‘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.
Initially known as ‘Holidays In The Sun’, the Winter Gardens first opened its doors to mark the then 20th anniversary of punk and hosted headliners X-Ray Spex, The Damned and Buzzcocks for the landmark three-day event back in 1996. Another thirty years on and Rebellion Festival is going stronger than ever. Returning again as punk rock celebrates its 50th anniversary on from that initial explosion of energy in 1976, interest in the music and culture shows no signs of dissipating and the last two years have seen the festival completely sell out across the four-day gathering.
The Rebellion Festival proper is spread across four days (6th to 9th August) and it attracts 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.
Rebellion Festival wanted to stage something special this year to celebrate these landmark birthdays and so they put together a series of Run Up gigs that were taking place before the main festival began.
Commencing Tuesday August 4th, the Run Up concerts started with a very special evening performance in the Olympia, Winter Gardens headlined by the legend that is Adam Ant, who had promised a harder edged set than his recent tour but still packed with all the hits! He was joined by Derry’s finest The Undertones and the wonderful Altered Images from Scotland. It was certainly going to be a Tuesday night to remember, so we just had to attend!
The following night, Wednesday 5th, there was a suitably upbeat high energy ska night with Neville Staple from The Specials, who was joined by Arthur Kay & The Originals and Death Of Guitar Pop, and Rhoda Dakar on the decks and they all had the whole room jumping!
We thankfully managed to attend the first of these special Run Up nights, and so here’s our account of that night’s events:
REBELLION RUN-UP – TUESDAY 4TH AUGUST
ADAM ANT + THE UNDERTONES + ALTERED IMAGES – OLYMPIA, WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL 4.8.26
One of the most anticipated comebacks in recent memory has got to be when Adam Ant decided to dust off his hat, and tread the deck again. That was back in 2011, and my dreams were made true, when he performed at Brighton’s Concorde 2 for two shows (2 weeks apart). He played mainly early songs from the excellent ‘Dirk Wears White Sox’ album, peppered with a few Saturday Superstore-bothering pop nuggets. Since then, he’s completed a ‘singles’ tour, as well as recording new material along the way. What could be in store for us tonight I wonder?
Rebellion Festival have put on a few fringe events around the city this week, leading up to the main event. This was Tuesday night’s entertainment, to take place at the Olympia (aka Club Casbah), within the Winter Gardens. The huge queue for tonight’s event snaked around the block, but at least it wasn’t raining.
ALTERED IMAGES (18:30 start)
Altered Images‘ kicked off proceedings with a reliably hit-filled set of post-punk pop classics, and the enigmatic Clare Grogan was on top form.
They started with ‘I Could Be Happy’, which got their performance off to a good start. The room was already full to bursting point, creating a bit of a sweat box. The band even did a cover of ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, but in the way The Slits used to do it. Clare told us that the first big ‘Altered Images’ tour was actually with ‘Adam & The Ants’, so tonight was a fitting reunion.
‘Dead Pop Stars’ put a big grin on my face, and this is as ‘punk’ as Altered Images get. They played a few tracks from their latest album, ‘Mascara Streaks’ which brought us some joyous disco pop to tonight’s proceedings. Clare informed the crowd that she liked to swear, and told us that Glasgow was in fact the swearing capital of the world. I wasn’t about to disagree, and I’m sure Gregory Underwood would’ve been proud.
Altered Images setlist:
‘I Could Be Happy’ (from 1982 ‘Pinky Blue’ album)
‘See Those Eyes’ (from 1982 ‘Pinky Blue’ album)
‘Insects’ (found on 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Mascara Streakz’ (from 2022 ‘Mascara Streakz’ album)
‘Bring Me Closer’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ (Gladys Knight & the Pips cover)
‘Love To Stay’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘Double Reflection’ (from 2022 ‘Mascara Streakz’ album)
‘Dead Pop Stars’ (from bonus track edition of 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Change Of Heart’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘Don’t Talk To Me About Love’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘Happy Birthday’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
THE UNDERTONES (19:50 start)
This was followed by Derry’s finest, ‘The Undertones‘, who also had the nifty knack of writing many a pop punk classic. All the hits were aired tonight, including ‘My Perfect Cousin’, and the indisputable champion of pop-punk classics, ‘Teenage Kicks’. A tune which legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel said was his all-time favourite song, from 1978 until his death in 2004. When he first played the song on his show on 25th September 1978, he played the song twice (something he had never done). John Peel’s tombstone famously signs off with a line from ‘Teenage Kicks’: “Teenage dreams so hard to beat”.
This evening The Undertones began their set with the brilliant ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ which is pure late 70’s teenage angst in musical form. Their singer Paul McLoone, who has been with the band since 1999, certainly had a touch of the ‘Feargals’ in the vocal department, and he did a sterling job of getting these catchy songs across. It’s nice to see one of the original punk bands still playing with so many original and early members still in the game, these being John O’Neill (1975–1983, 1999–present), Michael Bradley (1975–1983, 1999–present), Billy Doherty (1975–1983, 1999–present), and Damian O’Neill (1976–1983, 1999–present). Suffice to say, that the Rebellion crowd loved it.
The Undertones setlist included:
‘Jimmy Jimmy’ (from 1979 ‘The Undertones’ album)
‘You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It?)’ (from 1979 ‘You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It?)’ single)
‘Male Model’ (from 1979 ‘The Undertones’ album)
‘It’s Going To Happen!’ (from 1981 ‘Positive Touch’ album)
‘Teenage Kicks’ (from 1978 ‘Teenage Kicks’ EP)
‘See That Girl’ (from 1980 ‘Hypnotised’ album)
‘Here Comes The Summer’ (from 1979 ‘The Undertones’ album)
‘Get Over You’ (from 1979 ‘Get Over You’ single)
‘My Perfect Cousin’ (from 1980 ‘Hypnotised’ album)
ADAM ANT (21:30 start)
By now, we were all suitably warmed up for tonight’s main attraction in the form of Adam Ant and his band. His customary two drummer pronged attack was in full force tonight, and I found myself grinning again, as Adam led his band through a great rendition of ‘Dog Eat Dog’. ‘Vive Le Rock’ got an airing, and then we were treated to an earlier classic by the name of ‘Car Trouble’, as Adam strapped his guitar on.
The room was absolutely heaving at this point, and there were many white-striped ant fans soaking it all up. The band played ‘Prince Charming’ too, before launching into a pre-Saturday Superstore, ‘Zerox’. ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ gave me pleasant childhood flashbacks too, as did their rendition of ‘Antmusic’, which is the song that made the 11 year old me, an instant ant fan. ‘Christian D’ior’ was another notable old song played this evening, and I was very happy to hear it.
Adam certainly delivered the goods to a standing crowd of eager fans tonight, and I crawled back to my BNB, absolutely buzzing.
Adam Ant setlist:
‘Beat My Guest’ (from 1981 Adam And The Ants ‘Stand And Deliver!’ single + eventually from 1994 Adam And The Ants ‘B-Side Babies’ compilation album)
‘Dog Eat Dog’ (from 1980 Adam And The Ants ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ album)
‘Vive Le Rock’ (from 1985 Adam Ant ‘Vive Le Rock’ album)
‘Lady’ (from 1978 Adam And The Ants ‘Young Parisians’ single)/ ‘Fall In’ (from 1980 Adam And The Ants “Antmusic” single)
‘Desperate But Not Serious’ (from 1982 Adam Ant ‘Friend Or Foe’ album)
‘Cartrouble’ (from 1979 Adam And The Ants ‘Dirk Wears White Sox’ album)
‘Prince Charming’ (from 1981 Adam And The Ants ‘Prince Charming’ album)
‘Zerøx’ (from 1979 Adam And The Ants ‘Zerox’ single + eventually from 1999 ‘The Very Best Of Adam And The Ants’ album)
‘Ants Invasion’ (from 1980 Adam And The Ants ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ album)
‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ (from 1980 Adam And The Ants ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ album)
‘Christian D’or’ (from 1981 Adam And The Ants ‘Prince Charming’ single)
‘Friend Or Foe’ (from 1982 Adam Ant ‘Friend Or Foe’ album)
‘“Antmusic” (from 1980 Adam And The Ants ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ album)
‘Red Scab’ (from 1982 Adam Ant ‘Goody Two Shoes’ single)
‘Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)’ (from 1979 Adam And The Ants ‘Dirk Wears White Sox’ album)
‘Young Parisians’ (a 1978 Adam And The Ants single)
‘It Doesn’t Matter’ (John Peel Session broadcast on 23rd January 1978 & eventually released on 1994 Adam And The Ants ‘B-Side Babies’ compilation album)
‘Killer In The Home’ (from 1980 Adam And The Ants ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ album)
‘Goody Two Shoes’ (from 1982 Adam Ant ‘Friend Or Foe’ album)
(encore)
‘Stand And Deliver!’ (from 1981 Adam And The Ants ‘Prince Charming’ album)
OUR REVIEWS OF EACH DAY AT REBELLION WILL FOLLOW IN DUE COURSE.
