(Reviews by Iona Murphy, Mark Kelly, Sonny Tyler, Andy Murphy & Cris Watkins)
‘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 two of four and concentrates on the happenings on Day Two (Friday 7th August).
The reviews of Day One (Thursday 6th August) can be found HERE.
So without further ado here’s our account…
DAY TWO – FRIDAY 7th AUGUST
MARC VALENTINE – Opera House (13:00 – 13:35)
Friday starts for me with Marc Valentine in the Opera House. Marc’s band is a five piece with two guitarists (including himself), bass, drums and keyboards. They play dirty rock ‘n’ roll and could be distant relatives of The Quireboys, The Wildhearts or even Keith Richards. Marc himself is from Norwich, but exudes a considerable degree of Noo Yawk cool. His band are no slouches either. I recognise his guitarist Richard Davies, who has his own solo band. He’s sh*t hot and no mistake. During the third song the bass amp cuts out and has to be replaced. Bassist Richie Poynton gamely continues playing anyway, even though for much of the song he is completely inaudible!
Marc asks if anyone has a hangover. Many reply in the affirmative. He tells us “this is the ballad you asked for”. Except it isn’t a ballad. It’s fast and furious and unceremoniously blows any cobwebs that may have been present away. It’s called ‘Temporary Buzz’. Marc has an album out entitled ‘Uncommon Side Effects’, and much of the set comes from that. It sounds a fine album! The penultimate song is a rocking cover of The Shirelles’ ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ (composed by Goffin and King) and they close with ‘Last Train Tonight’, which I don’t believe is on the album. If you like unpretentious rock ‘n’ roll then the Marc Valentine band are for you. They play Brighton Prince Albert on 12th September, and Kings Cross Water Rats on 1st October. You know what to do.
(Mark Kelly)
RUMKICKS – Empress Ballroom (13:35 – 14:10)
Rumkicks were a recommendation from my dad who saw them at the Jenny Lind in Hastings and thought I would enjoy them, and oh boy he was right! Rumkicks were one of my favourite bands across the four days. I bumped into them after the gig and they were lovely to chat to as well as being incredibly talented. Before they even started, the crowd were chanting “one more song” so the energy levels for the Empress Ballroom opening act of the day were immaculate. I hadn’t ever listened to any K-Punk and it was an experience I’ll never forget.
One of the best things about Rumkicks was their stage presence and how funny they are. When introducing ‘Drinking Everyday’ they asked “How often are you drinking alcohol? Every day?” to which the crowd cheered. They then replied to our cheers with “Boo! Smoking is much better” and took a swig of beer and flinched at the taste. They advised us to visit South Korea for cheap cigarettes, then launched into a song about drinking alcohol! Another hilarious moment was when they looked out into the crowd and said a lot of us look a little bit too old for “live fast die young” and instead should focus on living a long and healthy life.
The set wasn’t just humorous quips and touched on serious topics too. Vocalist Jeong Yewon talked about how difficult it is to be an alternative woman in Korea when K-Pop promotes strict beauty standards and thinness. The girls had struggled with this and wanted to give a big f*ck you to the industry, playing their song called ‘F*ck You.’
At the end of the set, Rumkicks wanted us to participate with some “oi oi ois.” In our practice run, Jeong wasn’t happy with our volume and said they’ll come back on the 40th anniversary to give us time to practise! I loved Rumkicks and will be recommending them to everyone I know who is into punk music, they were incredible and a real highlight of Rebellion.
(Iona Murphy)
EMILY FLEA PLAYS THE DAMNED – Almost Acoustic (13:55 – 14:30)
I make my first trip of the festival up the stairs to the Almost Acoustic stage and its wonderful surroundings to watch another Brighton icon in Emily Flea. Having had a chat with Emily at a gig on Eastbourne Pier earlier in the year, the main focus of which had been today’s set of Damned songs, I have long been second guessing what Emily has in store out of a humongous back catalogue and how on earth it could be squeezed into just 35 minutes. Social media played a large part in the setlist with followers requesting songs to be played. I asked for either ‘Melody Lee’ or ‘Ignite’ and was told that one of those would be included so here’s hoping.
The Damned are Emily’s favourite band and on sneaking a glimpse of the setlist beforehand I am suitably impressed with its unpredictability. Opening with classic ‘Wait For The Blackout’ is a surefire way to get the audience onside. ‘Melody Lee’ makes an appearance, and I am happy that one of my choices has made it. A less obvious choice is ‘Little Miss Disaster’ dating from 2008 when Emily discovered The Damned and jokes that it was also their Tumblr username. Being the hardest song in the set they really hope the person who requested it is present and appreciative.
‘Shadow Of Love’ is Emily’s own choice of song and a tribute to Roman Jugg who gave Emily a signed copy of the single at a show in Southend. Emily’s dad makes an appearance onstage for what turns out to be an extended version of ‘Neat Neat Neat’ to end a highly enjoyable set as time is up. I really found this acoustic set refreshing and the personal touch from Emily is as endearing as punk gets. Emily definitely smashed it but sadly didn’t have time to smash it up. Emily does though say that they will endeavour to play the missing song at their set in The Old Vic tomorrow.
(Andy Murphy)
BROKEN 3 WAYS – Club Casbah (14:35 – 15:05)
Friday was an excellent day of surprises and Broken 3 Ways were one of the highlights. The ska-punk band consists of Scott Hyland, Jay Aldred, Ben Preston, Dave Rowe, and Ben Green. The performance was so much fun I left my spot at the barricade and joined the dancing in the pit. I couldn’t keep still and my step count for the day was heavily influenced by Broken 3 Ways’s set.
What I loved about the band was the trumpets in punk music. Ska punk is an excellent sub genre of punk and the magic of Broken 3 Ways was how much the trumpets were integral to their songs. It was such unique music that I’ve had on repeat since. The band were humble and funny, being shocked at how many people showed up to see them: “I just blinked and feel like I’ve seen more people than I’ve ever seen.” They deserved the big crowd they drew in.
I really enjoyed their song ‘Doghouse’ which they described as a song about being in trouble with a partner after having a night out that ended face down in garlic sauce. As an enthusiast of cheesy chips with garlic sauce, this really made me laugh. The song is the title track of their EP for a reason and it really brought the energy to new highs.
One of the highlights of the set was ‘Hangman’ from their EP ‘The Doghouse’. The song was first written about the former Prince Andrew where they said he should be “stuck in a noose.” Whilst it was about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, they said it could apply to lots of other “nonces” in the wake of the Epstein files. After ‘Hangman’ they said they were going to have a big switch from a song about nonces to a song about love. This again got a big laugh. Broken 3 Ways are incredibly talented lads and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.
(Iona Murphy)
CAROL HODGE – The Old Vic (15:15 – 15:45)
It’s nice to rest your feet once in a while during the four-day marathon that is Rebellion and there is no more pleasant experience than doing so in the company of an ex-Hastonian for a year in Carol Hodge. She starts three minutes late but that’s her prerogative as the artist. Carol explains about her neurodivergence and why she can’t stop talking, but to be fair that’s what we expect and love about one of her shows as she talks and sings about interesting topics relatable to her life and many others.
Opening with the beautifully sung and constructed ‘Stop Worrying Baby,’ a song about separation, Carol already feels like she has ruined an East End knees-up given that we are seated in The Old (not Queen) Vic. In the past I have found this venue a bit frustrating as there is often a lot of background noise, but Carol has the audience captivated and I am oblivious to any annoying people talking. The second song, ‘The Price’ has Carol getting the audience in cabaret mode by pitting one side of the room against the other in a sing off. Giving her vote to the other side of the room she feels like she has lost 60% of the room which I must dispute as there are obviously more punters on the “winning” side.
‘Scream Of The Sea’ is about how Bob Mould deals with tinnitus and is probably a good tip for those sufferers in attendance with the Irish Sea just down the road. ‘The Witch Is Dead’ was written by Carol the day that Thatcher died and strangely enough is only ever requested by a Rebellion audience. Punks not dead! ‘The Queen Of Fitting In’ is very personal to Carol with regards to her neurodivergence and how she has learnt to deal with it. Finishing off with ‘Twenty Miles Up’ really does have us keeping hold of hope. The multi-talented Carol has already shown three sides to her repertoire at Rebellion and it’s not even 4pm on Friday. From playing with her band to Crass songs and now her solo set, you are extremely unlikely to find any other performer showing such diverse and creative musical talent this weekend.
(Andy Murphy)
THE HOTKNIVES – Empress Ballroom (15:25 – 16:05)
The next band The Hotknives are of particular interest to me as they are originally from Horsham, where I live. However, there are no original members left now as, according to current vocalist and bassist Mark Carew “they’ve all retired”. However, most of the current band members have been with the band for quite some time. Carew himself having been involved since 1994.
The band were known as a ska band, but some of the songs today seem a little pedestrian. ‘Looking At The Rude Boys’ is about ska, but the music is a trifle bland. However, as the set proceeds things do begin to improve somewhat. Keyboard player Richard “Bosky” Allen (who also joined the band in 1994) turns in some impressively jazzy keyboard solos. There is a hint of later Madness about much of the material. The Hotknives are not going to change the world, but the sheer infectious enjoyment of Carew and Bosky make them an entertaining live act. Well worth a watch if you get the opportunity.
(Mark Kelly)
CATFIGHT – RIS in Pavilion (15:50 – 16:20)
After relaxing in The Old Vic, I need to get back up to speed and so I make my way to the RIS Pavilion on a promise that Catfight will liven up proceedings.
There isn’t a great deal of information available about the mysterious Catfight which makes me all the more intrigued. First impressions, I’m liking what I see and although I miss the opening song, the second tune in is the dark, sneering ‘Gym Lads’ about the manosphere and how they’re killing the planet, and it has me hooked. A song which certainly makes you sit/stand up and take notice.
Showing their Riot Grrrl credentials, they play a cover, arguably better than the original, of ‘Deceptacon’ by Le Tigre. There is a short break towards the end of the show where we are shown their knitted cat mascot. Ending the set with the magnificent ‘No Breakfast’ with its thunderous bass and guitar introduction, it’s no wonder that Steve Ignorant is watching in the audience as this song veers towards anarcho-punk. Finishing with that number confirms I am right in my reckoning that this band have something about them.
The merch stall is deservedly busy afterwards where the band are selling the cat mascot’s handmade kittens. Is there no end to their talents? The t-shirts are also cool with a pink fluffy looking love heart on front with the song title ‘Security F*cking Love Me’ on the back, which may or may not suit a 62 year old man. With this being bassist Hazel’s last gig due to other commitments, the band is after a preferably London based bass player. If you want to be famous, then apply forthwith. In the meantime, I look forward to finding out more about, and hearing more music, from Catfight.
(Andy Murphy)
RADICAL ARCHITECTS – Opera House (16:50 – 17:30)
Poison Girls are another absolute favourite of mine, so I had to check out this tribute version of the band, put together by Peter Jones (Paranoid Visions/Molly Vulpyne Band). In fact, Molly Vulpyne herself fronts the Radical Architects today, filling in those impossible shoes of the late, great Vi Subversa.
This special performance began with a surprise appearance from ‘Andy T’, who recited one of his highly impactful poems, before the band played ‘Jump Mama Jump’. Next up was ‘Old Tart’s Song’ and a nice version of ‘State Control’ which reminded me of how brilliant ‘Poison Girls’ songs were (as if I needed reminding). This five-piece band played these songs well, and the sound was hard hitting. ‘Ideologically Unsound’ is a great song, and ‘Radical Architects’ did the song justice tonight. Molly Vulpyne handled the vocal duties very well too, putting her own stamp and energy into the songs. I like the fact that she didn’t try to mimic Vi’s vocal style, which was a good move.
‘Cry No More’ is an epic song, and one that is sure to make us all teary eyed. Tonight’s rendition had that desired effect, and once again reminded me of how incredible Vi’s lyrics were. Of course, tonight’s set wouldn’t be complete without ‘Persons Unknown’, which is a bona fide anarcho-punk classic. Peter Jones (guitar) has done a great job putting this tribute together, and we all left the room happy and inspired by the sounds of a truly unique band in our punk history.
(Sonny Tyler)
IRVINE WELSH – Literary (17:15 – 17:55)
In need of a sit down after all my dancing, I was buzzing with excitement to see Irvine Welsh in conversation. I fell in love with Welsh’s ‘Trainspotting’ when I first read it in 2014 and whilst we’ve crossed paths at Bradford Literature Festival, I’ve never been able to see him speak. All this changed on a wonderful afternoon in the literary hub of the festival, which was an excellent addition to the event.
Welsh is so charismatic and I couldn’t stop laughing throughout the conversation. He opened by talking about how Britain is already healing under Andy Burnham as his train to Blackpool was only fifteen minutes late! I could one-up him here as mine was only four minutes late! Welsh would jump around between being funny to candid, talking about falling in love with therapists right after discussing how he uses writing as a tool to work through his past mistakes. He also spoke about how we are all getting addicted to our phones, making me wish I had a pen and paper to take notes with rather than having my phone unlocked on the notes app!
A lot of the conversation centred around his new book ‘Can Nothing Save Us?’, due for release on 13th August 2026. It was very special to get an early insight into the novel before anyone else. Other Welsh novels such as ‘Trainspotting’ are set in Scotland, but for ‘Can Nothing Save Us?’ he chose Las Vegas instead. The novel focuses on three generations in a family and their lives in LA. Whilst we may expect a book set in America to be highly political regarding people like Donald Trump, Welsh wanted to “keep the bastard politicians out of the book as much as possible.” The novel has been a long time in the making as “everyone thought the first draft was shit” which Welsh himself couldn’t believe. He said it wasn’t till he started working on making it a TV show that he realised it actually was “shit” and needed restructuring. Now we are lucky enough to have a perfected version of the novel, which I look forward to reading.
Welsh used to be in a band called Pubic Lice, which the interviewer asked about. Welsh said that whilst it was fun, they had no talent and a reunion was definitely not on the cards. Whilst Pubic Lice fans may be disappointed to hear this, ‘Trainspotting’ fans can go back to getting their hopes up for ‘Trainspotting Three’ as a maybe. Whilst it didn’t seem likely, I’ll take a maybe and keep my fingers crossed.
As the event finished, Welsh told us to “grab a drink or a line of crystal meth” and come back to the literary stage for the next event. It was a hilarious way to end the event and I really got an insight into the mind of one of this generation’s great writers.
(Iona Murphy)
MERYL STREEK – Club Casbah (17:20 – 18:00)
I make my way to Club Casbah for something completely different from what is perceived by many to be punk rock. Having previously seen Meryl Streek’s captivating performance in the same venue two years ago, I could ill afford to miss him this year, especially as I am on holiday during his October tour of intimate venues to promote his eagerly anticipated third album ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School.’ As much as I enjoyed the last time, I saw him at Rebellion I am yet to purchase any physical music by Meryl Streek which surely must change given that the upcoming album has Steve Ignorant’s seal of approval.
I am prepared for an uncomfortable 40 minutes but my mood is brightened up beforehand by a security guard handing out Starburst, of which I got a soft blackcurrant one, so my old teeth didn’t fall out. I even notice Meryl Streek smiling before he comes onstage which makes me think that we might be in for an easy ride this evening. What a fool I am. The photographers pit is the busiest I have seen so far with well over ten snappers angling for the best photos. His stage persona is intense to the level that you just do as you’re told by him.
It’s only a couple of songs in and he’s already taken off the hoodie and jacket he was wearing and is wanting to get in the pit. He gets off the stage and then puts out a hand in my direction asking for a helping hand over the barrier. I obey and assist him into the pit where he is swiftly followed by a security guard. Musically I love the vulnerability shown for ‘Paddy’ a tribute to his uncle, which goes out to all who have lost someone special in their lives. The highlight for me though is the hard-hitting truth ‘Death Of A Landlord’ which is relevant to my line of work, and I wholly agree with his sentiment. For the second day running I leave a show drained of all mental energy.
(Andy Murphy)
CHRON GEN (Acoustic) – Almost Acoustic (17:50 – 18:25)
Due to stage clashes, I wouldn’t get to see Chron Gen’s last ever performance in the Empress Ballroom this weekend (well, in its entirety anyway), so I booked myself in for the next best thing, which is a unique acoustic performance by this legendary band. I saw Chron Gen recently in London at the Vive Le Rock 16th Anniversary shindig, and they were on fire, so I was looking forward to seeing what an unplugged set would bring.
I never saw Chron Gen back in the early days (I was a bit too young, and lived out in the sticks), but I first saw them play when they originally reformed, at the first ever ‘Holidays In The Sun Festival’ in 1996, in this very same building. Can it really have been 30 years ago? The mind boggles…Of course, the band had a big crowd in the ‘Almost Acoustic’ room today. They started their unplugged set unpredictably, by performing a Nine Inch Nails cover, would you believe? The song in question is ‘Hurt’, but in the style that Johnny Cash recorded. They pulled it off very well, and my alarm bells should have been ringing, as Glyn Barber was wearing a ‘Johnny Cash’ t-shirt after all.
The rest of the band’s set was in familiar ‘Chron Gen’ song territory, beginning with a classic rendition of ‘Reality’. ‘Hounds In The Night’ came shortly afterward, and by this time, the crowd were singing along. ‘Nowhere To Run’ from their 2nd mini album of the same name came next, followed by the much requested ‘Birds Don’t Sing’. The band ended this very enjoyable set with ‘Outlaw’, proving that these songs work really well in this stripped-down style. It was a unique experience to witness ‘Chron Gen’ in an acoustic scenario, and I imagine there won’t be a dry eye in the Empress Ballroom tomorrow, as the band prepare themselves to play these songs for the very last time.
(Sonny Tyler)
JOHN OTWAY & WILD WILLY BARRETT – Opera House (17:50 – 18:35)
One act definitely well worth watching are John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett. Indeed, I’ve been waiting to see them for the best part of fifty years, so am more than a little excited about their appearance at Rebellion. They are appearing at the somewhat plush Opera House, as befits gentlemen of their advanced years, and their audience too, most of whom are of similarly advanced years. The guys don’t so much hit the stage as amble onto it. Wild Willy is surprisingly on violin (well, it’s surprising to me – I didn’t know he played it!) and is obtaining a bass drum sound by tapping his foot on the base of his mic stand. He also has a wheelie bin which he periodically opens to reveal the legend “who’s a tw@t” written on the inside of the lid. I’m not entirely sure of the purpose of this wheelie bin, but I suspect that Wild Willy may have an extra speaker for his amp in there. I could of course be wrong. It’s happened before.
So what did they play you ask? They start with ‘Louisa On A Horse’ from their imaginatively titled 1976 album ‘John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett’. It’s reminiscent of The Who’s version of ‘Summertime Blues’ from their ‘Live At Leeds’ album. This is not entirely surprising as it’s one of the tracks on the album that was produced by The Who’s Pete Townshend. Early on we get “The Hit” ‘Really Free’, featuring Wild Willy playing a ludicrously distorted electric guitar of unknown origin. Let’s just say that it looks like it’s had a very tough life and leave it at that. “The Hit” is followed by its B-side, the really rather wonderful ‘Beware Of The Flowers Cos I’m Sure They’re Gonna Get You, Yeah’. Apparently in 2000 this was listed at number 7 in a list of the greatest lyrics of all time, just behind The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ which was at number 6. I have heard Otway say this a number of times. I’m not entirely sure how true it is, but I shall give Otway the benefit of the doubt.
In the past it has occasionally frustrated me that Otway has become something of a novelty act. In recent years that hasn’t been so much of the case, but here’s a prime example of it coming up, which I must admit is quite amusing. Otway covers ‘Body Talk’ by Imagination. To make this song more interesting than it otherwise would be, he makes his body ‘talk’ by placing drum pads under his clothes which he then plays rather disjointedly. He also plays theremin, which he reckons now makes him a “musician” (you already were John). Wild Willy adds some musical colour on guitar, which then develops into a guitar and theremin jam, with all the connotations that dredges up. They then cover Theodore F. Morse’s ‘Two Little Boys’, which was a hit for the Antipodean Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned in 1969. They wonder whether they should still play it, but decide that if they don’t mention the Antipodean’s name then it’s okay. Otway starts off on theremin and then moves to guitar, while Wild Willy is on banjo, which gives the song something of a bluegrass feel. Wild Willy tells us that he is Otway’s full-time carer. Bless.
‘21 Days’ is dedicated to anyone whose wife or girlfriend has been in prison recently. Well, we’ve all been there haven’t we? They start ‘Cheryl’s Goin’ Home’ from Otway and Atilla The Stockbroker’s rock opera ‘Cheryl’, but Otway has forgotten his capo and Wild Willy has to remind him. Maybe he isn’t kidding about being Otway’s carer! They finish with what is probably Otway’s best song: ‘Geneve’. However, it rapidly becomes clear that this is not going to be an ordinary performance of the song. Wild Willy has a nylon strung acoustic guitar which he claims belongs to “Otway’s daughter.” If so, she shouldn’t have lent it to him, because he first attacks it with a saw, and then knocks holes in it with a hammer, before throwing it onto the stage. He then brings out some bagpipes made out of a toy Bagpuss cat, which clearly don’t work, and thus the set ends. Wild Willy tells us that he sells the wrecked guitars on the merch stand afterwards for “around £35”, and reassures us that none of the money will go to charity. Sweet. Otway and Barrett will be touring in the autumn, playing amongst other places at Shoreham Ropetackle on 5th September.
(Mark Kelly)
GOLDBLADE – Empress Ballroom (18:50 – 19:40)
It’s hard to imagine, but Manchester based outfit Goldblade have been on the case for 30 years now, and in that space of time they have released a dozen long-players and just as many singles, the first of which being ‘Soul Power’ which was the NME’s single of the week at the time. The band were put together by John Robb with Wayne Simmons (both from the Membranes) and A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bass, Rob Haynes (ex Houndgod and Killing For Pleasure/K.F.P.) on drums and Jay Taylor on guitar. They at the time described their music as “punk rock hooligan blues”, but are arguably best known for their No.24 UK hit single ‘City Of Christmas Ghosts’ which featured X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene, who sadly passed away in Sussex two years later in 2011. The video of this tune was famously shot on Brighton Beach and promenade.
Frontman John Robb is not only a musician, but is also an author, a music journalist, a commentator and media personality. He’s clearly a very busy man and always a go-to pundit for many TV documentaries. In fact the legendary Jordan Mooney RIP said that he is the most knowledgeable person that she has ever met in the music business! They were dear friends as well and even had their own secret pet names for each other!
Tonight Goldblade go off like a bomb in the Empress Ballroom and there is non-stop energy from Robb and co from start to finish, and thus making this a real highlight of the day. The lighting during their 10 track set – which opened with ‘Fighting In The Dancehall’, followed by ‘All We Got Is Rebel Songs’ and ‘Strictly Hardcore’ – was excellent with the stage being bathed in a number of impressive (mainly) white flashing lights, but it’s just a pity the sound isn’t quite as good as the performance. A performance which witnessed John Robb off stage and at the crowd barrier giving it his all as he directs the faithful, as he prowls from left to right and punching his arms in the air whilst his bandmates do the business higher up behind him.
(Cris Watkins)
ROMAN JUGG BAND – Opera House (18:55 – 19:40)
The next artist that I see is somebody that I haven’t seen for forty years: the former Damned guitarist Roman Jugg. Roman was effectively retired, but has now returned with The Roman Jugg Band. Roman has put together a top band comprising Vim Bedlam (aka Paul Bedford, the founder of Kick Down The Doors PR) on guitar, Pat McNamara on bass, Fiona Dulake on keyboards and drums, and Dave Dulake on drums and keyboards. Fiona and Dave also have their own band The Tuppenny Bunters, and yes, they do swap instruments.
Roman had significant input into Damned albums during the 1980s, co-writing all of ‘Phantasmagoria’, and also all of ‘Anything’ (apart from the cover of Love’s ‘Alone Again Or’) and most of the set reflects this. For opener ‘Psychomania’ Paul Bedford’s guitar is far too quiet, but thankfully this is rectified for second song ‘Generals’ from the ‘Strawberries’ album, on which Roman played keyboards on the record. Something that’s apparent from the get-go is how ace the band’s harmonies are. Roman’s vocals are spot on too. He’s an excellent frontman, which isn’t something that I was necessarily expecting. The set also includes a couple of earlier Damned songs that would have been in the set when Roman was in the band, including ‘I Just Can’t Be Happy Today’ which they played on ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ (for younger readers, with OGWT is a much missed BBC music programme from the 1970s and 1980s).
Roman’s guitar playing is still very much up to scratch, as evidenced by a cracking solo on ‘There’ll Come A Day’. Paul Bedford meanwhile is certainly no slouch, adding some lead to ‘Edward The Bear’, whilst ‘Dozen Girls’ from ‘Strawberries’ features some ace dual lead guitar between Roman and Paul. Keyboard player Fiona’s vocals are incidentally very impressive throughout. Praise where praise is due. Fiona and Dave swap instruments before ‘Street Of Dreams’, which commences with a cool keyboard interlude from Dave. They swap back for ‘Grimly Fiendish’, which at the time of its release was a very untypical Damned song. ‘Storms’ is the only Roman Jugg solo track in the set today, featuring a delicate keyboard intro from Fiona, a lead solo from Paul, and some awesome drumming from Dave. If this is typical of Roman’s solo material, I’d love to hear more of it played live. The set ends with a storming version of Damned oldie ‘Neat Neat Neat’. This has been an ace set featuring many songs that The Damned haven’t played live for years. Whilst I really enjoyed The Damned songs, I’d love to hear more of Roman’s solo songs. More power to his and the band’s collective elbows!
(Mark Kelly)
A MURDER OF CROWS – RIS in Pavilion (19:10 – 19:40)
As a horror and mythology fan with Scottish Heritage, seeing A Murder of Crows was a no brainer for me. The band rests on the premise of telling Scottish folklore through song, from hauntings to history. The whole band came out in kilts which really added to the unique aura of the band. Not only was the set entertaining with all the charisma and musical talent, but also educational. I learnt about the haunted South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh, the Wicker Man, the last public execution to take place in Scotland, and haunted areas in Glasgow. The five piece band is made up of Hoe McDermott, Doug Barr, Neale Mathieson, Crag Hayworth, and Jamie Scrymgeor.
As a band from Fife, each member had a strong Scottish accent which led to them making a great joke about the pronunciation of Gaelic, telling us that they are not saying “garlic” no matter what we think! I loved their humour and garlic came up again in the form of vampires, with a vampire impression saying “the number of the day is one… you are one great audience.” This caught us all off guard and we laughed a lot. They were such lovely people and really made the crowd feel part of the set.
Not only did the band keep Scottish traditions alive, the crowd did too, starting an impromptu ceilidh during the set. The band loved this and it felt magical seeing Scottish culture celebrated at a punk festival. Their horror punk retellings of Celtic myth on their EP ‘Ghouls, Gaels & Gaols’ was such a treat to hear live. I particularly enjoyed ‘Laugh Off Your Head.’ I loved the concept of the band and they exceeded my expectations. I hope to see them back at Rebellion on a bigger stage.
(Iona Murphy)
GATECRASH – Arena (19:50 – 20:30)
The queue for Gatecrash on the Arena stage stretches all the way back towards the box office, and it’s already rammed inside. It seems everyone wants a piece of this one as do we as it’s our first visit to this stage today! The recently formed UK punk/Oi! ‘supergroup’ features a cracking line-up of Russ Farrell (Dirt Box Disco / Spunk Volcano), Daryl Smith (Cock Sparrer), Andy Furr (ex-Knock Off) and Maff (Dirt Box Disco / Spunk Volcano). They jokingly know their places in society and in true punk rock fashion are playing down any stadium rock tags that they might be awarded by stating on their social media that “The unhinged will call it a supergroup……but let’s be honest, it’s a Pound Shop supergroup at best!!”. Bearing that in mind, we are reporting that their tracks this evening are straightforward, catchy street-punk tunes, but really need to add that these guys know exactly how to deliver them!
Thankfully for the start of their very first ever live set I’m positioned in the photographers pit with my trusty cameras to hand and I’m literally inches away from the band, but even in here “the togs” are jostling for positions in order to grab “that decent shot”. They get the ball rolling with ‘Here We Go’ and are still standing after the end of the second track which is aptly titled ‘Still Standing’. Both of these tunes are the first cuts on their self-titled debut album out via Randale Records, which no doubt a number of immediately converted punters made a beeline to the Randale / Cock Sparrer merch stall in order to grab a vinyl, CD or even a t-shirt after the conclusion of their dozen tune set. Luckily for them all of tonight’s 12 tunes are found on the release, so when they eventually get back home from Rebellion they can crank up their hi-fi’s and annoy the neighbours! If anyone is in the area of Wigan on the afternoon of Sunday 30th August, then Gatecrash ride again as part of the ‘Bank Holiday Punk Matinee’ at The Boulevard, Wigan, which runs from 2pm to 7pm, with Gatecrash on 6pm to 7pm – Tickets HERE.
(Cris Watkins)
THE COATHANGER SOLUTION – RIS in Pavilion (20:00 – 20:30)
Next up for me is a return to the RIS Pavilion to catch Irish punks The Coathanger Solution. Following on from Meryl Streek this is my second act of the day to hail from Dublin. The musicians make their way onto the stage and after a little banter with the crowd they play the intro to ‘Somebody Will’ before lead singer Klaire makes a grand entrance some twenty seconds in, from stage left, wearing a black and white striped dress with white polka dots on red trim. Maybe not the best description but I’m no fashion expert. Klaire is larger than life, the Irish Bet Lynch, it’s the hair, of the punk world. It’s plain to see who the boss is, and she totally owns the stage.
Language is choice but fairly harmless with tracks such as ‘F*cker On The Bus,’ ‘Life Of Brian’ a slower number about an about an absolute c*nt called Brian, and ‘Kiss My C*nt’, so if you are easily offended then you are at the wrong gig. The well crafted two minutes of ‘Except For You’ is my favourite song of the set as it flits between ska, punk and Klaire’s voice even has a tinge of Lulu during the verse. I can tell that Klaire is looking for a piece of moshpit action, but when she looks to join the crowd, she notices the gap between the stage and the pit before sensibly deciding against doing so. It’s a nice surprise to stumble across another entertaining band who will hopefully make more trips over the Irish Sea in future.
(Andy Murphy)
I, DORIS – Almost Acoustic (20:15 – 20:50)
I decided to see I, Doris after seeing leaflets around Winter Gardens where they advertised themselves as “International menopausecore pop-tart kitchen punks on a mission to make lesbian cowboys of us all.” It sounded so wacky I knew I needed to hear what they were all about. The members of I, Doris also run the Loud Women Sunday event at Rebellion which I was very excited about. Not only are I, Doris an incredible band, but also support other female fronted punk bands. I commend them for all the hard work they put into the festival.
The set opened with a pledge to become a Doris, we all put our right hands up and pledged that “I Doris” will help others out and not vote for a fascist. After our pledge, we all became Doris and were addressed as such. Doris (aka Patsy) told us that the band name came from an ex boyfriend’s mum who for five and a half years called her Doris. Apparently she did the same to his previous girlfriend. After the relationship ended, she decided to own his mother’s attempt to put her down and become I, Doris.
Before playing their song ‘HRT’, the band shouted “whose had their HRT tonight?” to which there were a few cheers! ‘HRT’ is a song about perimenopause and it was so refreshing to hear women talking openly about something that too often gets shrouded in stigma. They spoke about symptoms in a humorous way whilst also conveying how women’s health is not taken seriously in a patriarchal society.
‘Cowboys Cry Too’ always requires a volunteer to help out the Doris’s and tonight it was none other than Attila The Stockbroker. This was a wonderful surprise and made for some hilarious moments including Attila asking which key he should be playing in and no one else knowing, telling him it was the key of “yeehaw” (the actual key ended up being A)!
I also enjoyed their song ‘Beach Body Ready,’ a song about body positivity. Songs like this are especially important when women’s bodies are under constant scrutiny and pressure from diet culture. Their message was that if you have a body and put it on the beach, then you’re beach body ready. It was very refreshing and important for the audience to hear.
This Doris thoroughly enjoyed the acoustic set by I, Doris and I’m glad I found the leaflet that led me to their show.
(Iona Murphy)
TOMORROW BURNS – RIS in Pavilion (20:50 – 21:20)
This Midlands-based band are up-and-coming new kids on the block (so to speak), who already have a self-released EP and new album (‘Dark Days Ahead’) under their collective belts. They mix punk and metal styles in the way only Midlands bands can, and their singer, Dave Jones, has also been a long-term DJ at Rebellion Festival. Their music reminds me of early Chaos UK meets Police Bastard, so you could say this outfit are my cup of cider.
The band came out of the gates running today, with a song called ‘No Future’ from their new album. Tomorrow Burns definitely give off Disorder/Chaos UK vibes in their songwriting, which reminded me of my olden days. The third song in their set was a new one, followed by an old school metallic crust song called ‘Politicians’. At times, the band goes down the late 80’s/early 90’s anarcho-punk route, which is a winner in my book. They blasted out ‘Force Fed’ from their 1st album too, and treated us to a song called ‘Spitting Venom’ from their first EP. The bass had a nice and beefy sound and Dave Jones picked up his loudspeaker at this point in the proceedings. Towards the end of this enjoyable set, they played songs called ‘Slave To The System’ and ‘Broken And Bruised’, which totally brought to mind fellow Midlanders, ‘Doom’. Tomorrow Burns produced a sizeable cheer from tonight’s audience, and left the stage triumphant. Short, sharp blasts of punk rock, played how it should be.
(Sonny Tyler)
THE SAMPLES – Arena (20:50 – 21:30)
I’m a little concerned that after The Roman Jugg Band’s set, whatever follows is going to be an anticlimax. Not a bit of it though as I head to the Arena for The Samples. The Samples actually started out circa 1978, but with a lack of record company interest they folded in 1986. Around 2020 they decided to give things another go, but then Covid came along, and tragically their vocalist Sean Taylor passed away from cancer. However, you really can’t keep a good band down, and with bassist Paz taking on lead vocal duties and Jake joining on drums, here they are. It’s touching that although he’s gone, Sean’s mic stand is still very much part of the band’s stage set, adorned by his bandana.
The band as they are now are a classic power trio, and their music is political, fast and powerful. They have a new album (their debut!) entitled ‘Speak Truth To Power’. This includes lyrics that Sean had written for the album before he passed. Many of the lyrics refer to past events, although those events are starting to look disturbingly relevant today. ‘Thatcher’s Boot Boys’ for example is about police brutality during the miners’ strike of the mid 1980s. ‘1984’ is about the fear of a nuclear holocaust. Something that is becoming an increasing possibility. ‘Suspicion’ is about Tory oppression back in the day. Now there are numerous directions from which oppression could potentially originate. ‘Burning Down The Wall’ features guitarist Dave on lead vocals and includes a reggae interlude. ‘Empire Strikes Back’ includes a quotation from ‘Career Opportunities’ by The Clash, and ‘Fires On The Ground’ seems to be very much based on the Thatcher era. The Samples are a cracking band, and should give considerable hope to anyone in the fifties or sixties. See for yourself. They play Islington’s Hope and Anchor on 19th September.
(Mark Kelly)
THE PUNCTURISTS – After Dark in Pavilion (21:40 – 22:00)
As an honorary Yorkshire Lass (at least according to my students), I had to see the iconic Yorkshire lass fronting The Puncturists. The Barnsley based band are formed of Gail Townsend, Patrick Crawford, Dale Farrow, and Martin Gregory. They released their first LP ‘I’m Not Alright’ in 2025. The ‘garage punk’ band came on stage with a “Ey-up Rebellion” and I felt right back at home in Yorkshire!
What I liked about The Puncturists was their openness with the audience. Gail told us she first sang in a band at 55 after being encouraged by bassist Patrick. However, she was met with animosity when people told she was too old. Upon hearing this she thought “f*ck it” and did it anyway. The Puncturists are a real testament to seizing every opportunity and not letting what people expect of you get in the way. You’re never too old to chase your dreams and it’s so important to remember that. They are a real inspiration to aspiring musicians everywhere.
I really enjoy songs that talk about the harsh reality of being a small band starting out. One of my current favourite songs is ‘Gig Tax’ by Car Sick (who I’d love to see at Rebellion 2027). The Puncturists had an excellent song about this titled ‘Support Bands.’ I loved the clever double meaning, with the song being about the experience of being a support band and how you can support smaller bands. They talk about how easy it is to get exploited as a new band, with cuts on selling merch and being told to play for exposure. It is important for bands to talk about this, so their fans know how best to support them. I had a good time watching their set and I hope to see them at a home gig in Yorkshire.
(Iona Murphy)
LENE LOVICH – The Opera House (22:10 – 23:00)
I have never seen Lene Lovich play live before but after another long day spent mostly on my feet the thought of sitting down in The Opera House circle is highly appealing. As an added bonus for my weary body, she arrives onstage some 10 minutes late due to previous bands overrunning. Everyone of a certain age is probably familiar with her hits but other than that I can’t say that I had listened to much of her material so tonight promises to be interesting.
Straight off the introduction to ‘Savages’ grabs my attention with its B52s like keyboard sound. Lene is the last person to enter the stage dressed in what looks like a fancy beekeeper’s outfit from up in the circle. I probably should have expected something out of the unexpected as she is well known for being quirky back in the day and obviously that hasn’t changed. Something that does take me by surprise is when 77 year old Lovich’s vocals kick in and they sound as good as way back in the late 1970s. When I tell my daughter Iona how old Lene Lovich is, she is astounded.
If I’m honest, I only know four of the thirteen songs in the set, which is more than I expected to know, being the obvious ‘Lucky Number’, ‘Say When’, ‘New Toy’, and the set ending ‘Home’ complete with “La, La, La” audience participation, all of which are performed impeccably. She oozes charisma and stage presence and her backing group certainly seem to be enjoying themselves also, which makes for an entertaining show. Despite being sat down in the warm Opera House and it ending after 11pm, amazingly I don’t feel particularly sleepy which is a testament to Lene and her band. This performance will certainly have me delving into her back catalogue as I am left with the utmost admiration for Lene Lovich and glad that I made this last-minute choice to catch her performing live, proving that 77 is my lucky number.
(Andy Murphy)
SHAM 69 – Empress Ballroom (23:00 – 00:00)
The time has now come for the headliners, Sham 69 to be respectfully ushered into our presence. The current line-up features three quarters of the 1977 lineup with Jimmy Pursey, Dave Tregunna and Dave Parsons all present and correct, plus Spike T Smith on drums. He joined the band in 2023. Jimmy Pursey appears to be ageless, although he perhaps isn’t quite as mobile as in past years. He seems to spend a lot of time between songs standing and staring at the audience. Nonetheless, there’s still something oddly regal about him. Even when he sits on the drum riser for Dave Parsons’ guitar solo during ‘Borstal Breakout’.
For many years now Sham have been covering The Clash’s ‘White Riot’. Before they play it tonight, Pursey announces “some people don’t like this song. We do.” Quite frankly, if people don’t like ‘White Riot’, perhaps thinking that the song is in some way racist perhaps, then they haven’t listened to the lyrics. Naturally tonight’s set has its own cavalcade of classics, including ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’, and ‘If The Kids Are United’, which ends the main set. When the band returns, Pursey tells us “I wanna do the f*ckin’ gypsy song”, and the band pile into ‘Hersham Boys’. I always thought that Hersham was a slice of stockbroker belt, and didn’t connect it with gypsies, but what do I know. Proceedings are brought to a close with ‘Hurry Up Harry’ and its bellowed refrain of “we’re going down the pub!” which echoes around the hall. Ladies and gentlemen: Sham 69. Always a pleasure. Never a chore.
(Mark Kelly)
DEAF DEVILS – After Dark in Pavilion (23:25 – 00:00)
Having been sitting down in the Opera House for the past hour it is a struggle to muster up the energy to go to the RIS Pavilion After Dark and stand, but I make the effort based on the rave reviews I’ve read of Deaf Devils. This Spanish foursome is Valencia based and I’ve chosen them over the likes of Spear of Destiny, Rezillos, and Sham 69, for my late-night slot, so I’m hoping they make it worth my while.
At 11.24pm The Doors ‘Light My Fire’ comes on over the PA, followed by an air raid siren as the band enter the stage in all-white torn shirts and jeans and burst into their opening song ‘Tonite.’ From the very first chord/drumbeat/word, there is so much going on as the band covers every inch of the stage, that it’s hard to keep up with the set in their effort to fit in 11 songs into 35 minutes. Guitarist Pipe Head taunts the audience “we’re from Spain, we’ve given you a lesson in football, now here is a lesson in rock ‘n’ roll.” Lead singer Lucyfer warns not to let the bassist abduct us halfway through the set and then disappears offstage for an outfit change, giving Pipe Head a chance to take on the vocals for ‘Nightstalker.’
She then returns in an all-black rubber outfit with a devil star on her peaked hat. It’s hard to pick one particular favourite song, but I would probably side towards the first half of the set as a whole for its unrelenting energy. Health and safety have obviously put paid to any burning setlists after a couple of years ago, but the band still transfer all their equipment into the moshpit, which proves quite tricky as Murphy Jnr takes a slight knock to the head from a drum, for their finale which ends with ‘Fire!’ Surrounded by moshers, it is an amazing end to proceedings for what must be the most energetic performance I have ever seen at Rebellion. Everything about this show was punk at its finest. We really need to see them in a face-off with Electric Cowboy Club next time they visit Brighton.
(Andy Murphy)
BITE ME BAMBI – Arena (00:10 – 01:00)
Bite Me Bambi were another favourite of mine from the whole festival. By midnight I was starting to feel tired and was considering going back to the B&B to get some sleep. I decided to push through and I am so glad I did, it was worth the 2:00am bedtime.
The California based ska-punk band is formed of Tahlena Chikami, Mike Berault, Ryan Brown, Dan Evans, and Edgar Fuadiana. As the last act of the day, when the band came on stage they said they appreciated Sham 69 opening for them, which was very funny. Tahlena asked us “how many of you are so drunk you see two of me?” to which there was a lot of cheering, perhaps given it was past midnight.
I was lucky enough to be at the barricade for Bite Me Bambi, which meant that during ‘Girls Like You’ Tahlena was pointing and singing to me. I was so shocked I had to check with my dad that I wasn’t making this up! I was on such a high after this, it felt amazing to be noticed in the crowd.
Talhena gave a beautiful speech about love and family; music festival communities are a place where we all come together like a family. She then moved into a song about going to brunch at a strip club called ‘Strippers Of A Sunday.’ This was so funny and not the only time she went from the profound to the shocking. She spoke about how you cannot be what you cannot, which is why it is so important for people who are part of minority groups to be in bands and get invited to play festivals. This representation is so essential. She then said “anyway, here’s a song about the time I got divorced.” It was this audience engagement that made the set so special.
As part of the set Talhena wanted us to shout words like “bitch” and “whore” at her. In the practise run she said “call me a c*nt” to which some people did reply with “c*nt.” She laughed and said this is one of the biggest differences between the US and the UK. In the US they are all shocked when she says “c*nt” and won’t say it back, but we seemed keen!
I loved Bite Me Bambi and I would thoroughly recommend checking out their music and supporting them on their UK tour later this year. I’ll most definitely be there.
Setlist as follows: ‘Too Many People’, ‘Like That’, ‘Want You Bad’, ‘Girls Like You’, ‘Strippers On A Sunday’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Be’, ‘Gaslighter’s Anthem’, ‘Do The Damned’, ‘Bad Boyfriend’, ‘Red Flags’, ‘Carried Away’, ‘Hot Lava’.
(Iona Murphy)
THE BUSINESS – Club Casbah (00:10 – 01:00)
‘Harry May’ by The Business was a childhood favourite of mine, which made me rush out to buy the album with my pocket money at the time. Mickey Fitz was their singer, and was a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, he passed away in 2016, but I was lucky to have seen the band on a number of occasions with him at the helm. The Business have very occasionally played gigs with guest singers, but I had yet to see it – until tonight that is.
The Club Casbah room was full to capacity tonight, as The Business took to the stage. The first guest singer of the night was from UK Oi! band, ‘Crown Court’ who performed some of the band’s latter-day songs, including, ‘The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But The Truth’, from their 1997 Lars Fredrikson produced album of the same name. The second singer to take to the stage was Roi Pearce from ‘The Last Resort’, who led the crowd through a rabble-rousing version of ‘Guiness Boys’, amongst many others. Steve Whale was bouncing off the guest singers very well, whilst throwing the crowd some guitar shapes. Things really took off though, when Jamie Flanagan from ‘Tear Up’ ran on the stage. He was given the band’s cream of the crop songs to sing, and his voice and delivery was the closest to that of Mickey Fitz. All the classics were played, including ‘Smash The Discos’, ‘Suburban Rebels’ and, of course, ‘Harry May’. The crowd were singing along in one big mob chorus, paying a fitting tribute to one Oi!’s greatest bands.
(Sonny Tyler)
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Author: Nick Linazasoro
Music Editor
Best band for me was Cult Maniax. Waited so long to finally see them and they didn’t disapoint