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 two of four and concentrates on the happenings on Day Two. If you missed Day One the reviews can be found HERE.
So without further ado, let’s get down to business and check out the bands…
DAY TWO – FRIDAY 8th AUGUST
DEATH TRAILS – Club Casbah (12:45pm – 13:15pm)
Day Two kicks off for me with a visit to Club Casbah and local Blackpool band Death Trails, formed in 2019, who are probably given an early slot as they can have a nice restful night in their own beds. Death Trails take a little bit of everything from punk to ska, from hardcore to grunge, and blend it together to make a great sound, at least for me being down the front, as I am aware that the further back you stand in the hall the acoustics maybe aren’t so good, and it can be hit and miss. The use of the dual vocals works really well and Catlow impresses hugely on guitar with some great riffs, in particularly about two thirds of the way through ‘You Lose, Good Day’. Luke on bass is like a Jack in the Box with his almost constant bouncing up and down, breaking all health and safety guidelines by doing so barefoot. He is also the main protagonist for banter with the crowd getting in early by thanking us for washing, or at least some of us! Just before ‘Pissed Up Dickhead’ he asks if anyone here is one and then proceeds to tell us how they saw one last night who decided to do a number two in the urinal. Back to the music and meanwhile to the rear of the stage it doesn’t go amiss that Muss is the most energetic drummer I’ve seen so far, and he needs to be as his beat is behind the fast pace of a number of the songs. So, my Friday is off to the best start possible, and I even purchased a t-shirt and I also managed to get one of the three exclusively designed setlists available.
(Andy Murphy)
THE KOWALSKIS – Club Casbah (13:35pm – 14:05pm)
Friday at Rebellion starts for me with The Kowalskis at Club Casbah. Club Casbah is a strange venue as it has a glass roof which is covered by white cloth. This means that during the hours of daylight it seems to be daylight inside the building. Watching punk rock bands in daylight somehow doesn’t seem quite right. The band, fronted by Kitty Kowalski hail from New York, and descend from a long line of New York power pop bands beginning with the Ramones and Blondie. ‘Not Surprised’ is something of a stand-out, being even punchier than most of an already muscular set. They have a particularly percussive bassist which makes a huge difference. The sound in Club Casbah is very echoey, and The Kowalskis’ sound suffers somewhat. Still, as purveyors of very fast power pop they’re pretty difficult to beat.
(Mark Kelly)
SNM – Club Casbah (14:25pm – 14:55pm)
I saw SnM at last year’s festival when they played the Ris in the Pavilion stage, and I was mightily impressed. Since then their bass player has left, and vocalist Mimi has moved from rhythm guitar to bass. Now they excel as a taut three piece. They’ve graduated to a larger stage than last year, but unfortunately the crowd is a little sparse. Ah well, that’s the loss of those of you who failed to see the band this year. They start with a rip-roaring cover of ‘Anarchy In The UK’ by the Sex Pistols. This is an undeniably brave move. It’s also a puzzling one as they have so many great songs of their own. Still, as a cover they absolutely own it. Two songs later comes another cover: ‘Sheela-Na-Gig’ by PJ Harvey. The same caveats apply as did to ‘Anarchy In The UK’. ‘Borne Of My Rib’, ‘Fawn Over Me’ and ‘Nunnery’ amply demonstrate why there’s no need for SnM to play covers! Not only do the band have some ace material, they also have a great feel and loads of attitude. Mimi vocalises vitriol really well and is a very meaty bass player. She’s very versatile too, equally at home screaming or being tender. Guitarist Ethan is a master of the Les Paul, pealing out crunching riffs and lyrical solos that Jimmy Page would be proud of. As a whole, this band should be seen and heard. They deserve to be playing to larger crowds. As far as I’m aware they don’t appear to have any further gigs planned at the moment, but when they do – see them!!!
(Mark Kelly)
DESPERATE MEASURES – Opera House (14:50pm – 15:30pm)
I’d only seen Desperate Measures once before at Daltons in Brighton, and was looking forward to kicking off my Friday by watching them in the Opera House. They came onstage to the familiar theme music from ‘A Long Good Friday’ which was naggingly familiar to these ears. ‘Back To The Rats’ was the first number, and frontman Eugene wasted no time at all in using up the whole stage. I honestly don’t know where he gets the energy from at such an early hour. Their music is particularly rocking and reminded me of The Dead Boys at times. My friend Tom, likened them to Lords Of The New Church meets Hanoi Rocks, which isn’t too far off the mark. They played ‘Nation Divided’ about “the state of the world today”, and got Kit from ‘Bite Me’ to join them on backing vocals. James Sherry was locking down the beats on ‘Scars And Memories’ and they rounded things off with ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ , during which Eugene said “Iggy Pop was god…..but not forgetting Charlie Harper of course”. An excellent set of songs, and don’t forget to catch them at Brighton’s Prince Albert on the 19th October for a matinee show.
(Sonny Tyler)
YUR MUM – Club Casbah (16:05pm – 16:35pm)
I returned to the Club Casbah to catch yet another band for the first time. I am surprised to hear a lot of disco music being played before the next band appears onstage including ‘You Sexy Thing’, ‘Car Wash’, and ‘I Will Survive’, which are likely songs that your mum might listen to but don’t get her confused with Brazilian duo Yur Mum. Although they are based in London their last album ‘Duality’ was recorded at Brighton Electric Studios. I have once again positioned myself on the barrier to get the best visual and sound effects on offer in Club Casbah. Drummer Fabio tells us that they have lived in the UK for two days short of 16 years and how it is now their home country, before playing the slower number in comparison to the rest of the set, the lyrically hard hitting ‘Immigrant’ about life as one in the UK. If I was thinking of having a siesta then this duo put paid to any thoughts of that as for the most part they are even faster and louder than Death Trails whom I caught earlier in the same venue. ‘Sweat Shop’ is a firm example of just how loud they can be, and earplugs are an essential accessory. Do yourself a favour and catch them playing live at The Prince Albert in Brighton for a Sunday afternoon gig on 28th September. You won’t be disappointed.
(Andy Murphy)
SUMWOT – RIS in Pavilion (16:40pm – 17:10pm)
With only five minutes between the set of Yur Mum and the next band I have earmarked to see I make a quick dash to the Rebellion Introducing Stage. Next on my itinerary is a young band called Sumwot, who changed their name from Sumwot Grrrl in April this year. Formed in 2022 these young purveyors of punk and post-punk have travelled up from Wolverhampton and from the outset it’s a journey I’m glad they have made as the opening song ‘Over Again’ hits so hard and they have me hooked instantly. Even the less aggressive song in the set ‘Are You Okay You’re Happy’ about all the terrible things happening in the world has plenty of oomph. The anger and attitude of the band comes across loud and clear, and they have two good vocalists in guitarist Alex and bassist Rowan with contrasting styles that make their set work a treat. Esme on drums and Stacey on guitar both make major contributions towards the sound, and I love the rawness of this young band.
Seeing Sumwot reinforces why the RIS is one of my favourite stages as you are guaranteed to find at least one band that gives you a real buzz and confidence that punk is alive and kicking and safe in the hands of today’s youth. We’re not even halfway through the festival, but even at this early stage of proceedings, if there is one band from this year’s line-up that I would urge you to check out then that band is Sumwot, or maybe they should change their name to SumWOW after this performance! For the second time today, I purchased a t-shirt along with a couple of CDs this time as a sign of my appreciation.
(Andy Murphy)
THE OUTCASTS – Opera House (17:55pm – 18:35pm)
I last saw The Outcasts on this very stage two years ago. I had told myself that this year I would try to avoid reviewing bands that I had reviewed before. However, when a band is this good it would be churlish not to see them right? Right!!! They start with a cover of ‘1969’ by The Stooges. I’m not a huge fan of covers in general to be honest, but The Stooges’ original three albums were amongst the building blocks of punk rock, so I’ll let this one go. Besides, it’s an absolutely cracking version!!! The band’s material and performance is a little bit on the dour side, but their between song banter is hilarious!!! When I was taking photos in the photo pit (I’ve been multi-tasking this year) vocalist and bassist Greg Cowan told me to get his “best side” – his arse!!! Also, Greg responds to one heckler thus: “are you heckling me? I wouldn’t come to your place of work and have a go at you!!!!” Fair comment! Greg also complains that his elder brother Martin looks younger than him. Well, life’s sometimes like that!!! Their most well-known song ‘Justa Notha Teenage Rebel’ comes mid-set, which is a bit of a surprise. However, it shows how good their other songs are, because that song by no means feels like the climax of the set. After ‘The Cops Are Comin’’ Greg asks us all to buy merch as they aren’t being paid to play. An all too common occurrence these days. As closing songs go ‘You’re A Disease’ doesn’t get much better. I don’t know how frequently The Outcasts play, but when they do again, I’ll be there!!!
(Mark Kelly)
INSTIGATORS – Club Casbah (18:50pm – 19:30pm)
Instigators hail from the north of England and had records released on Bluurg Records in the late 80″s. I’ve always had a soft spot for them, and the last time I saw them was in 1991 in London, when Subhumans reformed the first time round. I’ve been really looking forward to seeing them this weekend, so I made my way to the Club Casbah for early doors. The room was pretty full already, so plenty of people had the same idea as me. The band came on with ‘Tricked And Abused’ and followed that with the classic ‘The Blood Is On Your Hands’. All that rehearsing had paid off, as they soon showed us they were a tight unit in the melodic hardcore stakes. We had all been waiting a long while for a comeback like this and Instigators delivered the goods. ‘Dark And Lonely’ was played, as well as a great version of ‘Full Circle’. They ended the set with ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ and left the crowd shouting for more. Luckily, they wouldn’t have long to wait as the band are playing Camden Underworld next weekend. A reformation that was certainly worth the wait.
(Sonny Tyler)
THE MEFFS – Empress Ballroom (19:20pm – 20:10pm)
This time last year at Rebellion I lost my Meffs virginity and since then I have been hooked. I was aware of them prior to seeing them play live but attending a Meffs gig takes it to a different level. The Meff Army is out in force around the Winter Gardens and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many people wearing t-shirts for one band at Rebellion including my Music Venue Trust one. Talking of which, check out their Music Venue tour coming to a grassroots venue near you in September. The Meffs are playing the main festival stage in the Empress Ballroom for the second year running, and tonight it is packed out with a one in one out policy operating on the door, which is some achievement for this duo from Colchester.
The atmosphere is electric from the moment Lily and Lewis enter the stage, with the former prowling the stage to check out the crowd before launching into ‘Deathwish’ and so the unrelenting mosh pit begins. The Meffs are politically astute and if you lean to the right then you really should check them out to get a political education with no holding back on songs such as ‘Everything’s Gone’, ‘Clowns’ and ‘Broken Britain’, with the latter having Lily encouraging the crowd to shout F*ck Farage, the Tories and Starmer. As always, their cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ has the crowd in raptures. This gig must have set some sort of Rebellion record for crowdsurfing as I lost count of the number of people being gathered by the top-class security as they came flying over the barrier. None for Lily and Lewis this year though Lily did join the pit for a running circle. Every year The Meff Army gets bigger and there was certainly a mass conscription tonight after yet another Meffervescent performance. At least I don’t have to wait long for my next dose at Tunbridge Wells Forum.
(Andy Murphy)
ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE – Empress Ballroom (20:40pm – 21:30pm)
Back in my youth it felt like the Anti-Nowhere League were the support act most Sunday nights at The Lyceum though I’m sure they weren’t. Having not seen them play live for close to 40 years, I honestly wasn’t expecting to ever see them again though fate dealt me that card tonight, as I wasn’t giving up my space on the barrier for anyone with The Undertones due on stage next. It didn’t take long for all the memories to come flooding back though as they steam through the old classics including ‘So What’, ‘Animal’, ‘Woman’, ‘I Hate People’ and the cover of Ralph McTell’s ‘Streets Of London’ performed in their own inimitable style. The lyrics are in complete contrast to those of The Meffs, with the bad taste and offensive content down to lead singer Animal’s twisted sense of humour and are key to this band’s success. The key to enjoying the Anti-Nowhere League is to not take the lyrics at face value as Animal himself says that he loves women. There is a nice touch as they play their same named tribute to the Godfather of Punk ‘Charlie Harper’. The band have built up a loyal following and they are a big attraction at Rebellion, and I’m surprised to see a fair few of the younger generation wearing their merch. They are still going strong some 46 years later though Animal is the only original member left, with only a brief period when they were inactive between 1989 and 1992, and I suspect they will return to entertain us given their popularity.
Disappointingly, there was an incident during ‘My God’s Bigger Than Yours’ when an older white male in the audience abused an Asian security guard directing the lyrics at him aggressively and later on ended up wanting to fight him before he was noticed by his colleagues at which point the disgusting racist coward disappeared into the crowd.
(Andy Murphy)
THE AVENGERS – Opera House (21:00pm – 21:45pm)
The Avengers, from San Francisco, have quite an impressive punk pedigree. They formed in 1977, and opened for the Sex Pistols in 1978. Prior to that they had released an EP entitled ‘We Are The One’ and recorded tracks produced by Steve Jones before splitting in 1979. Twenty years later they re-formed and currently feature original members Penelope Houston on vocals and Greg Ingraham on guitar. Back in the day their material probably would have been described as ‘new wave’. Whatever, it still sounds remarkably fresh. ‘Teenage Rebel’ features a coruscating guitar solo. ‘Desperation’ is dedicated to everyone here who is actually from Blackpool. They’ve obviously been out and about in the town! Honestly, Blackpool really isn’t that bad.
The title track of the ‘We Are The One’ EP gets an airing. Penelope crosses over the line of monitors and comes to the front of the stage to commune with the audience. Surprisingly few of this weekend’s musicians do that. ‘Second To None’ was co-written with Steve Jones, whilst the controversially titled ‘White N**ger’ is apparently about their original bassist getting a job in a restaurant. Drummer Luis Illades is brilliant. She plays with her head down throughout so she can’t actually see what she’s doing! They bravely cover the Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’, very much making the song their own, finishing with ‘The American In Me’, which is probably their best known song. Before that, Penelope apologises for “the US’s f*ck up”. I’m tempted to ask “Which one?” I’m guessing that she’s referring to the re-election of Trump. For a band that formed almost fifty years ago, The Avengers sound incredibly fresh, vital and relevant. Top marks all round. Hopefully they’ll be back again for Rebellion’s 30th anniversary next year.
(Mark Kelly)
THE EFFIGIES – Club Casbah (21:00pm – 21:40pm)
This band hail from Chicago in the U.S and played their first gig, way back in 1980. They cut their teeth on the gigging circuit with bands like Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, The Birthday Party and The Plasmatics, as well as with UK bands passing through the States like GBH and UK Subs. They are also no strangers to a classic hardcore tune, and the crowd gathered here today were here to acknowledge that fact. This band were also very tight, and the singer was full of energy, as he bounced around the stage in the manner of someone half his age. They even played a Joy Division cover, but my favourite song was ‘Mob Clash’ which is an absolute melodic hardcore banger. The Effigies could not leave the stage before playing ‘Bodybag’, and we all left the room fulfilled. This was a rare UK appearance from the band, so I’m glad I was there to witness it.
(Sonny Tyler)
THE UNDERTONES – Empress Ballroom (22:00pm – 23:00pm)
Next up in the Empress Ballroom is The Undertones and I have just about managed to hold my place at the barrier though I am getting more squashed as each band comes and goes. At this point I usually drag out my Undertones dancing onstage with Feargal Sharkey story but that can wait for another time. That’s way in the past given that Feargal left the band in 1983 and Paul McLoone has been lead singer since they reformed in 1999, whilst the rest of the band have remained intact. I must always give a special mention to Billy Doherty on drums who gave me one of his drumsticks in the above story which I will save for another time. The Undertones are on top form as ever and just seem to ooze consistency with 58-year-old lead singer McLoone still showing decent levels of fitness. Introducing themselves as from Derry speaks volumes and we are straight into ‘Jimmy, Jimmy’.
There are so many pop punk classics to be heard at an Undertones gig that I defy anyone not to enjoy such an occasion. Everyone knows ‘Teenage Kicks’ but there are so many more and some of tonight’s highlights include the underrated ‘Hypnotised’, ‘Get Over You’, ‘You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It!)’, and of course their only top ten single ‘My Perfect Cousin’. There is some banter aimed at Blackpool as Paul and bassist Mickey Bradley talk about renaming one of their well named songs to ‘Here Comes The Autumn’ given the weather and I have to agree. Luckily, I have purchased two new t-shirts today so I can layer up for my late night one mile walk back to my hotel. Even the heat generated from listening to The Undertones isn’t enough to protect me from the biting wind tonight though I do have a warmth in my heart.
(Andy Murphy)
JIM JONES ALL STARS – Opera House (22:15pm – 23:05pm)
I’ve been wanting to see the Jim Jones All Stars for quite a while, and I’m delighted to report that from the off they are pure rock ‘n’ roll. Not just that either, there are elements of blues and soul thrown into the gumbo as well. There are many comparisons that could be made: Delaney & Bonnie, The Band, Sly & The Family Stone, The Grease Band, James Brown, not to mention Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, and Dr John The Night Tripper. Many of the songs are covers, but who cares? ‘Parchman Farm’ is incandescent. I don’t care who wrote it!!! Jim doesn’t forget his past, treating us to a Thee Hypnotics song, playing slashing rhythm guitar. There’s a sax duet from Stuart Dace and Tom Hodges. The final song features guitarist Carlton Mauncher and bassist Gavin Jay grandstanding at the front of the stage and almost taking the roof off! Mention must also be made of backing singer Ali Jones, who acts as a brilliant foil for Jim. This frankly has been mind blowing! The Jim Jones All Stars: not so much a gig as a religious experience!!! See for yourselves when they tour the UK in October!!!
(Mark Kelly)
RIFLE – After Dark in Pavilion (22:30pm – 23:00pm)
I’d been waiting to see Rifle for quite a while now, so when I noticed they were playing Rebellion Fest, I was more than up for it. They were playing the ‘After Dark in The Pavillion’ stage today, which meant it was a late one, but I wasn’t going to let that put me off. It certainly didn’t affect the band’s energy levels, as they ripped through their set of hardcore songs in a brutal fashion. The singer took no prisoners, and was making the security guards jobs a little bit harder, as he jumped on the barrier and spat out his lyrics with venomous bite. Their songs sound like anarcho punk, but with an Oi! attitude. The singer actually reminded me of Conflict’s Colin Jerwood, in the way he delivered his brick wall vocals. Most of their EP got a blasting, and they ended it all with a cover of ‘Drinking And Driving’ by The Business, which certainly got the crowd going. In your face punk rock to be reckoned with, and make no mistake.
(Sonny Tyler)
CARSICK – After Dark in Pavilion (23:20pm – 23:50pm)
I beat a hasty retreat from the barrier in the Empress Ballroom even though one of my all-time favourite bands The Damned is next up. This can only mean that something special is abound on the After Dark stage, so people I give you Salisbury’s finest, cue drumroll ……Carsick. Yes, I first saw this four-piece band at ‘2000 Trees’ in 2023 but not again until earlier this year at Patterns when they supported The Meffs on tour, due to their Brighton gigs clashing with other occasions such as my wedding anniversary. There is no censorship here as they drape an amp with a Palestinian flag and no fuss is made. The After Dark venue isn’t as busy as this band deserve though maybe they are grateful for that as we are reliably informed by lead singer Joe Richardson that they are firing on half cylinders and are a 6/10 at best after a six-and-a-half-hour drive to Blackpool leaving drummer Tom Armstrong very hungry. If that is bassist Jack Hardiman playing on 60% then he must be off the scale on 100% as he has more energy than anyone else I have seen thus far. Only formed in 2021 Carsick are a new breed of punk which I have embraced with wide ranging influences from punk to indie to even a bit of hip hop. ‘Anaconda Frank’ is an immense live track. During ‘It Is What It Is’ I finally find my level of mosh pit for this year with an old boy on crutches taking up a central position as the younger people create a circle pit. Nothing too violent and great fun. Jack H even joins us in the pit for set ending ‘Pub Watch’. It wasn’t the car crash predicted by Joe and 6 out of 10 was harsh as they registered at least a 7! How Joe laughed at that as we spoke post-gig. A superb ending to my Friday.
(Andy Murphy)
THE DAMNED – Empress Ballroom (23:30pm – 00:45am)
I last saw The Damned when the original line-up re-formed in 2022. Apparently this reunion did much to repair “damaged friendships”. Sadly Brian James passed away earlier this year, but drummer Rat Scabies (Chris Miller according to his passport) has permanently returned to the fold, having left the band in 1995. With bassist Paul Gray in tow, what we have now is the classic early 1980s line-up of the band with the addition of keyboard player Monty Oxymoron (aka Laurence Burrow), who himself has been a member of the band since 1996. From the offset The Damned display a level of energy that a band approaching their 50th anniversary just shouldn’t be capable of. Not only that, the energy levels don’t drop during their 75 minute set.
The opening one-two of ‘Love Song’ and ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ simply can’t be faulted. However, their set is something of a tour of their discography, which I personally am really pleased about, because one thing The Damned have never been is one-dimensional. There’s quite a bit from ‘The Black Album’, and the band’s superb cover of Paul & Barry Ryan’s ‘Eloise’ also gets an airing. At one point they’re calling out to the crowd for Roman Jugg, the band’s mid-late 1980s guitarist. Perhaps they wanted him to guest on ‘Eloise’? Rat Scabies’ playing throughout is excellent. He’s grown his hair back to his 1980s length, and has a perspex screen on the left side of his kit. Maybe Paul Gray’s playing is a wee bit too loud??? We go “back to the days of the Hope and Anchor” with ‘Fan Club’ from the first Damned album.
There’s a picture of Brian James on the backdrop, which is a nice touch. The Captain lets rip with a cracking solo too. His playing has been awesome throughout. During set closer ‘Neat Neat Neat’ there’s a snatch of Them’s ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’. The Damned have always been classicists. They leave the stage briefly but are soon back for encores, including a Rat drum solo. He’s been brilliant tonight, but did we really expect anything else??? After ‘New Rose’ they again leave briefly before returning for a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ (which is a bit of a surprise, even though they did record it back in the day), followed by a perhaps obligatory ‘Smash It Up’, featuring a particularly convoluted intro. It has to be said, The Damned are absolutely at the top of their game. Next year they celebrate their 50th anniversary by playing Wembley Arena. It’d be rude not to go wouldn’t it?
(Mark Kelly)
Reports from Rebellion Festival performances on Thursday 7th can be found HERE and those from Saturday 9th & 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.
