I promise this really happened, although it sounds like I am making it up. This was an actual conversation I overheard as I was walking by a punk hunched over a plastic bin eating his takeaway chips. Punk: You're a cheeky little fucker aren't ya. Seagull: *embarrassed but dignified silence*
Talk with Andrew Czezowski and Susan Carrington This was one of the most interesting and illuminating chats about entrepreneurship I have heard in a long time. Two young people who loved music, style, culture and having fun opened a club, The Roxy, that four 100 days provided an outlet for the emerging London punk … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Andrew Czezowski and Susan Carrington
Barstool Preachers These raucous Londoners remind me a little bit in places of Yellowcard, one of the best of the Warped post-2000 acts. They play an audience-pleasing blend of Pulverising anthemic punk rock. The So Cal punk sound repurposed for English singalongs. I really like the ska bursts in their set with the organ giving … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Barstool Preachers
Soap Girls The most under-dressed act. Not surprisingly many of the older punters seemed to like that. Some members of the audience felt compelled to walk up and slap them on the bottoms...the price you pay for art these days? The type of act most people would rather see than listen to. Enough said.
The Pukes The Pukes always make me smile. They are the perfect band for a good time. And the acoustic stage can be a great venue to appreciate bands who can make a point, raise a laugh and even inspire a good old fashioned pub singalong. They played 'Johnny got himself a wife' 'Down by … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 The Pukes
Toyah The punks were out in full force for this one; proof that Toyah has a lasting appeal for the people who were teenagers when she was at her commercial peak in the early 1980s. The Opera House venue was packed, and there was something very appropriate about Toyah playing for the punk gathering in … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Toyah
MDC Hearing MDC always takes me back to the days when I first came across them with Mick 'Mohawk' McCaughan and Barry Cooke. They were one of the bands I listened to most when Mick was the Ents Officer in Trinity in 1984-1985. They proved that low-resource black and white photocopied punk (think fanzines/Maximum Rock'n'Roll) … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 M.D.C. Acoustic
TV Smith plays the Adverts TV Smith is always a complete and total highlight of Rebellion for me. Tonight he doesn't disappoint even though he is playing the outdoor stage where naturally the sound is not as condensed as the indoor venues. I completely love the first Adverts album. Funnily enough, it reminds me of … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 TV Smith Adverts
Bad Religion These punk rock giants stride like a colossus over the modern scene. What is most astonishing is how long they've held that lofty position. To me, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, and the Rollins Band, seemed to define the evolution of punk in the US into a commercial form that could not only draw … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Bad Religion
Slice of life Here we have Steve Ignorant of Crass with an interesting piece of theatre. And by interesting I don't mean crap/self indulgent. This is raw emotion with a lush background of keyboard, acoustic guitar and bass from a cracking backing band including beautiful male female harmonies. It's a reminder that Crass's gift was … Continue reading Rebellion 2017 Slice of Life
