Punktuation's Ruth Rae and Herman de Tollenaere are at the UK's largest punk festival in Blackpool this week - here's how the long weekend began..
Blackpool, a traditional seaside town in the north-west of England, changes beyond recognition every August to welcome punk fans from across the globe. The streets are filled with people sporting rainbow spiked hairdos, studs, chains and every punk band shirt imaginable!
Held in the extensive and iconic Winter Gardens, this four-day extravaganza boasts an impressive lineup of over 300 punk and alternative groups across seven electrifying stages. With organisers expecting a roaring crowd of over 10,000 passionate souls, Rebellion ain’t no ordinary music festival. It’s a haven for the punk community, a sanctuary where the spirit of punk, ska, goth, and spoken word converge in a riotous celebration of counterculture.
On a mission to rock ‘n’ roll until we drop, the Punktuation team will bring you daily reports from Rebellion Festival 2024!
Day one - Ruth Rae's Report
1976 punk band London have been gigging again since 2008, with original members Riff Regan and Steve Voice. They’d made name for themselves touring extensively throughout 1977, including a major UK tour with The Stranglers (the Rattus Norvegicus tour.) The band broke up after their final gig at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street on 8th December 1977 , after which MCA released their album ‘Animal Games‘ in early 1978. Today they announced they would play the whole of that album, to delighted cheers from the crowd! This was a masterclass in the most beautiful guitar sounds I’ve heard from a punk band in a long time, and with an expressive and engaging front man, this is a band to learn from.
A bit of catching up with friends (it’s always fabulous to see my punk family) then I’m in the magnificent Opera House to see the equally magnificent Menace. Their new album ‘Death and Taxes‘ has just come out, so it’s no surprise to hear songs from it, as well as the old favourites ‘GLC‘, ‘Screwed Up‘ and ‘So Fuck You‘. ‘Party Animal‘ was touchingly dedicated to late menace singer Finn Panton, then front man Noel Martin quipped that “Nobody wants to see a fat man dancing, so I’ll quieten down and let’s hear you singing.” Of course we did!
Back to the ballroom for another band who’ve been busy this year – The Meffs – who are releasing their first full album ‘What A Life‘ next month. One of the best performances of the day came from Lily and Lewis, who had the crowd going wild and jumping from the start with ‘No Future‘ and ‘Stand Up, Speak Out‘. Newer single ‘Clowns‘ was dedicated to the new MP for Clacton, with Lily calling for a wall of death – which was duly formed! The glorious chaos continued with a circle pit for their shortest song ‘Sex Sells‘ in a ballroom where it was standing room only. Tremendous!
Best known as a punk poet, and collaborator with Peesh Logoz on recent acclaimed poetry and music album ‘Bigot’s Banquet‘, Cherry B has just published her first novel. A hedonistic journey through a life shaped by the real music, characters and vices of Harlow’s unique alternative music venue, The Square, where the axe is waiting to fall.. As I’d had the honour of being the second person to read the entire book, I was happy to take to the stage to interview its author about her inspirations for writing this dramatic story.
It simply wouldn’t be Rebellion with out the UK Subs, would it? Charlie Harper and the guys were on fantastic form on the main stage, where you couldn’t have squeezed a gnat into the tightly packed crowd! The epitome of Music Keeps You Young, the now 80 year old Charlie looked 20 years younger as he put on yet another fantastic show. Taking a brief break from singing to say “I’m not drunk yet”, he took a large swing from his beer. “You’re working on it though!” replied Alvin cheekily, before the singer and bass player shared a friendly hug! “This is our most requested song” said Charlie before launching into a stunning ‘Limo Life‘, before what felt like an earthquake erupting beneath the ballroom floor for ‘Warhead‘.
Cumbria’s unique father-daughter alternative duo Voodoo Radio captured the attention of swathes of new fans, with another of their trademark electrifying performances from the Pavilion stage. One guitar and a stripped back drum kit might sound tame, but their songs are anything but – singer / drummer Paige bantering with the crowd and her guitarist dad Tony in between belting out a catchy set. I still don’t know how Tony didn’t melt in the black fleece sweater he wears on stage – it was pretty warm in that room!
For me and many other fans, it certainly wouldn’t be Rebellion without seeing the Bar Stool Preachers! On the main stage just after the Subs, TJ and his band of merry men plus new acoustic guitarist and singer Ebonnie Greene received a well deserved and rousing welcome from the throng. Starting with his usual humour, the front man said he’d asked Charlie Harper if they were on previously because Charlie wanted an early bedtime? The reponse was that BSP weren’t to be getting ahead of themselves to think they are better than the Subs! Just when I don’t think my favourite band can pull any more from the bag, they go up several notches with this outstanding set – a crammed ballroom sang along to our favourites. A great cover of Cock Sparrer’s ‘Suicide Girls‘ made a surprise but welcome appearance in the set! It was pretty emotional too – TJ said “This is the only festival in the world that I come to where it feels that people like me can own a space”.
The Tom Robinson band are almost a household name; best known in the 1970s for the hit ‘2468 Motorway‘ and for Tom’s support of Rock Against Racism and LGBT+ rights, they still play to huge crowds. Tonight was no different, with the captivated audience joining in with ‘Martin‘ and the aforementioned big hit, in the beautiful Opera House which suited the TRB’s great performance perfectly.
Ending a brilliant first day, HotWax, a hotly-tipped trio, melted our minds with their raw grunge punk sizzle. Tallulah, Lola and Alfie may not be old enough to remember Nirvana and Mudhoney, but they’ve more than got that alternative sound nailed! Heavy and grung-tastic, they drew a good crowd despite the late hour!
Day one - Herman de Tollenaere's Report
At 11:45, beginning my first Rebellion day, I saw the first band: Crapsons, Three men in black T-shirts from Birkenhead. Unusually, their drummer was in front, center stage, and sang lead vocals. They interspered their fast punk with 1-2-3-4! Their fourth, short song was ‘Fuck Off‘. Their fifth, longer song was ‘Fuck Off Again‘. Though they were the first band, the Arena wass already quite full., The audience liked them.
Next, I went to the merch table of the Steve Ignorant Band, to say hi, especially to their singer Steve. Steve is special in my life, as my band played its first gig opening for Crass and Poison Girls in Voorschoten, the Netherlands in March 1980; I had co-organized that concert: https://www.bacteria.nl/crass-
Tits Up are an all-female quartet from the Liverpool region. They are Bridget, Jen and Amanda, and they brought their raw and original, driven punk rock sound to the Club Casbah Stage. They say their influences come from from L7, Bikini Kill & The Cramps, and like the Crapsons, the drummer did much of the singing. Her voice reminded me of Brody Dalle of the Distillers, her drumming of PalmOlive of The Slits. The guitarist, with her Rumkicks (South Korean punk) T-shirt on, sang the rest of the lead vocals. The bassist had a red and white heart-shaped bass. They had lots of variation in their songs, sometimes reminiscent of The Cramps, The audience applauded after every song.
At 15:30, again the Empress Ballroom, for The Ramonas from Brighton. They are so much more than just a Ramones tribute band. They have in common with their New York favourites that the tallest band member with the longest hair is the singer. But Cloey Ramona moves a lot more on stage than the late Joey Ramone. And, unlike Johnny Ramone, their guitarist al;so does some vocals. They started with ‘Blitzkrieg Bop‘. Then, more Ramones covers, with the Brightgon Sistahs sometimes breaking Brudders’ speed records. The (for the Ramones!) slow song ‘Glad to see you go‘ they played melodiously, at the same speed as the Ramones. At Rebellion 2022, it had still been safe to stand in the front row. But, as their popularity has increased, the safety standard for front row audience people has declined to Maid of Ace levels. Such was the enthusiastic pogoing, making the big Empress Ballroom a billowing sea during a hurricane. In the middle of their set, they played self-pennred songs. Then, Ramones songs again. Surely one of the highlights of Rebellion 2024!
At 16:25, I went to the Punk Art Exhibition Hall where about 30 artists’ work is represented. Exhibiting artist Gaye Black known as Gaye Advert when she was The Adverts bassist in the 1980s, like at earlier Rebellions, had several of her works on display. So has, this year, Palmolive, ex-drummer of the Slits and the Raincoats. Her sister and daughter were present as well. It was very moving for me, having first seen at her 1978 last Slits gig, and since having corresponded with her.
Then, at 17:20, next door to the art exhibition, was the Literary stage. An interview by John Robb with Lora Logic from X-Ray Spex / Essential Logic and sometimes The Stranglers. Lora told about how she first met Poly Styrene, and felt like she had already known her for years. Same taste in clothers, stiletto heels, and more. She got her first saxophone when she was 13, two years later X-ray Spex became her first band. She felt devastatred when the manager turned out to have sacked her without telling her. In her next band, Essential Logic, Rough Trade treated her much better. Also J J Burnel of The Stranglers sent her a postcard: “We should meet. Bring a saxophone”. Lora thinks that she made the Stranglers sound faster on that recording than if she would not have been present.
At 18:00 I stayed at the Literary stage, as the next guest of John Robb was Lydia Lunch from New York City. She became known, first in her bands Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, then later as a poet. She also does podcasts, including with Little Annie aka Annie Anxiety. I would like to know more about Lydia’s links to Annie and to people Annie worked with, like Crass, Poison Girls and Rubella Ballet. And how was her cooperation with Henry Rollins? Lydia told about growing up in Rochester, and escaping tpo New York as a teenagerr. She always has worn black, black dress and black fishnet stockings this time. She still considers herself No Wave. Lydia said that the New York punk scene then was a lot smaller than the UK scene. It was also m ore individualist, while UK punk was more political.
Still at the Literary stage, at 19:15 Cherry B. interviewed Steve Ignorant, co-founder and singer of Crass. Now, with his Steve Ignorant Band, he sings 1977-1984 Crass songs, including at Rebellion 2024. What, according to Steve, are the differences between the circumstances in which Crass played in 1977-1984, and the circumstances in which his band plays now? And why the name Ignorant? “Because I was ignorant as a young teenager. My parents were working class conservatives. They thought that the boss was always right, they were not trade union members. When punk started I worked in a Bristol hospital. I met a girl with unusual clothes. She said: The Clash will play in Bristol. Are you coming? I went. Joe Strummer told the audience: Form your own band. Thank you, Joe! I tried to start a punk band. Originaly, only Penny Rimbaud with a drum kit said yes.”
I didn’t leave the Literary stage, as at 19:55 there was an interview with Steven Conolly, aka Roadent, a former roadie for The Clash and Sex Pistols. Later, he became a technician doing onstage sound for The Pretenders, Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, UB40, PIL and Bob Marley. How did he get in contact with the Sex Pistols? It was Roadent’s first Rebellion. He was surprised how the punk movement has grown during his absence. He said that, in the beginning as a Pistol, Sid Vicious had tried to become aq good bass player, rehearsing diligently. But then, Jerry Nolan and Johnny Thunders became a bad influence, introducing him to heroin. Why did the Pistols break up? Basically, because they were hardly allowed to play in the UK, With no gigs, Sid took smack. Malcolm McLaren thought: we can play in the Netherlands. But in the Netherlands then, it was very easy to get smack. So, Sid’s problems worsened, with then a climax and brreakup during their tourt of the USA. He said: good to see punk so alive, But beware of the capitalist music indiustry. They saw punk as a threat, and then promoted stuff like New Romanticism to damage punk. Roadent knew about a Paul Simonon-Pattie Smith fling. Which, to his surprise Pattie still remembered when he met her very much later.
Next, 20:40 at the Literary stage, for an interview with Paloma McLardy aka Palmolive by Helen McCookerybook. Paloma is over from the USA where she lives now, to talk about her new autobiography ‘Punk’s Palmolive: Fighting Dragons in the Land of Concrete‘. She has played drums in the Flowers of Romance, Slits, Spizz Oil and Raincoats. Helen had already interviewed her at the recent KISMIF conference in Portugal. Did Helen ask different questions in Blackpool? In fact, Helen hardly asked any questions, as Palmolive said one interesting thing after another. She asked Helen a question: Is squatting legal now in the UK? No, said Helen. That’s a pity, Palmolive said. For me, the London squatting scene weasw a great liberation after growing up under the bloodstained opppressive Spanish Franco dictatorship. I was not allowed, being a girl, to do what my brothers did. So, I went to London. Joe Strummer and me fell in love. We both thought the hippie/pub rock scene of Joe’s band The 101’ers lacked something, as punk arose. That meant tension between Joe and the rest of the band. There came also tension between Joe and me: I had a fling with someone else. So did Joe. But then: You are a girl, you are not allowed all what boys do. So, we broke up after two years. I was in the Flowers of Romance, with Sid Vicious, Viv Albertine and Sarah. But Sid sacked me: You’re not right. Why?! I asked. No reply. I then wanted to start an all-girl punk band. At a Pattie Smith gig, 14 year old Ari Up screamed at her mother. I thought: she should be an excellent frontwoman, I prefer to be more in the background behind my drums. I sadly left the Slits. The three others, after the Slits had had 8 managers, wanted Malcolm McLaren as manager, I didn’t. And they wanted us to pose nearly naked for our LP cover. I didn’ t. I already knew we were beautiful. Like Roadent, Palmolive was pleasantly surprised how punk had grown during her absence, and was happy to reconnect at Rebellion.
Topping the bill on the main stage, Hersham boys Sham 69 are as rebellious as ever! The real, 1977, line-up of Sham 69, Jimmy Pursey, Dave Tregunna and Dave Parsons. The only non-1977 present Sham member is the drummer Spike T. Smith, formerly with The Damned, Conflict, Steve Ignorant and more. The ballroom roof was raised as Sham took the festival into the small hours – what a tremendous finish!
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Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
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