. Lily (vocals and guitar) and Lewis (drums) proudly proclaim that they’re louder than a four-piece, and they’re not wrong. They make a hell of a racket for a two-piece, and they’re great at audience engagement.
The Meffs are overtly political, with a big social conscience, and when Lily announces that she’s from Clacton, and her MP is Nigel Farage, there’s a chorus of booing, which is music to her ears.
The majority of tonight’s set comes from their recently released second album Business (reviewed here:) and it sounds even better and angrier live than it does on record. Highlights include So Modern and What A Nightmare, but it’s the two covers they casually lob into the set which steal the show.
The first, a breakneck version of The Prodigy’s Breathe, comes as no surprise, as I’ve seen them do it before, but Identity by X-Ray Specs is a very pleasant surprise. It’s superb and goes down a storm with the older members of the audience, and I think they win more than a few new fans here, justifying their lofty billing.
Time for our headliners then, and what can I say about the Cockney Rejects that hasn’t been said before? Formed in the East End of London in 1978, they were the band who gave the Oi! subgenre of punk its name, and are rightly looked on as legends. Most people thought the band was done when co-founder Micky Geggus and two other members quit in 2023.
His brother Jeff Turner had other ideas, recruiting Olga from Toy Dolls on guitar and JJ Pearce (The Last Resort) and Ray Bussey (Argy Bargy) as the rhythm section, and the reinvigorated line-up has breathed new life into songs written more than 45 years ago.
With the exception of Power And The Glory, every song in tonight’s set comes from their first two albums, Greatest Hits I and II, which came out within six months of each other in 1980. Turner shadowboxes his way around the stage as he leads the crowd in huge singalongs of songs like Bad Man, Join The Rejects, We Are The Firm and I’m Not A Fool.
The Rejects had half a dozen hit singles and three Top 30 albums before their football allegiances got in the way and they switched styles to become a heavy rock band, but their 50-minute set here reminds us what a force of nature they were and still are, bringing the sound of the streets to the people.
When they finish with Oi! Oi! Oi!, I – and probably many others – feel like a defiant, hopeful teenager again, instead of a middle-aged parent counting down the years to retirement. The new breed might have strutted their stuff with style and swagger, but the revitalised Rejects have shown they’ll take on all comers and still come out on top.
Usually, after nine and a half hours of punk rock, that would be that, but there’s a special treat tonight in the form of an after-show set from a brand new self-acclaimed ‘pound shop supergroup’, Gatecrash.
They consist of Daryl Smith (Cock Sparrer/Argy Bargy) and Russ Farrell (aka Spunk Volcano from Dirt Box Disco) on guitar and vocals, Andy Furr (ex-Knock Off) on bass and Maff (Dirt Box Disco/Spunk Volcano & the Eruptions) on drums.
Daryl jokes that this must be the worst after-party anyone could throw. “No one knows who we are, no one knows the songs and we don’t do covers.” Fair do’s, but the losers tonight are those who leave because they’ve never heard of them.
Gatecrash recently released their self-titled debut album, launching it at Rebellion Festival in August. The queue to get in to see them was so long I chucked it and went to watch someone else, but I’ve got to say that was my loss.
What do they sound like? Dirt Box Sparrer, basically. By which I mean upbeat songs with singalong choruses, and while this is only their third gig, they’re as tight and tuneful as you’d expect, even if it is odd seeing Daryl front and centre and Russ/Spunk without the gimp mask.
It’s the first time I’ve heard them, and I enjoy them very much, which isn’t a surprise, as I like all the members’ other bands. Standouts from their 13-song set include Pound For Pound, Go Big Or Go Home and I Still Believe In You, and I imagine they’d sell a few albums tonight.
It’s been another triumphant North East Calling for organisers JS Promotions, even if they were hampered by one of their bigger-name acts pulling out the week before. I get the fact it’s those names which sell tickets, but I’m of similar vintage to probably 75% of the audience and prefer to watch newer bands than those I’ve seen umpteen times before.
The 2027 edition of North East Calling will be the 21st iteration of this all-dayer in its various guises. Let’s hope they can pull together a line-up worthy of such an occasion. The line-ups have already been announced for Scotland Calling and North West Calling, with tickets available HERE.
