(Reviews by Andy Murphy & Mark Kelly)
The Rebellion Festival is the biggest punk rock music festival in the UK. It is spread across four days and it attracts the largest bands and new emerging talent on the scene. It is annually held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, where it has been running continuously in one form or another since 1996.
The 15,000 capacity Rebellion Festival attracts people from all around the globe. The venue has many sizable rooms including the Empress Ballroom, Club Casbah, Opera House, Arena, Pavilion, After Dark & RIS (‘Rebellion Introducing Stage’), as well as the Mazzei Cafe for DJ’s. Upstairs there was also the Almost Acoustic, and the Literary Stage and The Old Vic.
This year’s team that ventured to Blackpool consisted of photographer Cris Watkins with reviewers Mark Kelly and Andy Murphy. Everything else was being collated back in Sussex by Nick Linazasoro.
This is article one of four and concentrates on the happenings on Day One. Reports from performances on Friday 2nd can be found HERE, performances on Saturday 3rd can be found HERE and performances on Sunday 4th August can be found HERE.
So without further ado, let’s get down to business…
DAY ONE – THURSDAY 1ST AUGUST
TITS UP – Club Casbah (12:30pm – 1:30pm)
Liverpool based ‘Tits Up’, not to be confused with ‘TiTs up’ from West Wales, have the honour of being my first band of the festival. ‘Tits Up’ comprises of Amanda on vocals and drums, Jen on vocals and guitar complete with a luminous pink strap, and Bridget with her impressive red heart shaped bass which she puts to good use throughout.
Their surf punk sound and even the way they dress has hints of The Cramps and B52s which is always a positive for me, but they definitely add their own style and personality to proceedings. Their ten song 30 minute set certainly increases in intensity as they warm up, peaking with ‘Birthday Party’ and a warning not to mess with this band as drummer and vocalist Amanda aggressively tells us that you won’t be invited to her birthday party if you cross her even if it’s something quite petty. Throughout there is a common theme in naming songs that have nothing to do with the title as Amanda points out. ‘Cinnamon’ has nothing to do with cinnamon, ‘Horny Hornets’ has nothing to do with Horny Hornets, and so on! The set concludes with ‘Psycho Girl’ which kind of confirms my earlier thoughts. They have graduated from playing the RIS to the much larger Club Casbah and based on this performance they have certainly earned the right to a bigger stage as this is a highly entertaining start to proceedings and they have certainly brought a smile to my face.
(Andy Murphy)
GEOFFREY OI!COTT – Club Casbah (1:20pm – 1:50pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
Having bailed out of playing cricket this weekend in order to attend Rebellion there is one band that I must see out of curiosity more than anything else and that is Geoffrey Oi!Cott. The band hail from the other side of the Pennines, but still that doesn’t put this Lancashire supporting reviewer off. Neither does the Oi! tag which some people automatically associate with right wing fascists, but that is not the case, and I am particularly careful to select my bands and thankfully this band are not members of the Yorkshire County Cricket Board. The band are kitted out in their cricket whites and Jase is wearing the obligatory Oi! braces for effect along with Dr Martens, which would be frowned upon at Lords. I immediately notice a Gunn and Moore cricket bat with a sticker that says “this machine kills fascists” which is a good opener and it’s nice to see them making a stand against the right-wing element. There is even a set of stumps onstage. Sporting bushy sideburns lead singer Jase Kilvo could hardly look any more a Yorkshireman and unbeknown to me it is ‘Yorkshire Day’, I didn’t even know such a thing existed, but it is a good excuse for the band to raise a glass to the crowd though it doesn’t sound like they need much encouragement as lead singer Jase points out.
This band are good fun with some cricketing humour interspersed in their lyrics and song titles such as ‘Dawn Of The Dickie Birds’ and ‘Beamers’. They play their new single which is out today called ‘Titus, A Yorkshireman’ and with that they are almost turning my red rose white, but fear not I will never change my allegiances. They also sing about darts (‘Dartitis’), beer (‘Gimme Some Head’), and their dislike of the sort of people who vote Tory/Reform which looks like it could be a theme with a lot of the bands I have chosen to see this weekend. The music itself is faster than a bouncer from Freddie Trueman and howzat set is over so quickly has me stumped, but they have obviously run out of time. I am left feeling like I’ve scored a winning six off the last ball but that’s a story for another time!
www.instagram.com/geoffreyoicott
(Andy Murphy)
YUR MUM – Empress Ballroom (1:50pm – 2:20pm)
This year’s festival starts for me with Yur Mum in the Empress Ballroom. They’re a Brazilian duo based in London, consisting of Anelise Kunz on bass, and Fabio Couto on drums. Initially it’s difficult to tell when their soundcheck ends and their set begins, but they’re pretty good once they get going. Seemingly it takes a while for both the band and the audience to get warmed up. I expect with bands like this to feel that there’s something missing with there being just the two instruments, but they sound absolutely complete. Anelise’s vocals are mostly screamed, but there’s some nice harmonies too. I’ve seen them described as being “heavier than Royal Blood”. I’m not sure about that, but they’re certainly heavy enough. Find out for yourself at the Underworld in Camden on 14th August.
(Mark Kelly)
PETE BENTHAM AND THE DINNER LADIES – Empress Ballroom (2:40pm – 3:20pm)
I stay in the Empress Ballroom for Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies. I’ve seen them a couple of times before and they’re good fun. However, despite being very entertaining their songs often contain a serious message. ‘Dead’s Not Punk’ for example is about taking care of your health and not popping your clogs sooner than you need to. They have two dancers called The Dinnerettes, aka Cantina Turner and Tash Patater. During ‘What’s On The Inside’ they ‘give birth’ to strings of sausages, and during the aforementioned ‘Dead’s Not Punk’ they sweep up the photo pit. It’s very public spirited of them to ensure that the photographers have a clean working environment! They play a new song called ‘Is There Life in Rhyl?’ I grew up there. I keep quiet…. This band really are top entertainment. See them if you get the chance.
(Mark Kelly)
HEAVY METAL KIDS – Opera House (3:20pm – 3:55pm)
Next it’s off to the Opera House for the Heavy Metal Kids. This is a bit of a misnomer because they don’t play heavy metal and the musicians aren’t kids. The band have however been around for quite a while. They first formed in 1972 and split in 1985 following the death of original vocalist Gary Holton. They re-formed in 2002 and still have two original members: Keith Boyce on drums and ‘Cosmo’ Verrico on guitar. Their two most recent recruits are Simon Gordon on vocals and Andy Fuller on keyboards. The line-up is completed by P J Phillips on bass. Heavy Metal Kids are essentially a good, tight, traditional heavy rock band. They’re pre-punk and were clearly an influence on the early punk bands. Their songs are succinct and to the point: no twenty minute epics for them! They haven’t stood still. They still produce new material, a good example of which is ‘Jimmy Brown’. They don’t ignore their earlier material either, performing ‘She’s No Angel’ and ‘Squalliday Inn’, both from 1976’s ‘Kitsch’ album. They only get a 35 minute set, which frankly is not long enough. However, they play the Cavern Free House in Raynes Park on 21st September. I wouldn’t mind betting that they’ll play for longer than 35 minutes there….
(Mark Kelly)
THE RAMONAS – Empress Ballroom (3:40pm – 4:25pm) (Photo of the band at Rebellion HERE)
I’ve only seen The Ramonas once during their 20 year tenure and that was pre Covid at the 250 capacity Lewes Con Club. Here I am at least five years later watching them in The Empress Ballroom which has a twelve times larger capacity than our beloved East Sussex venue. This four piece all-female band, as the name suggests are in essence a Ramones tribute band, and there is a good crowd in attendance ready to reminisce over some of the bands massive back catalogue. Without much ado the band tear into ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ which wakens up the mosh pit for the first time today. Lead singer Lisa is full of energy and the band are certainly bringing their A-game to the Empress Ballroom as the classics just keep on coming including ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’, ‘Pet Sematary’, and ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’, though they do break away from The Ramones set to show that they are no one-trick ponies and perform some of their own material including ‘Loser’ which is about Trump’s demise last time around, as we live in hope of a similar outcome later this year. To end the whirlwind 22 song set in just 45 minutes, they finish off with another crowd pleaser in ‘The KKK Stole My Baby’ leaving the crowd satisfied but already hot and sweaty with almost nine hours left of the day for those with enough stamina.
(Andy Murphy)
THE MEFFS – Empress Ballroom (4:45pm – 5:25pm)
The Meffs are next up in the Empress Ballroom and I am still kicking myself for not going to see them at the Bootleg Social Club last night for an intimate pre-Rebellion show, but my disappointment is short lived as the band rip into ‘Everything’s Gone’ and the crowd is whipped into a frenzy. Lily on guitar and vocals, prowls back and forth on the stage to the extent that I feel like I am at Centre Court at Wimbledon. Her menacing grin shows that she means business. Lewis, who can’t be much taller than my 5 feet and 6 inches, is a giant behind the drums and his energy knows no bounds as they tear up the Empress Ballroom.
‘Stand Up Speak Out’ is the ideal song for some audience singalong participation which goes down a treat. ‘Clowns’ is aptly dedicated to the Reform party and their voters with some not very polite, but appropriate words used to describe them. This band are relevant now with their lyrics, ideals, and morals, which have helped bring the new breed of punk into the 2020s. There is a brief interlude as ‘Death Trails’ take to the stage to take over whilst Lily and Lewis try out their double crowdsurf which they had only attempted for the first time the night before. It works perfectly and I should imagine is much easier given the size of the venue. This 40 minute set has it all including a Circle Pit and a Wall of Death which I suggest should be renamed the Wall of Meff!
I can’t recall seeing a duo own such a large stage with the authority that they have during this set and they have certainly wowed this crowd.
Next time The Meffs play Rebellion I should imagine they will be playing a later slot after what I already feel is going to be one of the punk performances of the festival and we’re not even six hours in. With a visit to St Leonards on the cards at the end of the month for an intimate gig at The Piper I am now more than excited to see them play up close and personal.
(Andy Murphy)
HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA – Empress Ballroom (5:55pm – 6:40pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
I wander back to the Empress Ballroom for Handsome Dick Manitoba. He used to be the vocalist for The Dictators and has gained a degree of legendary status as a result of that. Does he deserve that status? Well, maybe. He has a great band, consisting of two guitarists, bass and drums, but Dick seems to spend a lot of his time haranguing them. The band are reminiscent of a punkier New York Dolls with a touch of the MC5. Dick sometimes sang with the re-formed MC5/DKT in the mid 2000s, so this is perhaps not surprising. Dick is pleased to be back in England. He tells us that the only thing he doesn’t like about England is his ‘ex’. Well, fair enough I suppose. Dick speaks at some length about The Dictators’ 1975 album ‘The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!’, which is widely viewed to be the first punk album. Eventually the band play ‘The Next Big Thing’ from it. It should be noted that Dick was a guest musician on this album, only appearing on four tracks, and credited as “Secret Weapon”. One of the guitarists plays the intro to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, which earns him a telling off from the Great Vocalist. After another song Manitoba storms off stage in a bit of a huff. The band start a song called ‘Who Will Save Rock ‘n’ Roll’. The bassist sings and makes a darn good job of it. Manitoba returns to the stage and takes the p*ss out of said bassist. He doesn’t bother joining in the song, and that’s the end of the set. So: Handsome Dick Manitoba. Legend? Maybe, but he’s also… well…. a bit of a dick.
www.instagram.com/handsomedickmanitoba
(Mark Kelly)
THE DEL STRANGEFISH INEXPERIENCE – Almost Acoustic (7:00pm – 7:35pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
I now want to see an artist who’s more grown-up and mature, so I climb the stairs to the Almost Acoustic stage for The Del Strangefish Inexperience. Del, who resides in Woodingdean, is a former member of Flesh For Lulu and main songwriter for Peter And The Test Tube Babies, although he now no longer tours with them. He is a published author with another book soon to be released to an eagerly awaiting public, and is not only one of the funniest men in the world, he is also quite likely borderline genius. He has the temerity to start early, so by the time I position myself in front of the stage he is already halfway through ‘Elvis Is Dead’. He then goes straight into ‘Intensive Care’ (not literally), which I didn’t realise (or had perhaps forgotten due to lost brain cells) is a sequel song to the previous ditty. Well – you live and learn!!! Del is playing an acoustic guitar. I’m pretty sure that this is the first time that I’ve seen him play anything quieter than a Gibson Les Paul! After the delicately titled ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Shit’ we get ‘Run Del Run’, which is from Del’s new solo album. If this is indicative of the standard of material on said album, it must be a cracking piece of work. Del has special guests too! For ‘All About Love’ he’s joined by Vom from Die Toten Hosen on cajon. He’s also joined by Emily and Deb from The Pukes on ukuleles, and Clara on bass. They’re apparently playing today as the Delettes! Together they play ‘Silicone Beergut’, a very sad tale of a young man who has his gut surgically enhanced so he can look like his punk heroes, and the Test Tube Babies classic ‘Banned From The Pubs’. With that they’re gone. What can I say? Top entertainment! It really doesn’t get much better.
www.facebook.com/TheDelStrangefishShow
(Mark Kelly)
STEVE IGNORANT – Literary (7:15pm – 7:45pm) (Photo of Steve Ignorant at Rebellion HERE)
I decide to pop into the Literary Stage area which is a nice excuse just to sit down and rest my ageing legs, but I am also dead keen to see my music anti-hero Steve Ignorant being interviewed by Cherry B. It was a nice, relaxed atmosphere for someone I am used to seeing shouting his anger at the system down a microphone. Steve talks about his childhood, especially his struggles at school and how he left early, moved into the Epping Forest commune in 1977 having been a regular visitor for three years, and remained there until the mid-1990s when he met his partner Jona. It’s interesting to hear that he didn’t realise the influence he had on so many people whilst he was in Crass until recently and it’s plain to see from the large turnout to listen to him today that it has had a long-lasting effect. It’s great to hear that he is enjoying touring the Crass material and how the new band bring their own qualities to the music, so we can hopefully enjoy seeing them for a good while longer. In spite of that his most rewarding work was volunteering with the RNLI which he misses every day and for which he receives a well-deserved round of applause. The obvious highlight of the interview is when he is joined onstage by a young fan called Demi who takes over from Cherry B and grills him with several questions including ‘what has been his biggest challenge and how did he overcome it?’ His answer is “school, so I left!”. Demi is then encouraged by Cherry to sing the opening to her favourite song ‘Big A Little A’ with Steve and gets the loudest round of applause as the interview draws to a close.
(Andy Murphy)
THE GODFATHERS – Opera House (8:25pm – 9:35pm)
I take a wander over to the Opera House which appears to be the venue of choice for a lot of the ‘older’ bands. I am looking forward to seeing The Godfathers who were formed 39 years ago, though they did have an eight-year hiatus at the turn of the century. With seventeen former members it’s fair to say that they have had tumultuous time, and the current line-up only has one founder member in lead singer Peter Coyne, along with bassist Jon Priestley, guitarists Richie Simpson and Paul Humphreys, and drummer Billy Duncanson who all joined in 2019. Peter is dressed in a suit as you would expect from the Godfather though he hasn’t gauged the temperature very well as he is sweating profusely early on and has to reach for his hankie. After the first five songs of the set Peter announces that they are now going to play their second album in order starting off with the title track ‘Birth, School, Work, Death’ which reached number 80 in the UK charts and is probably my highlight of the set, closely followed by the cleverly written ‘If I Only Had Time’ with lyrics taken entirely from tabloid headlines. Peter catches the eye of his wife in the crowd and is worried that she will ask him whether he put the bins out. The sound is polished and cannot be faulted yet still I really do wish I had seen them in their pomp. They finish off the set with a Beastie Boys cover of ‘(You Gotta) Fight For your Right (To Party)’ which the crowd appear to enjoy.
(Andy Murphy)
UK SUBS – Empress Ballroom (8:40pm – 9:40pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
I descend from the Almost Acoustic stage and head for the Empress Ballroom for the seemingly evergreen UK Subs. Vocalist and Seaford resident Charlie Harper is allegedly 80 years old. I can’t help feeling that there has been some kind of administrative error somewhere. If I can be in as good a shape as Charlie at 80 I’ll be well pleased. With no fuss whatsoever they pile into ‘CID’ and ‘I Live In A Car’ from 1979’s ‘Another Kind Of Blues’ album. There’s no gap between the two songs, which pretty much sets the pace for the rest of the set. Charlie peels off a storming harmonica solo during ‘It Couldn’t Be You’, whilst ‘Rockers’ features an incandescent guitar solo from Steve Straughan. Charlie is drinking cider onstage – a man after my own heart! Tonight’s gig features almost too many highlights to mention. I will just say, in case anybody has any doubts, the UK Subs are still very much a top notch live band. This is just as well as they have some dates planned in the autumn, although I’m told that this doesn’t equate to a tour. Fair enough. They are however playing The Arch in Brighton on 14th November.
(Mark Kelly)
LYDIA LUNCH – Opera House (10:00pm – 10:50pm)
From one legendary artist to another: Lydia Lunch in the Opera House. Lydia is giving a spoken word performance, and I must confess it’s not a comfortable listen. Then again, it’s not meant to be. The subject matter is the state of the world today: politicians; the treatment of women; and many other things besides. The tone is incredibly angry, and rightly so. Lydia doesn’t utter a single irrelevant word, which is incredibly sad, because everything she says is true. She’s frighteningly accurate, and offers no real hope of redemption. She tells us that “violence was the first act of creation”. Maybe it will be the last act of our destruction too. We’re doomed. Pass that bottle of whisky will yer?
(Mark Kelly)
PUNKBAND – After Dark In Pavilion (10:40pm – 11:15pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
With the After Dark Stage now situated in The Pavilion, a much better location to discover new bands, as you can often hear them as you are walking past the venue, I make my first foray there to have a look at Punkband. This young trio are the penultimate band on tonight having just released their debut EP yesterday. They obviously didn’t know that they would be playing in front of an ageing audience when they signed up for Rebellion and ask if anyone is under the age of 50. Trying to encourage a mosh pit and make comments about people being too old to do so when over the age of 30, they obviously don’t know this 60-year-old, maybe isn’t the way to endear themselves to a new ‘older’ audience, but they appear to have had one lager shandy too many. They should be grateful that us oldies aren’t tucked up in bed with our Horlicks. To be fair they were actually really good, and I will be giving them a further listen once they release a 78 that I can play on my gramophone. There was no setlist and few songs were introduced but I’m pretty sure I recognised ‘Narcoist’ and ‘Born, Broke, Break, Croak’. They certainly have attitude in abundance and their Punk Grime crossover is written for their generation, but that’s not to say that we can’t be educated and listen to what they have to say. I’m not sure what the Punk scene is like in Hersham, but if as they say they are the worst punk band in the town, then I must check out the others if there happen to be any. I look forward to seeing them when they return to Rebellion in about 25 years time but hopefully elsewhere before then.
(Andy Murphy)
DWARVES – Club Casbah (10:55pm – 11:50pm)
I descend into Club Casbah for The Dwarves, who despite their name, are not particularly short. I was astonished to discover before coming here that the band have been going for the best part of forty years!!! I’d seen their music described as being “diverse”, but what I see and hear is fast, aggressive, hardcore punk. They’re also responsible for one of the biggest and most effervescent mosh pits that I’ve ever seen!! I stay near the back. It seems to be the safest option. For anyone who’s ever had the slightest interest in amphetamines: this band will give you a similar kind of rush without you having to go anywhere near anything that might be deemed to be in the least bit illegal.
(Mark Kelly)
SHAM 69 – Empress Ballroom (11:30pm – 12:30am) (Photo from this performance HERE)
Hoping to be cheered up, I head off to see my last legend of the night: Sham 69! I’ll be honest, Sham are one of my favourite live bands. Again, they’re not spring chickens, but you’d never guess their ages seeing them play live! Jimmy Pursey starts their set wearing a woolly hat, which possibly isn’t the wisest choice for a hot August night. When he takes it off he looks unfeasibly young! I bet he’s got a portrait in the attic…. It’s not entirely a set of classics, but there’s plenty of them in there. I have no complaints about opening track ‘What Have We Got’ from the 1979 album ‘The Adventures Of The Hersham Boys’. Likewise ‘I Don’t Wanna’ from the debut album ‘Tell Us The Truth’. The key thing to note here is that unlike many of the older bands playing at this festival, there are three-quarters of the original band onstage here (the exception is drummer Spike). Not only that but they play with the same kind of fire that they did in 1977. Every time I see them I’m taken aback by the sheer fury of their performance! At one point Jimmy tells us that they’re going to play ‘Postman Pat’. Thankfully that doesn’t happen, but we do get ‘Borstal Breakout’, ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’, a cover of The Clash’s ‘White Riot’ (this seems to be a fairly regular occurrence), ‘If The Kids Are United’, and encores consisting of ‘Hersham Boys’ and ‘Hurry Up Harry’. If anybody walks out of the Empress Ballroom tonight not thinking that they’ve just seen a classic gig, then there must be something clinically wrong with them.
www.instagram.com/sham69_original1977_lineup
(Mark Kelly)
HOTWAX – After Dark In Pavilion (11.35pm – 12:20pm)
It’s been a whole five days since I’ve seen my headliner for today play live. Even with Sham 69 and the Tom Robinson Band on the main stages, I remain in the Pavilion at the After Dark Stage to show my undying loyalty for Hastings finest, HotWax. Fresh from a free hometown gig where they headlined ‘Burger Jam’ to a packed crowd, they are here making their Rebellion debut. I have watched this band rise from the ashes of The Kiffs in 2019 into a band that is creating a real stir within the music scene, especially with their highly anticipated debut album due out next year. I have been proudly parading my HotWax t-shirt, the only one on display, around the Winter Gardens today in anticipation of seeing the band who actually swung it for me to attend this year.
It’s a late one as they don’t come on stage until 11:35pm and I am normally flagging by this time, but not today as the adrenaline kicks in. There is no doubting the musical talent of Tallulah on guitar and Lola on bass, but I have seen Tallulah’s vocals grow significantly stronger in the past five years and she now owns all the songs. I’ve also watched Lola’s stage presence become greater as she has become more accustomed to the limelight. Alfie on drums was the final piece of the jigsaw and has slotted in so well that it feels like he has been there since day one. He has the knack of making playing the drums look almost effortless as he doesn’t seem to sweat much in comparison to other drummers. Opening with ‘One More Reason’ they go on to give us nine more reasons to go and see them play live as they treat us to a ten song set. It isn’t too much different to last week’s though they swap three over to include a new song ‘In Her Bedroom’ plus two masterstrokes as we are at a Punk festival with old live favourite ‘When We’re Dead’ and my favourite single of 2023 ‘Drop’ which is dedicated to the Rebellion crowd. This band are on the cusp of something big and I am fast running out of superlatives for them after yet another stellar 10 out of 10 performance, so all I can do is implore you to go and catch them while they are still playing smaller venues.
Day one is complete and already I have two strong contenders for gig of the festival in HotWax and The Meffs.
(Andy Murphy)
Reports from Rebellion Festival performances on Friday 2nd can be found HERE, performances on Saturday 3rd can be found HERE and performances on Sunday 4th August can be found HERE.
The dates for next year’s event will be Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th August 2025 and tickets are now on sale. Purchase yours HERE.
