‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’ – ‘REBELLION’, WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL 4-9.8.26
Rebellion Festival, the world’s largest annual punk event, celebrated its 30th anniversary this year as it returned to its long-standing home, the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The Rebellion Festival is spread across four days (6th to 9th August) and it has attracted the largest bands and new emerging talent on the scene. The iconic festival attracts people from literally all around the globe. The venue has many sizable rooms including the Empress Ballroom, Club Casbah, Opera House, Conference Circle, 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 four of four and concentrates on the happenings on Day Four (Sunday 9th August).
The reviews of Day One (Thursday 6th August) can be found HERE, reviews of Day Two (Friday 7th August) can be found HERE and reviews of Day Three (Saturday 8th August) can be found HERE.
So without further ado here’s our account…
DAY FOUR – SUNDAY 9th AUGUST
VIOLET VIOLET – RIS in Pavilion (12:30 – 13:00)
So here we are on Sunday and time has flown by. I feel a little sad that it’s almost over but for the sake of my ageing body it probably isn’t a bad thing. Today though is the ‘Loud Women’ takeover of the Pavilion stage which is always a highlight of the weekend.
First up are Violet Violet from Norwich, who have only just got back together after Lou, in the audience, got them really drunk and talked them into reforming so they can play here today. They have played two warm-up shows in preparation for today, so it could be interesting given that their last live shows prior to that were back in 2010 as a two piece with Cheri on guitar and Fliss on drums and sharing vocal duties.
There is a bass player in the line-up today. Cheri introduces the band as Violet Violet from 2002, with some of the songs being written when they were just 17 and 18 year olds, and finds it “bonkers that we are opening the Loud Women stage today.” They can’t have been half bad first time round as they toured with The Nightingales back in the noughties and had high praise from Steve Lamacq stating they were his new favourite band back in 2007 and were compared to the likes of Sleater Kinney.
They play the 2009 single ‘C-C-C-Cat’ is about a couple of relationship break ups where the Ex has distressingly kept the cat and it is obviously still a sensitive issue all these years later. The merch stall includes said vinyl found in Cheri’s mum’s loft. Fliss gives some background about ‘Dick Van Dyke’ and how it relates to some shenanigans with people in the past that she would rather forget about, but here they are singing about them all these years later. Given that this was also released in 2009 it doesn’t sound like it was the happiest of times, but here they are seventeen years later back playing together and putting together a very good set considering the tight timescale. Here’s hoping that they continue to gig and reignite Steve Lamacq’s passion for their music.
(Andy Murphy)
MIKABOMB – Empress Ballroom (12:45 – 13:15)
All too soon the final day of Rebellion is upon us! We’d better make the most of it then. The day starts with Mikabomb in the Empress Ballroom. They’re notionally a four piece comprising vocalist Mika Handa, guitarist Mel Roxy, bassist Emiko, and Debbie on drums. However, live they have an additional guitarist. They take to the stage all wearing shades. Those don’t last too long though. One of the guitarists is having trouble with her sound, but that’s sorted during the second song. Bassist Emiko has a Mad Hatter hat, whilst Mika is waving a fan. This band are nothing if not stylish. The music is fast but tuneful and the musicianship is impressive throughout. Highlights are ‘Super Sexy Razor Happy Girls’, ‘Contact Tokyo’ and set closer ‘Heart Attack’. The band are Japanese, but are based in London, so hopefully there’ll be opportunities to see them before too long.
(Mark Kelly)
HEX POSEUR – RIS in Pavilion (13:20 – 13:50)
Promoters Loud Women have taken over the RIS In Pavilion stage today, so I’m seeing a lot of the bands there. Loud Women have a great track record for finding interesting bands, so more power to their collective elbows. The first band that I see here is Hex Poseur, who are from Nottingham. Hex Poseur is the pseudonym for singer and guitarist Harri Bettsworth. Her band is completed by bassist Holly Osborne and drummer Jacob Wakeling. They’re what used to be called a power trio, and opener ‘Be Quiet’ is fast and angry.
The venue is very hot and Hex hopes that we’re not as sweaty as they are. Well, it’s probably a close run thing! ‘Spike’ is in ¾ and is reminiscent of early PJ Harvey. One section of the song is quite tender, but a squall of guitar feedback soon puts a stop to that. The verses of ‘Witch Hunt’ are very fast, but the choruses are much slower. For the last song ‘Skunk’, Hex switches from her Les Paul Junior to what looks like an Ibanez. It has a fantastically dirty sound! The song starts with a drum solo and has a slight feel of Nirvana about it. Hex’s screamed vocals would give Kurt a run for his money. It’s been a scorching set, if a bit too short.
(Mark Kelly)
THE BOLOKOS (Acoustic) – Almost Acoustic (13:45 – 14:20)
Now I fancy something completely different and in my search for a bit of culture I decide to pay a visit to the Almost Acoustic stage which is rammed as I arrive and Los Fastidios are just finishing their set, but I still manage to find a clearing and negotiate a pathway to the front.
My choice of band to watch is The Bolokos who hail from Guadeloupe and play their own brand of Caribbean punk rock. They arrive onstage wearing The Joker-like make-up, white shirts, black trousers, and braces, though bassist and lead vocalist Océ Cheapfret has a red and black skirt with skeleton tights underneath. On joint lead vocals and guitar is Edy Caramello, who also plays harmonica in some songs. Then we have Mister Fridge on drums, or to be more precise a cardboard box with thick paper on top attached by a clothes peg and using drum brushes more commonly associated with jazz.
They mix political songs, ‘Poisoned’ and ‘Ti Kanno’ (translates to little goat/political guy) with drinking songs such as ‘White Rum’ which I could imagine The Pogues playing. ‘Tropical’ is a ska tune and Edy tells us they have many rude boys in Guadeloupe, this tune certainly has everyone bouncing. Showing off their talents, they flit seamlessly between singing in Guadeloupean Creole and English.
They finish off with the rousing ‘We Are The Bolokos’ which has everyone enjoying themselves so much and singing along that they run out of time to play the last song on the setlist, which was to be their latest single ‘Ou Lé Lé’, but no-one seems to care as they leave the stage to rapturous applause and cheering. Out of all the setlists I have acquired this weekend, which I’m sure my wife will be overjoyed with, The Bolokos have the best handmade one of the so far being on a vinyl sized piece of cardboard which fits perfectly in my newly acquired Crass tote bag, plus my daughter bought me a badge to add to my collection.
(Andy Murphy)
ON THE HUH – Club Casbah (13:50 – 14:25)
This band hails from Norwich, and have been going for a few years now. The singer, Sloss, used to be the vocalist with popular UK Streetpunks, ‘Braindance’, and this band’s sound isn’t a million miles from the sound that that band made. On guitar, they also feature Chris Loyd who also plays with Oi! legends, Infa Riot. The last time I saw these was at the ‘Punk On The Peninsula Festival’ in Scotland earlier this year, and they were very good.
This band writes good tunes and their singer, Sloss, is a ball of energy on stage. He never stops moving and is probably a photographer’s nightmare. They came onstage to the classic ‘That’s Livin’ Alright’ by Joe Fagin, which also happens to be the theme tune to the popular 80’s TV show, ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’ (They certainly know how to win me over!). The band’s singer was wearing his previous band’s T-shirt (‘Braindance’) as they started their set with ‘Peepshow’. ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Like You’ is a catchy streetpunk number, and they even sang a song about a subject that is always on a skinhead/punk’s mind….a fry-up. This ode to the greasy spoon ended with the genius refrain, “With a cup of builders x 3…..Tea, tea, tea – Yes please!”. Sloss was on top form with the banter this afternoon, and said that the stage lied like a mirror does, as he is in fact 6 foot 6 in stature. This entertaining melodic punk set ended with the band kicking footballs into the audience. Back of the net!
(Sonny Tyler)
MILLIE MANDERS – Almost Acoustic (14:30 – 15:05)
I went to the boiling hot almost acoustic stage for the last time, and Millie Manders is the only person who could persuade me to go when I was already so warm! I missed Millie Manders and the Shut Ups on Thursday night, so I was glad I could see her at an acoustic set. Millie is so incredibly talented, she has such a beautiful soulful voice. I found myself in awe of the performance multiple times. Millie has a lot of love for Rebellion and we all have a lot of love for her.
Millie was very upfront about her politics, speaking up for the people of Palestine. I have so much respect for artists who engage so deeply in politics as this is what it means to be punk. Her song ‘Me Too’ was particularly emotional as she dedicated to victims of domestic and sexual abuse. She spoke about systemic oppression and victim blaming in a candid way. It was a very brave choice to share this song and it is so important to speak up for victims. Her lasting message to us was “No one is free till everyone is free” which was so powerful.
There were a lot of Millie Manders fans in the crowd, I stood at the front and then moved to the back to cool off and in both sections people were singing along. She is clearly making waves in punk music and I can see big things for Millie Manders in the future.
Setlist as follows: ‘Angry Side’, ‘Silent Screams’, ‘Paper Castles’, ‘R.I.P’, ‘Me Too’, ‘Not OK’, ‘Rebound’, ‘Your Story’.
(Iona Murphy)
SALLY PEPPER – The Old Vic (15:00 – 15:30)
Having missed half of Sally Pepper’s full band set on Wednesday night at The Bootleg Social, it would have been remiss of me to pass up her solo set this afternoon in the friendly surroundings of The Old Vic, as what I had seen the other night was most enjoyable. Once again there is little talking going on in the pub surroundings as Sally holds the audience captive, but not against our will.
Sally isn’t scared to address any situation, and the second song of the set is ‘It’s Always The Ones You Most Suspect’ about sexual predators in the punk scene. Then there’s a new song for anyone who’s flown a flag outside a hotel, showing her political astuteness. Sally doesn’t pull any punches especially in the lyrics of ‘Pride Is A Protest.’ Her language may be a bit choice at times and after slipping out the ‘C’ word she points out that there may be children in the audience, but the parents know that she’s sweary and they still return, for what Sally describes is a life lesson. Sally is a bit upset at the clash with Millie Manders on the Almost Acoustic Stage, of which I had caught a bit of the show, but in support Millie and at least two of her band come to watch the remainder of Sally’s set after they have finished. Musical highlight of the show for me is the wonderful ‘Clickbait’ (a song re-recorded with Millie Manders), and I one hundred percent concur with the lyrics.
The merch stall sounds interesting with temporary tattoos and hats for less than haired heads of which there are many at Rebellion, myself included through little choice of my own. Sally is a working-class voice for all those who are downtrodden in society. Wake up and be more like Sally and not any politician that claims to be anti-establishment when they are clearly a part of it.
(Andy Murphy)
THWACK! – RIS in Pavilion (15:00 – 15:30)
I return to the Pavilion (I have to eat you know!) for Thwack! They’re described as “an orchestral punk band”, and quite frankly are unlike anything that I’ve seen or heard before. This is a very good thing incidentally. They consist of Charlie Wood on lead vocals and guitar, Chlo Spinks on bass and vocals, Mal on cello and vocals, Blake Shortt on drums and Natalia Gruca on violin. The opening song is about “my body, my soul and my mental health”, probably the three most important things that any of us possess. The second song (titles seem to be a bit thin on the ground) features an absolutely searing violin solo that any lead guitarist would be proud of. Come to think of it, so would Warren Ellis from the Bad Seeds!
For the third song, which is about the social rules regarding neurodiversity, Chlo Spinks discards her instrument and sings lead. There are some elements of jazz at play here. ‘Margaret Thatcher Blood Snatcher’ is the real joybringer of today’s set however, with lyrics such as “bing bong the bitch is back” and “the lady’s not for burning”. Somebody comes onstage dressed as a Thatcher monster. This would give children nightmares! Chlo Spinks once again relinquishes her bass and violinist Natalia Gruca plays it. They end their set with a cover of Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed A Girl’. It’s a good version but it could really do with a guitar. That said, Thwack! are one of the weekend’s most interesting bands. They play the Loud Women Festival at London’s Rich Mix on 5th September, and support The Toxhards at Islington Academy on 18th September.
(Mark Kelly)
CONVICT CLASS – Arena (15:30 – 16:00)
Convict Class are currently touring the UK and have travelled all the way from Australia to be with us. This isn’t the first time they’ve hit these shores, and they have been steadily making a name for themselves on the gigging circuit. Hot on the heels of the release of their quality new album, ‘Not The Enemy’, we welcome them here today, on the Arena stage.
They play in an Oi!/Streetpunk style, but are not afraid to incorporate a bit of humour into the mix along the way.
The genius of it all began with the song the band walked onstage to, and that song was the theme song from 80’s TV show, ‘Minder’ (Arthur Daley….He’s alright). Convict kicked off with ‘Old School Punk’ from their new album, which soon got the crowd going. The room was very busy from the get-go and I saw many ‘Convict Class’ T-shirts in the audience. ‘Anger Management’ was next, and their own brand of Oi!/Streetpunk was going down nicely. The band got serious at one point too, with ‘Down On The Docks’, which was dedicated to the original convicts sent to Australia.
Stuart is a top frontman, and he was soon standing on the barrier, singing into the crowd’s faces while handing the mic around at key moments. ‘Not The Enemy’ is the title track from the band’s new album, and it’s a cracking song about unity within the scene, and how some people in the street perceive us. Shortly afterward, the band almost literally charmed our socks off with an early song of theirs called ‘Wank Sock’ (I wondered why they were selling socks on their merch stall!). Just when you thought they couldn’t top that, they ended their performance with their very own namesake song, ‘Convict Class’. The lyrics go, “Oi! We’re Convict Class…If you don’t like it, shove it up your arse”. Fair enough, I say (Sounds reasonable).
(Sonny Tyler)
MONA FREKKA – RIS in Pavilion (15:50 – 16:20)
Next up are Mona Freaka, a teenage four piece from New York who are too young to drink in the venue’s bars. Indeed, bassist Jill Sofro is only thirteen! The rest are all seventeen or eighteen though. Lead singer Roxy Bolle has written most of the songs and founded the band, so to a degree it’s her show. At one point she shares a mic with guitarist Gemma Holstein Beatles style, so she obviously doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight.
For the fourth song (which is actually the first song that she ever wrote) Roxy comments that it’s “so hot” and takes her dress off. She’s still perfectly decent, but I’m really not sure whether this is okay or not. Bearing in mind that the bulk of the audience comprises middle-aged men who are old enough to be her father or grandfather, I think it’s possibly a bit iffy. Still no matter, Roxy carries on, jumping off the drum riser.
The band in general are very energetic. They all get down on the floor and all jump up. Probably the most important aspect of the band is that all of the songs are different, without being too eclectic. The band’s material very much has its own character. ‘American Actress’ is a notable highlight, but they save the best until last. For a song which may or may not be called ‘Millennial Me’, Roxy crouches to play lead, whilst Gemma Holstein taps. It’s a spectacular way to end the set. They’re a deservedly attention-grabbing band, who I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from.
(Mark Kelly)
WITCH SPIT – RIS in Pavilion (16:40 – 17:10)
Witch Spit follow in short order. They’re a duo from Adelaide, Australia, comprising vocalist and guitarist Paige Geard and drummer Alex Hollow. They’re loud and a bit shouty, and their opening song is the delicately titled ‘Have You Ever Seen A Pair Of Tits?’ Presumably the song’s subject matter is ornithology. Paige plays a black Telecaster like Wilko Johnson’s. Like Wilko’s it has a red scratch plate. Presumably so the men can’t see the blood. Charlie Harper from the UK Subs is in the audience. Doubtless he will anoint them afterwards.
Some of their songs are as fast as Motorhead in their prime. Paige dedicates ‘Scumbag Sister’ to her sister, which is very sweet. The guitar for ‘Woof’ is monstrously distorted. The singer needs to change a string, but it doesn’t take as long as the singer from Porridge Radio did at the Rockaway Beach Festival. I think the twenty minutes that she took must still be some kind of record. Final song ‘Pissed And Proud Of It’ is as fast as f*ck and may owe at least a small debt with regard to subject matter to Peter And The Test Tube Babies. Witch Spit are not going to change the world, but this has certainly been an enjoyable set.
(Mark Kelly)
WOKERATI PARTY – RIS in Pavilion (17:30 – 18:00)
Prior to attending this year’s Rebellion I gave this queer-feminist duo from ‘Sarfend’ a listen and on reading up about them I put them down as a must-see act. They’ve only been active since 2023, but they have built up a reputation for their chaotic and fun shows, championing many causes associated with being woke, which for the record is a good thing. They are Tee on guitar and vocals and Kris on drums and vocals, both wearing their own pink Snowflake FC football shirt merch.
Halfway through the set Kirsty Almeida is invited onto stage to tell her story about the distressing time she had giving birth to her son in 2014 and the trauma she has had to live with. The way she has been treated can only be described as disgraceful. It’s only recently that she started to get back onstage and she performs one of her songs with the Wokerati Party. It certainly moves me and after the gig I speak with her at the merch stall afterwards and she kindly offers me a free copy of her ‘Moon Bird’ album on a blueberry limited edition CD (she has blueberries in her bag which end up over the sleeve, but she kindly swaps it) but I do pay for it to show my support. In all my days I never imagined that I would be buying a folk music CD at Rebellion. Stay strong Kirsty.
For ‘Coming Out’ they are joined by Glitterbombs and Emily Flea waving Trans and Progress Pride flags in celebration. More chaos ensues when there is some breaking news from Tee as she tells us that Elon Musk has renounced his right-wing views and is now sponsoring Snowflake FC. Enter Musk with a massive papier-mâché head and a t-shirt with the words “Tesla Tosser” on it.
‘Milkshake Shuffle’ is a dig at the right wing and we get a massive papier-mâché headed Farage wearing a ‘Misinform UK’ t-shirt. The crowd shout their disdain until a Count Binface lookalike appears and proceeds to kick his butt. All good harmless fun you would think, but I bump into drummer Kris later and she tells me that it’s all kicking off on the Rebellion Facebook Page with some easily offended person ridiculously claiming that they are promoting violence against NF and EM. Who would have thought that some papier-mâché mache fun would cause such a stir. A real point of interest is when Kris talks about the 3.5% Rule. Look it up if you want to make a real difference. Go and see Wokerati Party if you want to be entertained and educated.
(Andy Murphy)
ATTILA & OTWAY PRESENT ‘CHERYL A ROCK OPERA’ – Opera House (18:00 – 18:50)
The Opera House was my venue for respite over the festival, if I was ever tired I went to sit in there and watch whoever was playing. But seeing ‘Cheryl A Rock Opera’ was no accident. The wacky flyers I’d seen around alongside the fun I had seeing Attila on Thursday persuaded me to leave my spot in the Pavillion for a change of scenery. Attila and Otway wrote this rock opera for Edinburgh Festival Fringe thirty-five years ago and now had brought it back to stage for a limited run. The show is based on Otway’s song ‘Cheryl’s Going Home’ reimagining what comes next. I can tell you that what comes next is a bonkers story of lost love, trainspotting, and drugs. I was impressed with the level of rhyming across the performance, it was seamless and kept the flow of the show.
At times during the show I really did feel my age, but not in the way people traditionally use this phrase! ‘Cheryl’ was first performed in 1991 and I was born in 1996, so throughout the show there were cultural references I didn’t understand. There were a few moments where people laughed and I didn’t have a clue why. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed myself and there were plenty of references I did understand that really tickled me. One that particularly made me laugh was Otway’s character getting confused between The Beatles and The Beejees. I was laughing at this long after the moment passed, giggling again when Attila went to get a violin.
The funniest moment was when Attila came on stage wearing a wig and a cardboard train carriage pretending to be the mysterious Cheryl. Alongside the rest of the audience, I couldn’t stop laughing. Another hilarious moment was when Otway’s character wasn’t able to jump in front of the train because there was a three-week delay. The play ended after the three week delay ended and Otway was happily a trainspotter, no longer pining over Cheryl.
Because the play is dynamic, for the actors it’s never clear how long it’ll take. Because they finished earlier than anticipated they sung a medley about sniffing glue, a back and forth in German, and plugged their merch (Otway was happy that because of the heatwave the fans he had were finally selling). It was a witty play and it’s surprising how little has changed with the lack of reliability of the trainlines since 1991!
(Iona Murphy)
BREAKUP HAIRCUT – RIS in Pavilion (18:20 – 18:50)
So here I am drawn back at the Loud Women stage to watch Breakup Haircut, not Haunted Pokémon Speedrun as they could have been called. This is the first time I have come across these stalwarts of the London DIY scene who have released two albums, ‘Punk Dancing For Self Defence’ (2022) and ‘No Worries If Not’ (2025), with 27 songs in total. Prior to the set I note that the lead singer and rhythm guitarist is doing breathing exercises in preparation and once the first chords are played all her energy is released and she really is in the zone performing her heart out.
Bass player Ripley tells us how ‘Mum, I Wanna Be A Greaser’ is about how they wanted to be a biker, but ended up working in IT. It shows the band’s versatility as it is more rock ‘n’ roll than punk. ‘Imposter Syndrome’ sounds a happy tune but when listening to the lyrics they seem deeply personal and that becomes more apparent as the song plays out with “I can’t help but feel like I should be better, I can’t help but feel like I could have done better.” Vocals are shared around with both Ripley and lead guitarist Delphine getting an opportunity each to take the limelight, showing the flexibility of this band.
A favourite of mine is ‘Pit Culture’ which is only about a minute and a half long but really shows off Jordan’s drumming with a great riff from Ripley on their Fender Mustang bass guitar. It certainly gets its point across about men taking up too much space including those annoying tall ones who stand at the front of gigs. Another gem of a gig and here is hoping they take a trip down the M23 to Brighton, or even better for me the A21 to Hastings.
(Andy Murphy)
HAYWIRE – Club Casbah (18:50 – 19:35)
Haywire are a hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Not be confused with the UK anarcho-punks now based in Southampton. This band are the brainchild of Austin Sparkman who has also been known to play with The Chisel (once again, not the UK band). In 2025, they embarked on an extensive U.S and Euro tour with The Dropkick Murphys, which culminated in the release of both band’s split EP together called, ‘New England Forever’.
Today’s mosh pit area promised to be a lively one, so I took a step back, in order to guard my pint and ribs. ‘Summer Nights’ whipped the crowd up into a frenzy, and the band’s singer spent the whole set running around the stage and onto the barrier. It was quite difficult to get a proper picture of him, as he was an energetic blur of energy. He jumped into the crowd on a number of occasions, and wasn’t scared to join a mosh pit. He got the crowd to join in with him as he got us to shout some “Whoas” and some “Oi!s”, as if our lives depended on it.
This was Haywire’s first gig in Blackpool, and they re-named a song ‘Blackpool Bootboys’ for the audience this evening. They said that ‘Cock Sparrer’ had recommended them joining the ‘Rebellion family’, and I don’t think they were disappointed. They had some bad luck with their flights into the UK today, and thanked ‘Cro-mags’ and ‘Shanghai Treason’ who had to re-jig their sets in order to fit them into the day’s schedule. They play melodic punk/hardcore with some metal beat-down moments that also have elements of ‘Oi!’ in the mix. That was duly proven with their cover of ‘Someone’s Gonna Die’ by ‘Blitz’ today. An enjoyable performance was witnessed by a band at the top of their game.
(Sonny Tyler)
PETE BENTHAM & THE DINNER LADIES – Arena (19:10 – 19:55)
I really thought Attila & Otway’s ‘Cheryl: A Rock Opera’ was going to be the whackiest thing I saw all day, but a mere twenty minutes later I was greeted by the weird and wonderful world of Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies. The Liverpudlian kitchen-core punk band features Pete Bentham, Marigoldy, and Gabrielle, alongside the iconic dinner ladies. I was hooked from the start, luckily for me as Pete joked that he hoped we were listening as there will be questions at the end! They were aware of the time restrictions of the set, telling us they’ll “be the opposite of Pizzatramp’s and won’t chat so much shit between songs.” All this going on whilst dinner ladies were dancing around was truly surreal.
The set started with ‘Shed,’ a treat from their latest album ‘Art, Religion And Chocolate Biscuits’, introducing topics of men’s mental health. Pete talked about his dad and how he’d use his shed to help his mental wellbeing, suggesting we should have more sheds instead of medication for mental health. We moved from ‘Shed’ into ‘What’s On The Inside Has To Come Out,’ the title track from their 2022 album. During this song, the dinner ladies came out into the crowd and started pulling out fake intestines.
They played classics like ‘Dead’s Not Punk’ and ‘I’m Shy’ which were a little less wacky but still excellent performances. I really liked the message behind ‘I’m Shy’ as a way to humanise people who perform in some way for a living. Pete told us that people are often surprised when they meet him as he is quite shy, but gets up on stage and performs to crowds of people. We really saw the complexity of being a performer through their set.
I loved how much of the set was so inspired by place, with their roots in Liverpool being at the core. Their song ‘Goth Postman’ is about a Liverpudlian postman who used to do their rounds in full goth attire. An icon like this deserves a full song written about them. Another local legend who had a song dedicated to them is a street cleaner in Toxeth. No one knows the identity of this good Samaritan, but someone in Toxeth voluntarily cleans the streets at night. The song called ‘In Toxeth’ celebrates this local hero who deserves our recognition for their service to the community.
Perhaps my most foolish moment of the set came with the song ‘Brick.’ Keep in mind that one of the core lyrics to this song is “it’s a brick” when I set the scene. The dinner ladies came out with a cake carrier with what I thought was a loaf cake wrapped in tinfoil. I was quite excited and thought that perhaps as one of the people at the barricade I may get a slice of loaf cake. As they unwrapped the tin foil it became clear that as the song promised, it was a brick. I felt humbled at my thoughts of loaf cake, lessons about context clues were learnt! Although the brick was made of plastic, when it was thrown out and hit the barrier in front of me I did jump out of my skin.
Towards the end of the set came their 2010 classic song ‘Hip Potater.’ For this song we were asked to get on our knees and all jump up as the beat came in. This was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the kitchencore craziness of the performance. Pete Bentham & the Dinner Ladies were one of my surprise highlights of the festival, I had so much fun I couldn’t stop beaming.
(Iona Murphy)
THE MEMBERS Play At The Chelsea Night Club – Opera House (19:10 – 19:55)
As much as I want to stay at the Loud Women stage, I feel the need for a seat which makes me feel old as I have never chosen to sit down at a gig. I am therefore attracted to The Opera House to sit in the circle and get a bird’s eye view of proceedings on the stage. The Members, formed in 1976, playing their own mix of punk, new wave and reggae, and is another old band that I have never seen play live so I am looking forward to this set.
There are still two Members from their heyday in JC Carroll on guitar and now lead vocals, and Chris Payne on bass and backing vocals, both having joined the band around 1977, though sadly original lead singer Nicky Tesco died in 2022, though he hadn’t been active in the band for quite some time.
The band obviously still have pulling power as it is very busy in The Opera House and JC Carroll begs the question, The Beatles and Sinatra played The Opera House, and I wonder if they ever thought that maybe The Members would play there one day? It’s a dream come true for local lad (70 years old) JC from just down the road in Lytham. Tonight they are playing their first album ‘At The Chelsea Nightclub’ in full. My highlights of the set happen to be the two singles on the album in ‘Solitary Confinement’ and the wonderful ‘Sound Of The Suburbs’ which reached number 12 in the UK chart.
There is some confusion as they finish with 10 minutes to go only to play one more song, yet still end the set with 5 minutes left at 19:50, which by my reckoning would have been enough time for them to complete the album with ‘Phone-in Show’, though no-one appears that bothered with everyone seemingly very happy. Not for the first time I am left pondering what it would have been like to have seen the band back in the day with their original lead singer.
(Andy Murphy)
YAKKIE – RIS in Pavilion (19:10 – 19:40)
My final band of the day at the Pavilion stage is Yakkie, a London based DIY supergroup comprising Janey Starling on vocals, Maeve Westall on drums, Robin Gatt on guitar and vocals, and Laura Ankles on bass and vocals. They have all been members of previous bands including The Petrol Girls and Dream Nails. Hence the ‘supergroup’ tag.
Janey is dressed as a cheerleader which I guess is ironic. The second song ‘He Sleeps Alone’ sounds remarkably like Pearl Jam. Robin’s guitar solo is pretty explosive and bassist Laura is playing chords. ‘Lean Out’ is about the fact that International Women’s Day is now run by corporations, which wasn’t what it was originally about. Musically it’s interesting too, with a couple of sweet tempo changes. ‘Right Of Reply’ is about femicide and is fast, loud and rightly angry. Maeve Westall’s drumming is awesome. ‘Rabbit’s Got The Gun’ is a quite complex song from the band’s new album ‘Kill The Cop Inside Your Head’, whilst ‘Under The Pavement Is The Beach’ is about fighting capitalism. Yakkie are another really interesting band that I’ve seen for the first time at Rebellion. They play Haggerston Signature Brew on 27th August, and support The Petrol Girls at Downstairs At The Dome on November 13th.
(Mark Kelly)
THE GODFATHERS – Empress Ballroom (20:00 – 20:50)
I head back to the Empress Ballroom now for the very mighty Godfathers. I first saw this band forty years ago, and to this day they remain an extraordinarily ferocious live band. Admittedly vocalist Peter Coyne is the only remaining original member from those days, but he has become the soul and spirit of the band. However, the current lineup has been operational for seven years and counting. They still look as if you wouldn’t necessarily want to argue with them if you came upon them in a bar.
Whilst The Godfathers continue to produce new music, tonight’s set is a set of old favourites. There are various things that stand out such as the cracking harmonies in ‘I Want You’ and ‘Love Is Dead’. Also, despite the mention of Margaret Thatcher in ‘Birth, School, Work, Death,’ in every other way the song seems chillingly contemporary. The band don’t forget their roots either, dedicating ‘I Can’t Sleep Tonight’ to the Ramones.
The Godfathers have no gigs booked at the moment, but if by some terrible oversight you have never managed to see the band, make sure you do next time they play.
(Mark Kelly)
WHOREMONES – RIS in Pavilion (20:00 – 20:30)
After seeing lead singer Pascale Sifantus and her supercharged performance with GBH for just one song in The Empress Ballroom last night, I just had to catch her with her own band Whoremones on the Loud Women stage. They have come all the way over from Los Angeles for just two UK shows, a warm-up last Sunday at The Windmill in Brixton and Rebellion tonight. On Bandcamp it states that they make angry music which is certainly an attraction.
Pascale enters the stage wearing a (The) Damned vest and certainly looks the part as she prowls around the stage, oozing confidence. She is desperate for there to be moshpit mayhem, a wall of death, and a circle pit, but it never quite reaches the heights that she demands or deserves for such a ferocious performance.
Opening the set with ‘Mr Gasoline’ Pascale’s vocals sound like she has been possessed by the devil which is somewhat disturbing but so damn effective, and this continues throughout a lot of the set. Frankly I’m exhausted just watching her. ‘King Leader’ is apparently about chasing a guy up an alley with a gun, so make of that what you will. They finish off with the excellent ‘The United States Of America’ which is about all the nonsensical goings on over there under the current political administration and killing Nazis.
This is one vivacious performance from Pascale, but it is unfair not to mention the other band members who haven’t gone unnoticed despite my ravings. Aryana Yazdani on bass, Collin Tehrani on guitar, and Arrow Avalon on drums are the driving force behind the fast-paced music needed to keep up with Pascale. This is hardcore riot grrrl punk at its finest, though you will also find them on thrash metal sites given the ferocity of their sound. I for one can’t wait for them to return to the UK, but in the meantime I will have to console myself by playing their ‘Affect For Cause’ CD that I purchased from their merch stall.
(Andy Murphy)
ICONOCLASTS – Arena (20:15 – 21:00)
This band is part of Liverpool’s rich punk history, and I was pleased to get to see them at last. Originally formed in the early 80’s, this all-female band gigged regularly and released some great records. They are fronted by Mandy, who went on to sing for Mere Dead Men (M.D.M for short). Since reforming, they even bagged a support slot with Half Man Half Biscuit. I was looking forward to catching this band at long last.
It was certainly worth the wait as Iconoclasts knocked it out of the park today. Their sound in the ‘Arena’ was top-notch and the band were tight, as they played their opening number, ‘I Want You’. As we know, Mandy has a great voice, and that really shone through with these old-school punk rock songs. Her partner Dominic Warwick couldn’t make it to the festival this weekend due to health issues, so it was nice to see a life-size cut-out of him on the stage with the girls tonight. ‘Diablo’ was next followed by ‘Blood Red’ and at times I could definitely see why they played plenty of anarcho-punk gigs back in the day. They had punk songs, some with a post-punk sound not too dissimilar to ‘Killing Joke’, and tunes that were downright rocking. There was also a large Liverpool contingent in the room, so much banter between band and audience was had (“Get on with it!” was a popular heckle). ‘Half Way’ was about a serial killer, and they ended their set with an epic, ‘Turn Of The Screw’. A great end to a powerful set
(Sonny Tyler)
HAWXX – RIS in Pavilion (20:50 – 21:20)
I went to see Hawxx as recommended from Millie Manders earlier in the day. Hawxx had previously been booked at a different festival but got pulled for being pro-Palestine, making it even more important to support them tonight. London band Hawxx consists of Annouli, Hannah, and Jess. They put on an excellent show and spoke up for good political causes, telling us that “resistance is justified.” This was the band’s first time at Rebellion and I hope it’s not their last.
One of the most memorable moments was the wall of friendship. Usually at a punk gig you may be told to prepare for a wall of death (which I once got caught up in whilst on someone’s shoulders, a frightening experience!) A wall of friendship was much nicer, where when the beat dropped we all ran at each other and high fived the people opposite. I even got a high five from Millie Manders which is nice to show off about.
I thought that ‘We Are Nature’ was fascinating from an eco-feminist perspective, perhaps not the usual thoughts people have at a punk festival. You can take the academic out of work but you can’t take work out of the academic! The end of the set was incredible, with a captivating theatrical performance of ‘Be That Whore.’ Annouli spoke about how the figure of the “whore” has been a historical act of resistance, calling for us to “be that whore” and resist social expectations. The final act of being on the ground screaming the lyrics into the microphone was incredibly powerful. I enjoyed the set and I hope they continue to perform and use their platform to speak out for those who are oppressed.
(Iona Murphy)
THE DICKIES – Empress Ballroom (21:15 – 22:15)
This year’s Rebellion Festival finishes for me with The Dickies at the Empress Ballroom. I last saw them when they played here three years ago when they headlined at Club Casbah. At that time vocalist Leonard Graves Phillips had recently been ill, but nevertheless put in a terrific performance. Tonight though he and the band are on top form. In terms of the set there are few if any surprises. The crowd get into the punk rock spirit of the occasion by chucking empty plastic glasses at the stage. That’s rebellion in practice folks! The band are still able to tear through ‘Paranoid’, ‘The Tra La Las Song (Banana Splits Theme)’ and ‘Nights In White Satin’ at 900mph so everybody goes home happy. I should point out however that it takes a lot of skill and stamina to do what The Dickies do, and it’s a credit to them that they’re still doing it as well as they did nearly fifty years ago. Hats off to them.
(Mark Kelly)
UK DECAY – Opera House (21:30 – 22:20)
Due to lack of sleep and an early start to travel back home tomorrow the difficult call has been made to forego SLF whom I saw at the Concorde 2 back in March, but I can’t think of a better way to end the 30th Rebellion festival than seeing one of my old favourites UK Decay. I haven’t seen this band for close to 44 years and I’m excited for tonight, though I’m hoping that my memories aren’t shattered and they don’t live up to my expectations. To be fair there isn’t much good to have come out of Luton in recent years, so the Bedfordshire town needs some positivity.
The lights are dimmed and the London Symphony’s classical version of ‘Paint It Black’ is played through the PA setting the scene perfectly. Lead singer Steve ‘Abbo’ Abbott approaches the mic and introduces the band “Hello, we are Slaughter and the Dogs!” which raises a chuckle.
Opening with ‘Unexpected Guest’ reminds me of what I’ve been missing out on since the band split some 43 years ago, and any concerns I may have had about being disappointed have been wiped out in five minutes of pure gold. It’s as if I am back in the early eighties as Steve’s voice amazingly sounds just like it did way back then.
I somehow missed the whole reunion thing and wasn’t even aware of their second album released in 2013, for which I am now kicking myself.
Before launching into ‘Heavy Metal Jews’ Steve explains that this song is about being Jewish and hating Netanyahu, so fair play to him for addressing this issue. Personally, I love the amazing sub two-minute masterpiece that is ‘Sexual’ and the barnstorming ‘For My Country’ is the penultimate song of the set. Ending with ‘Unwind’ I think it will take me a while to do so as I am feeling pumped up after reliving my teenage years for the past 50 minutes. The only song missing I can think that I would have liked to have heard live is ‘Shattered’ but it is still the perfect way to sign-off my weekend and I’m relieved to see that one of my old favourites still has what it takes some 43 years later.
Overall, it has been a great four days and spending time with my eldest daughter at a festival has made it extra special. Thankfully, she enjoyed it wholeheartedly and wants to return next year.
(Andy Murphy)
LADY LAZARUS – RIS in Pavilion (21:40 – 22:10)
When I saw Lady Lazarus on the bill I knew I had to end my Rebellion experience with them. As a professional Sylvia Plath fan (a lecturer who did her PhD on Plath) the band name, inspired by a Plath poem, drew me in. Lady Lazarus served as a reminder as to why days like Loud Women Sunday are so important; when the band came out to do a soundcheck, a young girl turned to her parents in glee saying “look isn’t the drummer dead cool.” Seeing women in punk bands, particularly as the drummer is so pivotal to the next generation of musicians who are just kids now. Berlin based band Lady Lazarus is formed of Caroline, Izzy, Jules, and Gary.
Lady Lazarus were one of the highlights of my Sunday and despite not playing their song ‘Fig Tree’ which I love, the setlist was incredible. The performance truly captures the spirit of riot grrrl punk, with Caroline throwing herself into the action by crowd surfing and pretending to hang herself with the microphone wire. The energy was great, whilst the crowd were a little placid at first, with some pushing from Caroline everyone got more comfortable to get in those moshpits. All of their songs were excellent, but particular stand outs included ‘Downward Spiral’ and their closing song ‘Riot Grrrl.’ I could see the Plath influence on their music throughout, which made this Plath fan very excited.
The crowd work from ‘Lady Lazarus’ was great, telling us about the importance of supporting small bands by buying merchandise. So often it’s the difference between having somewhere to stay, food, and not losing money on travel to gigs. Caroline said “you don’t need a third UK Subs shirt” and instead should support the small bands you enjoyed. I took this on board and got a t-shirt and vinyl after the show. She also said “don’t go to festivals just to see the bands you know” and instead discover new bands. I completely agree with her, the highlight of Rebellion for me has been discovering new bands that I now love.
Representation in punk music is so important. When Caroline moved from Australia to England, she found herself sneaking into the New Inn in London to see bands, one of whom was Subhumans. Now she has the opportunity to play at festivals with them. Accessibility to music is so important, especially in a time where ticket prices are soaring.
It was the perfect end to an incredible festival, thank you Rebellion. I hope to be back in 2027, fingers crossed Lady Lazarus will be too.
Setlist as follows: ‘Eat Spit,’ ‘Marionette,’ Downward Spiral,’ ‘Delirium,’ ‘Don’t Need U,’ ‘Anarchy,’ ‘Intellectual Leftism,’ ‘Riot Grrrl’.
(Iona Murphy)
The dates for next year’s Rebellion Festival are 5th to 8th August 2027.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased HERE.
