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 iconic Rebellion Festival attracts people from literally all around the globe. The venue has many sizable rooms including the Empress Ballroom, Club Casbah, Opera House, Arena, Pavilion (including 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 is article three of four and concentrates on the happenings on Day Three. The reviews for Day One can be found HERE and the reviews for Day Two can be found HERE.
There’s also the added excitement in town with the arrival of the Blackpool Airshow for today and tomorrow and thankfully between the punk rock action, our eyes turn upwards and we manage to grab a few photos to boot!
So without further ado, let’s get down to business and check out the bands…
DAY THREE – SATURDAY 9th AUGUST
OPEN FLY – RIS in Pavilion (13:20pm – 13:50pm)
My Saturday starts off by attending the Arena, but I’m not taken with the band and with nothing else jumping out at me I thought I would pay a visit to the Rebellion Introducing Stage in the hope of unearthing another gem. I arrive just in time to see Manchester band ‘Open Fly’ who I believe were formed in 2023. In true punk fashion there is no conforming from the moment they enter the stage as lead vocalist Emily takes up her position on the far right of the stage rather than central as with most lead singers, whilst bassist Lilly holds the centre and Tatum on guitar is left stage. At least Ellie is in the traditional position for a drummer! Even with some amp issues early on and Tatum having a few equipment problems, the band are unfazed and still manage to play a nine-song set in their allotted half hour slot. I am taken instantly to Open Fly as I’m getting some HotWax (my favourite band) vibes though this lot are heavier which is even better. There are some initial nerves which is fully understandable playing a big festival, but once they get into their set and it’s clear they are going down well those soon subside, and they put in a very good performance. It’s hard to pick a favourite song from such a good set but I like ‘Brand New World’ with its quieter slower verses rising to a crescendo in each chorus. Yet again the RIS has come up trumps with another band full of promise. There isn’t a great deal of information out there on the internet about Open Fly, but hopefully they will start to get more exposure on the back of this appearance. In the meantime, I’d urge you to check out openflyband on Instagram.
(Andy Murphy)
SPLIT DOGS – Empress Ballroom (13:40pm – 14:10pm)
I had recently seen Split Dogs at Daltons in Brighton at the ‘Bright N Sleazy’ weekender, so I was more than ready to start my day off by watching them today, in the Empress Ballroom. Their recent popularity was proven by the sheer volume of people who turned up to watch them this afternoon. It is well deserved too, as they are a hard working band and a great one to boot. Harry is a brilliant frontperson with plenty of energy. ‘Monster Truck’ is a sure fire garage-punk winner, and each song is about two minutes long, so they don’t out-last their welcome. I was also pleased to hear them play ‘Lafayette’. It’s not often you hear a punk song that is an ode to Northern Soul music. Another triumphant gig for Split Dogs.
(Sonny Tyler)
EMILY FLEA – The Old Vic (14:00pm – 14:30pm)
In my excitement at discovering another new band I lose track of time and have to make a mad dash to The Old Vic to see Brighton favourite Emily Flea play an acoustic set and arrive halfway through the first song. I saw Emily play a couple of times back in 2019 supporting Steve Ignorant’s Slice of Life in Life in Lewes and Maid Of Ace in Hastings, but this was the first time since. My standout memory from 2019 was of how angry Emily was back then, but today there is a sense of vulnerability to go with the anger in the songs. Emily talks about being anxious about today given that there are certain bands playing Rebellion that are homophobic and would never dream of sharing a stage with, but today is a chance to reclaim this space for the Trans Queer community. The set includes covers of Crywank’s ‘Anti-Capitalism Is A Great Marketing Technique’ and The Damned’s ‘Life Goes On’ which Emily says is a difficult one and so it proves initially, but not one to shy away from a challenge it improves substantially in the second half. There is a lot of interest in this well attended set and Emily is visibly happy and somewhat shocked to see Dunstan Bunce of Chumbawumba and Interrobang fame is in the audience. Emily’s dad makes a guest appearance to play bass on a few songs and gets a good reception. There’s the classic song by The Fleas ‘Shut Up And Have A Wank’, but the highlight of the set has to be the banger that is the 2024 single ‘No Pride’ as Emily performs with Daffodildos, which has a great singalong chorus. Emily certainly made The Old Vic a safe space for half an hour with a brave performance and hopefully educated any ignorant people out there.
(Andy Murphy)
RAMONAS TEA PARTY – Arena (15:50pm – 16:25pm)
I have seen Ramona’s Tea Party a couple of times before, and I can tell you with no reservation that they are utterly explosive. This afternoon Millie Manders is in the audience, dahn the front, hanging onto the barrier, and quite frankly, you can’t get a better endorsement than that!!! Since I last saw them in Blackpool last year, the band have acquired a new bassist and drummer, and are even bouncier and more kinetic than before!!! The Arena is absolutely rammed, which is good to see, especially as it is a larger venue than the Pavilion where they played last year. Bassist Lars Stray gets the crowd to chant “tea party! tea party!” which is interrupted by someone in the crowd yelling “Shut up and play more” in Norwegian!!! ‘Perpetual Machine’ features guitarist Christopher Lyngedal on most of the lead vocals, but otherwise vocally it’s mostly Ramona Lundberg’s show. Christopher is developing into quite a guitar hero. He’s done it the right way round too – he got the playing sorted first – then he developed the moves! At one point Ramona and Christopher swap solos, seemingly effortlessly! All too soon their set ends, but not before Ramona tells us that they have a headlining UK tour in the autumn!!! I will very definitely be there!!! At the end of the final song Christopher throws his guitar into the air and catches it. Ramona runs with her guitar still on towards the merch stand, but not before she is accosted by Millie Manders who tells her “you were f*cking brilliant!!!” I couldn’t have put it better myself Millie! This band exude pure joy. There are few others who can touch them right now. If you get the chance, see them!!!
(Mark Kelly)
THE MOLOTOVS – Club Casbah (16:05pm – 16:40pm)
As a fan of The Jam, The Molotovs were one of the first names on my to see list for Rebellion. Teenage siblings Matthew and Issey Cartlidge started jamming together during lockdown when they couldn’t escape each other and from that the band was formed. Drummer Matt, previously in the now defunct Noah and the Loners, was recruited by The Molotovs in 2023 and the rest will surely be history. They have no qualms about Weller being an influence and they both sport hairstyles of the Modfather ilk though I’ve never seen his as long as Issey’s. Bassist Issey is full of energy and an integral part of the live show as she moves around stage constantly with the occasional sneer aimed at the punk audience. She’s rocking the punk look but not without a few malfunctions and during ‘No Time To Talk’ she rips off her black PVC skirt and throws it into the crowd. Matthew has his Weller jumps off to a tee and they are far more frequent than I ever saw from PW in his pomp. As for the music this band have all the attributes to go far with some great songs of their own. Opening with their debut single ‘More, More, More’, their set also includes a taster of their forthcoming album with the title track ‘Wasted On Youth’ which bodes well. There is a top cover of Bowie’s ‘Suffragette City’ thrown in for good measure. I saw them play the Green Door Store in April 2024 and they impressed back then in intimate surroundings and here they are now owning the Club Casbah stage. I was wondering how this Mod band would go down at a Punk festival but needn’t have worried as they are well received. Get on down to Patterns on 22nd August as part of the Mod Weekender before this band inevitably move onto playing larger venues.
(Andy Murphy)
PET NEEDS – Empress Ballroom (16:50pm – 17:30pm)
I make my way to the Empress Ballroom for the teatime slot to see Pet Needs play live for the first time in quite a while having missed their November 2023 gig at Tunbridge Wells Forum due to being unwell. Maybe it’s due to the timing, but the venue is surprisingly sparsely occupied or are people just unaware of this band’s full on live show. Opening with ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’ it doesn’t take any time before lead singer Johnny is balancing the microphone stand precariously on his hand and from thereon, he is unstoppable as he must cover every inch of the stage. It’s a workout for my neck muscles just trying to keep up with him, my only disappointment is that he doesn’t climb the light rigging as I saw him do at ‘2000 Trees’ festival in 2023. We get an interesting story about playing the Lost Horizon Nomadic Spa nudist area at ‘Glastonbury Festival’ and the difficulties with trying to sell merch and people using the trampoline in that area. With a UK v US battle of the bands between Pet Needs and The Attack set for Sunday morning at The Bootleg Social, guitarist Brad from The Attack is in the crowd checking out the opposition and left hoping it isn’t a fitness competition otherwise they don’t stand a chance. With little bruv on lead guitar this is already my third band of the day with a family connection. ‘Tracy Emin’s Bed’ is their most played live song and it gets another run out this afternoon so I’m more than happy. Seeing Pet Needs play live is always a feelgood occasion and the Frank Turner influence is noticeable. Now I need a sit down after watching that!
(Andy Murphy)
THE MOB – Opera House (17:45pm – 18:30pm)
I was introduced to The Mob by a student friend back in the early 1980s. I must confess that I wasn’t overly impressed, but when I saw that they were playing Rebellion, curiosity got the better of me, especially as I had absolutely no idea that they were still operational! The Mob are unusual in that despite being formed approaching fifty years ago, they once again have their original line-up of Mark Wilson on vocals and guitar, Curtis Youe on bass, and Graham Fallows on drums. They start off well with a couple of their more famous songs: ‘Another Day Another Death’ and ‘Cry Of The Morning’. Instrumentally there are some quite interesting things going on, but Mark Wilson’s vocals are sometimes a little uncertain. Mark tells us that there’s no time for any chat as they have a clock on the stage in front of them. He then tells us: “I’ve got nothing to say anyway”. Well, that’s debatable. Judging by 2013 single ‘Rise Up!’ they’re still pretty angry and have plenty to say that’s worth hearing. However, it has to be said that after a while they do become a little dull. Their material really does not vary one jot. Despite their longevity I do believe that a thirty minute set would have been more than ample. On occasion Mark Wilson is wildly out of tune. ‘Witch Hunt’ however is faster and more purposeful, so it’s far from being a case of “nul points”. They play a song that sounds a lot like ‘Planet Caravan’ by Black Sabbath, except it’s not. They’re running early, which is something of a surprise. They have six minutes left so play ‘Gates Of Hell’ from their ‘Let The Tribe Increase’ album. They still have another three minutes, so they play ‘Another Day Another Death’ again, which is a really good song, and easily the best that they play tonight. Although my review may seem a tad negative, I ought to stress that The Mob are by no means awful, but they are decidedly average. I’ve seen far worse bands though, both old and new. I strongly believe that there is a valid reason why some bands don’t ‘make it’ the first time round, or the second time round come to that. In the case of The Mob the reason is that they’re really not that great. However, the crowd seem to love them – so what do I know?!!
(Mark Kelly)
SUBHUMANS – Empress Ballroom (19:05pm – 20:00pm)
Unusually I haven’t been to see much Anarcho Punk this Rebellion weekend so to make up for my lack of said genre I choose to watch Subhumans on the main stage. As soon as the opening chords of ‘Big City’ are upon us, I note out of the corner of my left eye my first dose of cheap Rebellion beer circa 2025 come flying my way through the air and I am consequently soaked. Maybe this is some sort of anti-capitalist sign that we don’t need overpriced beer, or then again neither do we want cheap beer from a Tory donor’s chain. The pace of this set is relentless and when lead singer Dick Lucas isn’t singing at cutthroat speed he is on a political rant which is pretty much between each song. A 55-minute set is not long enough to delve into all the political messages that Dick has to offer, but at least he can put together a powerful well-constructed sentence and argument unlike the leader of the supposedly free western world. There is the most impassioned speech I’ve heard this weekend about Palestine and how free speech and our right to protest is under serious threat before launching into ‘Rats’. The ferocity of the songs is mirrored by the mosh pit and it increases in size by the song which is a surefire sign that it’s a great gig. Taken from ‘Demolition War 1-3’ in 1981 ‘It’s Gonna Get Worse’ seems to be the catalyst for this with the intense early bass leading up to Dick’s shout of “Go” and all hell is let loose in the pit. ‘Subvert City’ is an obvious highlight for me and ending on ‘Religious Wars’ leaves me satisfied with my Anarcho Punk experience but extremely dissatisfied with the world.
(Andy Murphy)
THE HELLFLOWERS – Arena (19:30pm – 20:05pm)
The Hellflowers hail from Los Angeles, California, and were formed by married couple Christina Eskew on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Matt Eskew on bass. They describe themselves as punk, but their opening track is a surf influenced instrumental. There’s a definite Cramps influence too. They apparently have a new guitarist. I didn’t catch his name, but he has a Gretsch White Falcon, and that’s good enough for me! Not only does he have a brilliant guitar, he has the playing ability to match! Drummer Stevyn Grey is a cataclysmically powerful drummer, so all in all, they make an impressive team. They very quickly have the audience in the palm of their collective hands, bellowing along with the band. They play a couple of new songs, one of which may be called ‘Stop Harming Me’. Christina discards her guitar and is in the pit getting up close and personal with the crowd. They had an album out at the beginning of the year called ‘Deluxe’, and from that they play ‘F*cked Up Nation’, which may or may not be about the USA. All in all this is a firecracker of a band with some awesome tunes. They really ought to come back to the UK soon!
(Mark Kelly)
CONFLICT – Club Casbah (20:15pm – 21:00pm)
A few hours earlier I had been at the Literary Stage for the Colin Jerwood memorial talk. He sadly died recently, but it was nice to see some tributes and anecdotes from his family and friends. I thought it was only fitting to watch his band, Conflict perform on the Club Casbah stage shortly afterwards. They had recently released a new album, so it was good to see the songs performed by the rest of the band (with the family’s blessing of course). Fi’s a top frontperson, so she had no problem replicating the dual vocal attack she shared with Colin in recent times. There were Jerwood memorial banners either side of the stage, and family and friends were watching from the wings. ‘Cruise’ kicked things off appropriately, with moving images of social unrest on the backdrop. They played some new songs off the album and then unleashed the animal rights classic that is ‘Tough Shit Mickey’. ‘Mighty And Superior’ was played, and our fists were well and truly in the air as they ended the night with the poignant ‘Serenade Is Dead’. We are probably not going to see this version of the band for too much longer, so it was an emotional part of the weekend. Colin Jerwood’s lyrics have influenced so many of us, and I’m sure they’ll be taken on for generations to come. A fitting tribute to such an influential band and singer.
(Sonny Tyler)
THE CLOVERHEARTS – Arena (20:25pm – 21:00pm)
The Cloverhearts, from Sydney, Australia, are Celtic punks. There are obvious comparisons with The Dropkick Murphys, and at times they sound like The Pogues on steroids. However, their influences are Celtic rather than Irish. Sure, there’s a tin whistle, but there are bagpipes too. Indeed they walk on to a skirl o’ the pipes. I’d watched their soundcheck which was pretty laid back, so I’m somewhat taken aback by the ferocity of their actual performance! From the get go it’s clear that they’re an awesome live band. They’re incredibly energetic, and consequently quite difficult to photograph! They’re very fast. They could be a folk punk Motorhead!!! Unsurprisingly drinking is a major lyrical subject. One song is called ‘Beer Beer Beer’, whilst another is dedicated “to all the alcoholics in the audience”. They do a fast folk punk version of ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’, and during the last song have a brief break whilst the bassist sinks a pint. What a truly wonderful band!! I like them a lot!!!
(Mark Kelly)
NEVILLE STAPLE FROM THE SPECIALS – Empress Ballroom (20:30pm – 21:30pm)
I decide to stay in the Empress Ballroom to catch 70-year-old Ska legend and the Original Rude Boy Neville Staple, famed for being a member of The Specials, play a poignant set. He hasn’t been well after it was found that he has a serious heart defect in 2023 and as a result he is only allowed to play five gigs a year and even then, it sounds like he is performing live against doctor’s orders. Knowing this I just had to stay and see Neville play live and I wasn’t disappointed. Ably assisted by his wife Sugary Staple on vocals and skanking duties and his superb backing band, we are treated mainly to the back catalogue of The Specials classics which are one of the soundtracks of my youth. Opening with The Specials debut single ‘Gangsters’, other singles including ‘A Message To You Rudy’, ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Do Nothing’ are on tonight’s setlist. My favourite songs of the night though are both off the first album in ‘Nite Klub’ and the riotous ‘Concrete Jungle’ which take me back to life in 1979. Neville may not be as mobile as he once was, but such is the emotion in the room that it feels like everyone is skanking for him. There are several rousing chants of “Ruuuuuuuuuude Boy” during the set and Neville appears visibly moved. The set is due to conclude with ‘You’re Wondering Now’ but there is some confusion regarding timings, and the crowd is having none of it as they don’t want it to be the end, all cheering for one more song. On a happier note, the set ends with a rendition of ‘Enjoy Yourself’ and although Neville doesn’t finish the song the crowd do so in style in an outpouring of emotion for the great man, continuing into the foyer as we exit the ballroom.
(Andy Murphy)
PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT – Empress Ballroom (22:00pm – 23:00pm)
Hooky and the boys take the stage, and the great man solemnly dedicates tonight’s set to the late Ian Curtis, “may God rest his soul”. The reason for such a heartfelt dedication soon becomes clear, as apart from two songs the set is comprised of Joy Division songs. So we have a living legend (and he is) playing the songs that made him famous. This is not only wonderful, but it is also extremely moving. I’ve seen Peter Hook playing Joy Division songs before, but it never becomes any less special. Hooky is without doubt a lead bassist. They’re a rare breed and he’s one of the best. It should be remembered that in this band Hooky is also the lead vocalist. Therefore he has a second bass player, Jack Bates, to play the ‘meat and potatoes’ stuff, while Hooky plays the interesting bits. Hooky is in amazing voice, especially on ‘Shadowplay’. Indeed, he sings absolutely passionately throughout. There are quite frankly too many highlights to mention, but I’ll mention a couple. During much of the set, and during ‘Atmosphere’ in particular, the crowd are mostly silent, clearly wrapped up in the moment. ‘Transmission’ would obviously be a highlight of any gig. There is one New Order song played tonight: ‘Ceremony’, which was actually written as a Joy Division song, but was re-recorded by New Order after Ian Curtis’s death. The biggest surprise of the evening however, is the band closing their set with the Sex Pistols’ ‘Anarchy In The UK’, which is introduced as “a love song” and dedicated to John Lydon! Naturally it’s an absolutely cracking version. This set has been absolutely magnificent. There’s no other word for it. Well done Hooky.
(Mark Kelly)
THE LOVELY EGGS – Opera House (22:10pm – 23:00pm)
As I’m goofing around on their doorstep it would be rude not to review one of my favourite bands from Lancaster, husband and wife duo The Lovely Eggs. As usual there is a story about the weird and wonderful world of drummer David. After being spotted wiping his face mid Wiggy Giggy by lead vocalist and guitarist Holly she goes off on one about venues charging £20 for a towel and how David went out and bought a pack of 4 from TK Maxx for the same price. Very shrewd but then he shows us a rodent chewed rag of a towel from when it was stored at a friend’s for just one night prior to last August’s Halifax gig and a mouse gained entry to his drum bag and caused considerable damage to said towel. It was released into the wild but not until post-gig as they couldn’t do it in the venue. This is an introduction to Eggland for all the new punters unfamiliar with their bizarre world. There is a long intro to the anthemic ‘F*ck It’ as Holly muses about what Punk really is. Forget the Sex Pistols it’s all about taking your kid on tour and The Eggz have mastered that by regularly arranging tours to coincide with school holidays. There is music to be had and my personal highlights are the 2018 masterpiece ‘Dickhead’ and crowd pleasing ‘Don’t Look At Me (I Don’t Like It)’, which gives all a chance to raise their sausage roll thumbs in the air. The Opera House is not conducive to a Lovely Eggs gig with seating and a stage too big as I miss the adrenaline rush of being almost hit in the head by Holly’s guitar as is the norm. They will be playing Concorde 2 on 26th October for their 20th anniversary.
(Andy Murphy)
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD – Empress Ballroom (23:30pm – 00:40am)
We move from one living legend to another as John Lydon takes the stage with PIL. He’s in excellent form on opening song ‘Home’, featuring an ace guitar solo from Lu Edmonds. John isn’t just on good vocal form. His sardonic wit is present and correct too. Before ‘Know Now’ from 2015’s ‘What The World Needs Now’ he thanks us thus: “How nice of you to come and stare”. No problem John!! As early as song number three the set list is throwing up surprises – ‘Time Zone’ – the one-off single that John recorded with Afrika Bambaataa back in 1984. Equally adventurous is ‘The Flowers Of Romance’. The current band with new drummer Mark Roberts are as tight as I don’t know what. This is not easy music to play so I unreservedly doff my cap. On ‘Warrior’ John sounds positively demonic. His voice also has something of an operatic quality which I don’t think I’d appreciated before. ‘Public Image’ is every bit as biting as it was back in 1978. John has by no means run out of bile!!! He’s by no means shy of inviting audience participation either. During ‘Rise’ he asks us what anger is? To which, of course, we reply “an energy!!!” The final song is a mash up of ‘Annalisa’ and ‘Attack’ from the first PIL album, together with ‘Chant’ from ‘Metal Box’. John gets us to, indeed, chant “F*ck war, kill hate”. It really doesn’t get more relevant than that. This band is absolutely not about nostalgia. They remain current and cutting edge. There is nobody else like them.
(Mark Kelly)
Reports from Rebellion Festival performances on Thursday 7th can be found HERE and those from Friday 8th can be found HERE. Performance from Sunday 10th will follow in due course.
The dates for next year’s 30th anniversary event will be Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th August 2026 and tickets are now on sale. Purchase yours HERE.
