The Winter Gardens, Blackpool
(check out Part 1 and Part 2, and Part 3)
So, day 4 and this 47 year old body is feeling its age! One more big push and it’s all over for another year!!
Having seen “Gez Addictive” singing with Anti Pasti I thought it only right I should go and watch his main band “Addictive Philosophy”. These multi instrumentalists come over angry in the vocal, yet with comedic elements as well. The 6 piece really fill this stage and give a high octane performance. I leave just before the end to catch “Checkpoint”, a young Irish 4 piece. I stay for half their set including a fine song called “Sounds of The City” before heading back to the Arena for “16 Guns” short, sharp bursts of Punk noise. Today the vocals seem angrier than last year, most notably on “999”.
It’s an early exit for me as I head for the Casbah to see “Epic Problem”. This 4 piece deliver yet more vocal anger, over some fierce drumming. “Blindside” is a highlight, but not enough to keep me here the whole set. It’s a quick dash back to the Arena for those 4 lovely sisters “Maid of Ace”. Their fierce vocals come across all Courtney Love-esque, but in the Arena they are afforded better sound than last years early show in the Pavilion. They don’t waste this opportunity and deliver a high octane; Punk, power-driven set.
I make it back to the Casbah to catch the anthemic football-chant delivery of Glaswegian 4 piece “Hateful”. It’s Clash-esque in places, which for me is a winner and they don’t disappoint. I stick around for the interestingly monikered “Picture Frame Seduction”, a loud 4 piece with some power drums and a not unfamiliar “Test Tubes” influence-most notably on a song entitled “Sex War”. However, the vocals owe more of a debt to one Jimmy Pursey, especially on “Old Soldiers Never Die”. Once again I stay for the whole set as these guys are highly entertaining, while not taking themselves too seriously.
With a packed programme ahead we take an early evening meal, then return in time for “Hagar The Womb” – the entertainment continues! Costumes and forgotten songs is the order of the day but they too entertain.
It’s back to the Empress once more for the “Old Firm Casuals” who make a big noise. Once again it’s far too loud for this “Southern Softie” so I head for the relative comfort of the Arena.
I stumble across “Monster Jaw” from Bradford playing to barely 10 people. I can’t believe it so I get a drink and make it 11! This is a wise move as this young 3 piece deliver a truly great set. Four songs in the crowd is getting larger. It’s the JAMC influence on “Get A Tattoo” that really keeps me interested. Latest single “Losing All My Friends” is yet another highlight and I end up buying it straight after the set. (review to follow).
A short trip to the Pavilion is taken to catch “The Defects”, a 4 piece 3rd generation Punk band. I’m not blown away although “Metal Wars” is a decent enough offering. It’s back to the Arena for “Authority Zero”, an explosive 4 piece with an aggressive and angry vocal delivery. I’ve kinda heard it all before so once again we hotfoot it back to the Casbah for “Contempt”. I stick around for just 2 songs before leaving my mate, getting more food and catching up again in the Pavilion for “Abrassive Wheels”. At first I’m thinking this is just pure thrash and shouting. But I hang around long enough to watch them slowly get better. Shonna (vox) clearly likes to swear; but take nothing away from these 5 Yorkshire noiseniks, they know how to get a crowd going. Their incendiary set encourages crowd participation with “Burn ’em Down” and the wholly popular “Oh When The Punks, Go Marching In”. I’m immediately won over by them.
I stay in the Pavilion for Belfast’s “Outcasts”. This 2nd Generation Punk 4 piece have a great song called “Maniac” but the rest of the set is too similar for us and we head for the Bazaar for a complete change. Step forward Rock ‘n’ Roll Revivalists “Viva Las Vegas”. It’s a complete change from most of the Punk music on offer and they go down a storm. After lasting less than 5 minutes of D.O.A.’s bludgeoning set in the Empress we head back to the Arena to watch the highly entertaining and passionate “Agitators”. Vocalist Marc has a strong and somewhat angry vocal style, but their songs are largely anthemic. In fact I’m reliably informed they’re all big football fans and football is a subject of some songs. Either way they entertain and get a great response.
We head back to the Pavilion, hoping to catch “Glen Matlock and The Philistines”. We just catch the end of their set, featuring none other than “Slim Jim Phantom” of “Stray Cats” fame (drums). A decent rendition of “Runaway Boys” gets most of us singing before Glen delivers an (acoustic) “Pretty Vacant”. The set ends but the room soon fills in anticipation of “Ruts DC”. Having seen NOFX twice I stick with the Ruts. At approximately 11.30 they take to the stage and open with “H Eyes”. I’m here for the classics and I’m not disappointed; “Babylon’s Burning”, SUS, “Staring At The Rude Boys” to name three. It’s like going back in time and we all sing in unison. They even get to encore “Society” which goes down a storm. In this reviewers opinion it’s the perfect end to what has been another great Rebellion. Roll on 2015.
Disclaimer If I haven’t mentioned “your” band it’s more than likely I didn’t catch your set rather than pure dislike! I have tried to just mention every band I saw and give a (largely) unbiased account of the weekend.
(If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 and Part 2, and Part 3)
http://www.rebellionfestivals.com/
Review and Pictures by Ross A. Ferrone.
