REVIEW: REBELLION PUNK FESTIVAL 2022, WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL, DAY ONE
After three long years, punks from all over the world flocked to the dubious delights of Blackpool for the first Rebellion Festival since 2019.
With the 2020 and 2021 festivals cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was like the genie being let out of the bottle as friends old and new came out to play.
And while it was great to be back, there were a lot of new features to be absorbed – not least the presence of a huge new outdoor stage on the seafront, R-Fest.
Tickets for it were available as a standalone event, but Rebellion ticket holders got in as part of their ticket price anyway, making the four-day jamboree of all things punk and punk-related even better value for money.
First things first, we had to get into the venue, and here’s where things really were different. Since the last time we were in Blackpool the Winter Gardens has opened a new conference centre, and it was here that you had to head to exchange your ticket for a wristband.
Heading towards the rear of the venue, as far away from the old entrance as you can get, my heart sank as I saw the queue snaking down the side of the building, past the bands’ load-in area.
It turned out this was the queue for those who’d obtained their wristbands the previous day; the wristband exchange one was five times as long, stretching right along Topping Street, way past Churchills pub.
I thought there was no way we’d get in to see the first band on the bill, but to be fair the queue moved reasonably quickly once it began to shift, and it took maybe 45 minutes to get inside.
The organisers have asked for feedback on all aspects of the festival, and this was one thing that could definitely be improved. The doors didn’t open until 11am, and with the first band due on at 11.45, this didn’t leave much time for security searches and to get your wristband.
I understand there were also problems over the weekend with a huge influx of people heading back into the Winter Gardens from R-Fest, which caused admissions to be halted more than once, but didn’t experience this personally.
It was about a 10-minute walk from R-Fest back to the new entrance (plus queuing time to get in) and it would have made much more sense to re-admit people at the old front entrance once they already had wristbands, with new arrivals heading to the rear.
Once we were inside, we headed straight to the RIS stage, housed this year in the Arena, and it was evident straight away that it was to be plagued by the usual sound problems. It’s a decent-sized room, holding about 1,000, but the sound is invariably awful unless you’re right at the front.
I’m sorry to say that was the case again. Rebellion have got it right at other stages – the Empress is usually fine, the Casbah is good and the Pavilion probably the best of the lot, but the Arena remains a problem.
Drinks prices had also noticeably increased since 2021, when the organisers hastily arranged a one-day event, HITS25 (reviewed here), after the full event was cancelled. £4.80 for a pint of Carling lager (£5 if you bought it at R-Fest!) is taking the piss.
Anyway, that’s the gripes out of the way. It was bloody great to be back, and watching the music I love with thousands of like-minded souls, with hardly a wanker in sight.
THE P45s, who had the honour of opening the festival, were a new band to me, and I suspect most other people. They’re a three-piece from Blackpool who were formed during the pandemic, and their edgy Dead Kennedys-tinged punk slipped down nicely as an appetiser for what was to follow.
We didn’t stay for their full set, as I’d made a pledge to myself to catch as many bands from my native North East as possible, and the first, RED LONDON, were on in the Club Casbah.
Formed all the way back in 1981 in Sunderland, they split in 2002, but reformed four years ago, and recently released a new album, Cut From A Different Cloth. Only the title track made it onto the setlist as they concentrated on older material, but Patty Smith commanded the stage like the old pro he is, and the lads got a good reception from a decent-sized crowd.
They turned the clock all the way back to the beginning with Revolution Times and This Is England from their debut Sten Guns In Sunderland EP, but the highlight of their set was a fierce version of Police Oppression, dedicated to the man who wrote it, the much-missed Angelic Upstarts frontman Mensi (of which we’ll hear more later).
From Oi! to the more slick sounds of JANUS STARK, who released one of my favourite albums so far this year in Face Your Biggest Fear. I’d never seen them live, and was immediately impressed with frontman Gizz Butt, who commanded the huge Empress stage with his band’s catchy brand of pop-punk.
He’s earned his chops as a member of English Dogs and The Prodigy, but this band fuse punk with hard rock and heavy metal, and put on a great show with new songs like Rolling With The Punches and Clusterfuck mixed with older material.
Next it’s off to the seafront for one of the bands I’ve been most looking forward to seeing again, MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP. They released one of my favourite albums of 2020 in Telling Truths, Breaking Ties, and won lots of new friends touring with ska-punk legends Less Than Jake earlier this year (reviewed here).
They’ve shed a member since I last saw them, but as a four-piece they somehow managed to sound bigger than ever on the sunny outdoor stage under the shadow of Blackpool Tower, and made the most of their time in the spotlight with a banging 40-minute set.
Most of it was drawn from the album, but they dipped a toe back into old EPs and even threw in their cover of the Little Mix song Sweet Melody, but the standout moment for me was Your Story, which showcases Millie’s astonishing voice perfectly.
Back to the Winter Gardens and another queue to get in, and we headed back to the Ballroom for another of my must-see bands, RISKEE AND THE RIDICULE. I saw them live for the first time late last year at Trillians in Newcastle (reviewed here), after they were recommended to me by none other than TJ McFaull, frontman of the Bar Stool Preachers.
All I can say that if TJ recommends a band, do listen, as he got this one spot on. Riskee are a five-piece from Kent who fuse punk and grime, and their 35-minute set was an early highlight of the weekend, full of energy and passion, as well as bloody good tunes.
You know they’re cooking on gas when singer Scott whips his top off; here it took just a couple of songs, and they treated us to an all-killer no filler set including excellent versions of Our Time, In The Dark We Dwell, Body Bag Your Scene and Lana Del Rey’s Young And Beautiful. Yes, you read that right.
Unfortunately, staying until the end of R&TR meant missing some of another of my must-see artists, SUZI MOON, who has released two excellent EPs on Pirates Press Records this year, with a full-length album on the way.
She used to be the guitarist is all-girl LA punk band Civet, before fronting LA trio Turbulent Hearts and co-founding garage/punk/stoner power trio L.A. Machina. Word has it that their pre-Rebellion show at The Tache the previous night was something special, so I’m determined to catch a bit of her set.
Suzi’s put together a cracking four-piece band (her and three guys) to showcase her songs, and they’re playing to a packed Pavilion. With hair as red as her spangly bodysuit, she’s prowling every inch of the stage and makes for an arresting sight.
The music’s not half bad either, with Gold Record Autograph and Animal the standouts from the songs that I heard. Her garage-tinged punk slips down a treat, and I’m so looking forward to the album Dumb & In Luv, which comes out on 23 September.
Next, a quick dodge back to the Empress to catch a bit of SVETLANAS, a band who I first saw on the Introducing stage back in 2016 Frontwoman Olga was a bit scary, as I recall, wandering into the audience, getting right in punters’ faces and taking swigs from their drinks!
Formed in Moscow but based these days in Milan (Olga is classed as an undesirable due to her band’s anti-government stance and political views), the four-piece kick up an impressive racket with their thrashy punk, and I’m pleased to say Olga stays on the stage – though it is a bit bigger than the RIS stage I first saw them on!
Determined to see as many new-to-me bands as possible, it’s back to the Pavilion next to see SUBALTERNOS, one of a small contingent of Brazilian bands appearing at Rebellion 2022. They’ve been here before, and are clearly delighted to be back.
If there’s a happier man in Blackpool this weekend than frontman Alberto Rinaldi, then I’m afraid I missed him. He’s enjoying every minute as he leads his band through a set of upbeat streetpunk. Their songs are mostly sung in Portuguese, so I don’t understand a word, but they do close with a new track, Thank You England, which is in English, and are joined onstage by Oddy from Resistance 77.
Copies of their two albums Nunca Pare de Lutar and recent release Subalternos swiftly purchased (they’re available from Bandcamp HERE), it was down to the Casbah for another helping of streetpunk with Watford trio KNOCK OFF.
They’ve got a new album out too, Side By Side, but only a couple of its tracks, Take His Eyes and Working Class Boy, make the cut. Otherwise it’s old faves all the way, from Are You Offended and This Is Who We Are to Football, Beer & Punk Rock and the closing Jack the Ripper. Great stuff, and new bassist Andy fits like a glove .
Staying in the Casbah, it’s time for one of the weekend’s most baffling billings; DIRT BOX DISCO at 5pm on the first day of the festival, with just 45 minutes to strut their stuff. I’ve got used to Sunday being Dirtbox Day, paving the way for a glorious home run as the festival nears its end, but perhaps they’ve got somewhere else to be?
The Casbah is packed, and I’m told later people are being turned away at the doors. I’m not surprised, as Dirt Box Disco are a band who the Rebellion crowd have really taken to their heart since their first appearance in 2012.
There’s less messing about since onesie-wearing singer Weab left, but they only have time for 10 songs, and their set seems to fly by. Frontman Spunk Volcano urges the crowd to try breaking the crowdsurfing record set by Rancid a few years ago. Perhaps it’s too early in the day, there’s a little post-Covid hesitancy, or the crowd simply aren’t not drunk enough yet, but they fall way short.
The set is tailored for the old-school Dirt Box fan, starting with oldies Burning and Tragic Roundabout, with just one song, We Are Unstoppable, from their most recent album. Traditional closer My Life Is Shit gets more bodies flying over the barrier into the arms of the excellent security guys ‘n’ gals, and just as they’re getting into their stride it’s all over.
What can follow Dirt Box Disco? New Jersey’s BOUNCING SOULS back in the Empress Ballroom for the first time in six years, that’s what, and although they pull a big crowd and put on a good show, I’ve seen them a couple of times before, and I need to be elsewhere. Down in the RIS stage, to be precise, as KNIFE CLUB have been on my must-see list since I heard their debut album (reviewed here) back in 2020.
They’re something of a DIY punk supergroup, including members of such luminaries as Revenge of the Psychotronic Man, Matilda’s Scoundrels, Nosebleed and Faintest Idea, and their short and fast songs remind me very much of Revenge – probably because Andy Davies is one of the two vocalists.
Freed now of bass duties, he roams the stage, climbs the barrier and eventually ends up in the crowd, forming one of the pillars of a human pyramid, while still managing to sing. Brilliant.
IN EVIL HOUR are a hardcore band from Darlington who have become of my Rebellion go-to’s over the years, and I was doubly determined to see them after enjoying them very much when they supported Riskee and the Ridicule at Trillians in Newcastle back in December (reviewed here). That was their new drummer Jason’s first gig with them, and he’s bedded in nicely.
ANTI-FLAG are a band I’ve seen just once, here in Blackpool back in 2015, and I manage to catch a few songs of their slick slogan-filled punk in the Empress before heading off to another of my must-sees for the weekend, never mind today. Sunderland band SLALOM D, recently expanded to a five-piece, are making their Rebellion debut in the Introducing stage, and I can’t miss them.
Kicking off with traditional opener No Pasaran they slam through a kick-arse half-hour set which goes down very well with those around me at the front – but then it would, as half the North East seems to have turned out to see them, with familiar faces all around me. One of the best things about the North East’s punk scene is it’s very supportive, with little rivalry between the bands.
Instead, many of them turn out to support each other, which will become a theme of this weekend. Slalom D were excellent, if hampered a little by the shit RIS sound, and hopefully they’ve done enough to convince the organisers that they deserve a slot next year – on a stage with better sound. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out their debut album Happy Skies – my favourite record of 2021 (reviewed here).
After a chinwag with singer Fe, who’s thanking all the familiar faces for turning out to see the D, it’s back to the Empress to check out one of this year’s big draws, CIRCLE JERKS. Formed in LA back in 1979 by former Black Flag singer Keith Morris, they were one of US hardcore’s most influential bands, and people have waited a long time to see them here.
Three-quarters of the final incarnation of the band – Morris, guitarist Greg Hetson and bassist Zander Schloss — are on board, and their set of short, sharp songs goes down well, but it starts to all sound the same to me after a while, so off we trot to check out something different. That turns out to be FEROCIOUS DOG, who have pulled a big crowd upstairs on the Almost Acoustic stage, after appearing down at R-Fest a few hours earlier.
SMILEY AND THE UNDERCLASS are another band I was recommended to check out by TJ from the Bar Stool Preachers, but not had a chance yet.
They’re playing on the RIS/After Dark stage, and the first thing that strikes you is they’re a young London band with two black members – still all too rare in British punk rock, despite these more enlightenened times. Their punky-reggae is bloody good too, but sadly they don’t seem to have a merch stall, or I can’t find it, so make a mental note to check what’s available on Bandcamp.
It’s approaching the end of the night, and time to head to the Empress Ballroom, where SKIDS – due to appear at R-Fest on Friday – have stepped into the breach left by headliners Bad Religion pulling out due to a family emergency less than a week ago. Frontman Richard Jobson is the only original member left these days, though ex-Big Country guitarist Bruce Watson and his son Jamie have been mainstays of the band since they reformed in 2007.
I’ve loved the Skids since I was a kid, and a setlist which starts with Charade and ends with a cover of The Clash’s Complete Control (as featured on their covers album Songs From A Haunted Ballroom) is always going to be a winner, but there’s something that I can’t put my finger on missing tonight, maybe because they’re still trying to bed in a new bass player and drummer. Still enjoyable, but I’ve seen them better.
Time then for the last band of the night, and it’s another on my unmissables, the BAR STOOL PREACHERS. I first saw them at Rebellion in 2015 after walking out of the Boomtown Rats headline set, and have been a fan ever since. I saw them just two weeks ago at Kubix Festival in Sunderland (reviewed here), and since then they have announced that they’re joining Pure Noise Records (Less Than Jake’s label) to release their third album.
They start a few minutes late, but hit the ground running with Choose My Friends. Usually a six-piece, there’s seven of them tonight, and with three guitars they sound immense.
Crowd favourites like One Fool Down, Trickledown and 8.6 Days (All The Broken Hearts), are all rapturously received, though there’s no time for their traditional closer, Bar Stool Preacher (though I’m told it does get an airing at their packed-out acoustic set on Saturday).
I’ve long thought of BSP as future headliners if Rebellion is to continue as the old bands fall by the wayside. Tonight confirmed that belief, with lots of people unable to get into the packed Casbah room. BSP love Rebellion and the festival loves them. Long may it continue.
Thursday’s six of the best: Janus Stark, Millie Manders & The Shutup, Riskee and the Ridicule, Suzi Moon, Slalom D, Bar Stool Preachers.
