Rebellion Festival (Part 1: Thursday and Friday)

It’s August in Blackpool and that can only mean one thing: Rebellion! The annual pilgrimage to the Winter Gardens for four days of Punk Music! As a shamed Rebellion “virgin,” I waste no time in experiencing the event in all its glory. I arrive in good time to catch some early bands on the “graveyard shift”.

I am promptly accosted at the bar by a member of “Science Made Us Robots” (Chris the bassist), who suggests we toast Rebellion with the first beer of the weekend; I reluctantly agree. For those like me who are new on the scene, it takes a good day to process everything that Rebellion has to offer. There’s an abundance of coloured Mohicans and balding punks (myself included) at every turn. And so, to the music…

Thursday…
There are an overwhelming number of bands and sounds invading my eardrums, hence the length of this article! I pass the New Band Stage as “Casual Nausea” shriek to a small collection of people; it’s a harsh sound, so I don’t stick around. The “Hole” influences in “Gasoline Thrill’s” set are evident, and they show potential, but not enough to keep me there for the entire show. I’m advised to catch “16 Guns” on the Arena stage. They entertain with some old school 80s Punk rhythms and some choice covers; (“Who likes a bit of Cliff?”, to which no hands go up!). Their attire is interesting and they keep me amused.

I soon head back to the New Band Stage to catch a band I recently encountered on Facebook. “Maid of Ace” are more “Riot Grrrl” than Punk. The sound man does them no favours and the harsh vocals are only made bearable by the thumping drums. It’s the first big crowd of the day and they receive good applause despite the flawed sound engineering.

Come mid-afternoon, I hot-foot it back to the Arena to catch the highly entertaining and proportionately talented “Monkish”. They have me laughing out loud with their outlandish costumes and general tomfoolery. My personal favourite of their songs, “Shallow Bitch”, is better received than “Sh*tC*nt”, which leaves the crowd a little taken aback. Their set is as confident as it is compelling. The hilariously-titled song “Please Don’t Piss In My Microwave” is yet another bonus before “Back on the Smack” amid clouds of icing sugar!

After Monkish’s set, I head to the bar and am immediately approached by the T-shirt seller of “Bite Back”. He advises that I stick around and plies me with a free band sticker. I’m glad I took his advice; this four-piece, hard drumming, “Clash” – like band are superb. My standout track is the hard and fast “Strip It Down”, with a nod towards an “English Civil War” riff.

“Fire Exit” are a Canadian “Oi” outfit, singing about being “Lost and Drunk in London” which many of the audience identify with. There’s a passionate anti-racism slant to their set. On a more light-hearted note, their take on the classic “What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor (Skinhead!)” goes down well. They receive huge applause as they leave the stage.

After a curry at the nearest “Spoons”, I catch “Red Alert”. Hard drumming accompanies the swapping of banter between the singer and a Geordie loudmouth in the front row. The vocalist is confident throughout despite the insistent barrage from the front. When he announces he’s a Liverpool fan, the aforementioned Geordie punter quickly goes quiet! Their brand of feel-good Punk goes down well. The heavy bass and clanging guitars work brilliantly alongside the wholesome drumming; Punk anthem at its best.

When “Menace” take to the stage I have a feeling they’re going be good, as the room is near full capacity now. The three-piece return us to Punk’s first wave lunacy. Their solid sound hits us with the songs that made them (in-)famous! For their grand finale the singer invites at least thirty people onstage for “G.L.C.”. The result is wild, and the audience have a blast singing along to the tune. Afterwards, a quick jaunt takes me to the Empress Ballroom and I’m greeted by a full house skanking along to the “Neville Staple Band”. With the whole floor alive with movement, this feels just like a Specials gig. For the second time today I know most of the songs! A great set that was received with rapture.

Now, to Thursday’s headliners! The full room shows “New Model Army” to have a loyal following. They open with some lighter songs before unleashing their more famous numbers. With all my middle-aged exuberance and cider consumption, I decide to catch the rest of their set from the balcony. NMA don’t disappoint and while it’s not the fiercest crowd I’ve ever seen, the audience still assemble themselves into the usual human pyramids and so on. “No Rest” and “Love the World” are fantastic songs. This is a band clearly comfortable on a big stage.

Friday…
After a satisfying breakfast, I’m back to Winter Gardens. I’m reliably informed “Clay Pidgeon” are worth a listen, so off I go to the Arena stage to catch them. The band is a Punk/Rap/Dub outfit, with drums pounded a la Topper Headon (Clash), and a singer who has a passing resemblance to one Joe Strummer. But this is no Clash Tribute; there are a few similar elements undoubtedly, but that is all. They end with “Circles” a song that forcibly wakes up those of us who had an early start this morning!

Later in the afternoon, I must make a difficult decision: do I head over to the cinema to reminisce over “Breaking Glass”, or stick with the music? I choose music, and up next are “Charred Hearts”. The guitarist looks irritated throughout, regularly swapping angered glances with both singer and bassist. Alongside the tension felt on stage, the insistent drums and ringing guitars create great friction, particularly on “Throwaway Society”.

Next up on this stage are the hugely entertaining “Splodgenessabounds”. The five-piece’s wonderful set of humorous songs makes the whole room smile. “Scrapyard”, “You’re a Disgrace” and the utterly bonkers “Sock Down Inside Your Shoe” are my personal favourites. It’s a self-assured and tight set. I, like many, are waiting for the wonderful “Two Pints of Lager”. We don’t have to wait for long and we’re not disappointed. This is yet another late afternoon magical moment and I leave smiling.

Next up, a band I recently reviewed for this very website. “The Duel” are vamping it up on the small stage to a tiny crowd, but they’re not daunted by this. Their loud electric sound is complimented by a good vocal, some thumping drums and wholehearted stage presence. The vocal reminds this reviewer of “Grog” (Die So Fluid). The song “Brotherhood” is a stand-out track in a decent set; it’s a shame they don’t have a bigger crowd, as they deserve one.

I then head back up to The Pavilion to catch “London SS”. For me, the phrase “style over substance” springs to mind, as the band seem to have concentrated predominantly on their attire! The late 70s sound is a little lost on me, and judging by crowd size everyone else too! I stay long enough to catch “Sick On You” but leave soon after.

After my staple dinner (Wetherspoons, of course), I catch the last four songs by “Subhumans”. Now, I have been highly critical of this band in the past; but I must say in front of a huge crowd in the Ballroom, they’re smashing it! “This is Not an Advert” is really well received by this enthusiastic crowd and I for one stand converted!

I head back to the main stage – Olympia – where I chance upon “Top Buzzer”. Their song “Wet Pets” is hilarious, and their take on “Pop Music” by “M” takes me back! As their set draws to a close, the crowd swells with the imminent arrival of “The Damned”.

This band are quite simply brilliant from start to finish with a set list to die for: “New Rose”, “History of the World”, “Just Can’t Be Happy Today” and the excellent “Disco Man”. The Captain is in a buoyant and playful mood, while Dave (Vanian) exploits every inch of the stage. Before long a pit has ensued in the crowd; “Video Nasty” makes them go wild! They end their set with the sublime “Love Song”.

My final pick of the night are “The Exploited”. Words cannot describe the following musical onslaught. This is a first for me and a performance I won’t forget in a hurry. Wattie on vocals is in an aggressive mood, making for a powerful and passionate performance. A man on a mission, he cavorts energetically around the arena. He even brings his son on stage for the sing-along “Sex and Violence”. This is unquestionably the wildest crowd reaction I have witnessed this weekend. Certainly not an experience for the faint-hearted! After an hour of full-on musical mayhem they leave the stage. One thought: simply awesome! Bring on the weekend!

Words, pictures, and Awe by Ross.

Part two is here.