Rebellion 2018 – Day 4
After some of yesterday’s highlights like ruts dc, blyth power, lovely eggs and menstrual cramps – never mind wonk unit, murderburgers and pizzatramp it could be hard to get motivated for another day of it. However this is what we are here for and Dealing With Damage on the introducing stage is something I would have been tempted to come to Rebellion for on their own.
Before dealing with damage I popped in to see J’aime Rachelle in the acoustic room. Softly sung and a low sound which didn’t help the beauty of some of the songs get through. J’aime was visibly uncomfortable on stage due to nerves or the heat (it is warm in here) in between songs but whilst lost in the music her confidence won out
I was contemplating on sitting here all day in anticipation of Ruts DC in 9 hours but it did seem like a long wait and plenty of punk to listen to in the meantime.
And I had to see Dealing With Damage – With a nod to DC hardcore these are intelligent songs sung passionately by my creed. This is what punk means to me.
Battalion of saints were in the empress. I remember them from the 80s and the power filled hardcore is pretty good. After seeing dealing with damage in the introducing stage though I didn’t care for this. It seems so far from where I have come from. Bands on huge stages with little interaction screaming words where I’ve no idea what’s being said. So it was back to/ the intimate surroundings of the Introducing Stage to me and a good chat with Andy from Just say no to Government Music who did he compilation cd for this stage.
The Liarbilitys are only helping to solidify this stage as being the best of the lot. 4 singers screaming along to passionate punk. What’s not to like?
Baby Seals and dream nails carry on where menstrual cramps left off last night. Baby seals is three piece power pop. How empowering it is to hear bands singing about issues that effect their bodies and minds.The antithesis of macho coco rock.
Dream Nails start by asking all the men to go to the back and allow all others to the front, that is their statement of Internet. A lazy way of describing this is to mention Riot Grrl but this s all that and more. Of course there’s Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear references but what these are doing is bringing it to the next level
Not going to see The adolescents kind of feels like cheating. So much history in this band since the Orange County natives started in 1980. All the more so with the recent death of bass player Steve Soto. His family was there watching the band and I’m sure when his son got up on the stage there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Until they blasted into the next track
The outcasts acoustic was pretty good. Again the songs they played were their originals and, like Chron Gen, stripped bare there is some good tunes deep down. The outcasts have a fit more going on in their songs than early chron Gen and their acoustic set tonight featured the whole band stripped bare. I’m sure when they wrote “cops are coming” it was during a different era but when they got back together a decade ago I hoped they would change this song. I still feel that bit uncomfortable seeing people singing along to “I think that I’ll make love to your dead body on the bloody floor”. I know it’s a story and al that but there’s still that bit of me that’s uneasy with it.
Mdc next complete with bass and acoustic guitar. My dad was a big John Wayne fan and we had pretty much our only strong disagreement over music with “John Wayne was a Nazi”. He couldn’t believe a band would say such a thing. Me? I’m with Dave dictor. Dave Dictor and MDC walked the walk back in the 80s and he is still blasting out those tunes with the same spirit and belief system.
Pascal Briggs was the unfortunate sandwich filling between mdc and the ruts dc. Bluesy guitar from Germany. I just wanted him finished and I wasn’t leaving my seat to check someone else out. Seats were at a premium in the room. Nobody left the room after Pascal Briggs. I’m pretty certain most of his crowd were here for the same reason as me. Nab a spot for ruts dc.
Ruts dc acoustic is the sort of gig that is spoken in reverted tones for ever. You could slice up the respect people have for the band in the room. What A packed room it was and such a fitting way to finish. Yep the introducing stage is the future of punk but we need to remember the importance of certain bands and the ruts were one of these. We even got a bit of rockabilky and no one complained their standing ovation at the end is just an outpouring of thanks to the band. It’s emotional and is incredible.
Because of thatI I finished with 4 sets in the acoustic room. Today was a lot quieter due to a lack of stamina but it’s hard to put into words how good it felt being in the same room as ruts dc playing an acoustic set. I have no idles to kill or heroes to let me down but I have huge respect for these people. Massive massive respect
I was happy to leave on that high while the adicts were entertaining the packed Casbah and the Varukers in the Arena with the Rumjacks in the Pavillion. I also got out as just like their recent sojourn to Israel in defiance of the cultural boycott PIL were causing as much antagonism as they could in the empress ballroom on its last set before it reverts to ballroom dancing. My own punk goes beyond John Lydon. He helped light a spark but that spark has gone on to do so much more.
This weekend that spark has, for me, ignited bands like menstrual cramps, petrol girls, dream nails and baby seals and produced a diy scene that I believe in of bands like wonk unit, dealing with damage and pardon us
What an amazing festival and if you haven’t tried it before then go for it. I don’t expect you’ll be disappointed
Niallhope
