Top 5 moments from Rebellion 2012
The anti-fascist sing songs from Los Fastidios, the Filaments and Hard Skin – whilst it may have been less prevalent than in recent years there is still a small number of people who believe themselves to be superior due to the colour of their skin. This year there was some great sing along moments and three stand outs are from bands who actively proclaim themselves as anti-fascist. It is with great irony that I stood amongst 1500 people proclaiming at the top of my straight edge voice the hard skin anthem “We’ve still got beer”
Neville Staples looking after his daughter. One thing about punk is the anti-hero sentiment prevalent in many songs. Both SLF and Neville Staples proclaimed from the stage “Everyone is Someone” and how true that is. everyone is someones son or daughter and for many attending rebellion they also have duties as parents. Whilst it was heartening to see a large number of kids in attendance with their guardians it was great to see Neville looking out for his daughter in the crowd as near 2,000 people were skanking along to doesn’t make it alright. She was up the front having a great time – her first punk gig. Meanwhile Neville was slightly uneasy but not letting it get to his performance
Literary Stage – it was great to hear the history of punk being spoke by people who were there in 77. Slaughter and the Dogs gave a great insight into Manchester of the day, Viv Albertine spoke educationally about London, John King spoke of the influence of punk rock his writings and Pete from the Lurkers spoke of their travels.
This really ought to be filmed and made available for all as John Robb asked just the right questions to tease out the stories from the history makers.
The MOB were haunting in the Pavillion. It was a superb venue for them, maybe 400 capacity and their harrowing sound was perfect for it. An amazing intense set that belied their years and who could believe that album was over 20 years ago
The Acoustic Stage is a gem – many classics are unearthed every year. This time around it was my introduction to Ginger Wildheart. I was simply amazed to see so many people singing along and having a great time, knowing every song, anticipating every move.
niall hope
