Review:
'DICTATORS, THE/ G.B.H/ MURRAY, PAULINE/ ARGY BARGY'
'Blackpool, Rebellion Festival, 8th Aug 2014(Day 2)'
- Genre: 'Punk/New Wave'
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Our Rating:
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We made our way to the Winter Gardens on day 2 via a walk along the promenade and a visit to the Central and North piers for a ride on the big wheel as well as plenty of food and caffeine to give us the energy for another full on day at Rebellion.
On getting in we had a look round the punk art gallery which was a mix of Art by well-known Punks and art depicting punks that had some very cool pieces in it including a really cool portrait of Iggy Pop.
We then went to the Casbah Stage to kick off our day with HAZARD who played a set of good shouty punk from Luton. They were a good wake-up call at 1.15pm by which time they were actually the second band on the Casbah on Saturday. The singer has a cool Billy Idol circa Gen X look to him too.
We then went and took a seat in the Almost Acoustic room for ED ACHE on the grounds that we needed to see someone called Ed Ache who turned out to be the singer from I.C.H. and guitarist in Casual Nausea and is signed to Runny Bum Records!! He has long dreads and plays a ukulele and acoustic guitar while sitting crossed legged on a chair. His songs almost always had a good sense of humour and social conscience too. He was good fun to watch and a good amount of the audience knew all the words to the songs.
Then it was back out to the Casbah stage for NIGHT OF TREASON who are a gang of right hard looking geezers from Gosport who play quite poppy sounding aggro punk with songs about fights and the good old days of taking speed and glue and having punch ups while following Portsmouth.
We then went over to the Pavilion to see SPLODGENESSABOUNDS playing their first gig since the death of original guitarist Ronny Rocka who died the Saturday before this gig, thus making this show a fitting tribute to him. Max came on looking like the Artful Dodger and they played a good "greatest Hits" set and dedicated Go The Whole Hog to Ronny. Of course, halfway through the guitar amp blew leaving Max to take the mick and say that he knew Ronny was looking down and sabotaging them. It was great to hear them play Michael Booth's Talking Bum and of course the classic Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Please.
After that we took a seat in the balcony of the Empress Ballroom for GIUDA, the quite brilliant Italian glam rock punks who seem to marry Slade and Sweet-style rock with a punky edge and loads of presence. As well as having some very infectious riffs while looking like a small gang.
We went down into the Empress Ballroom for ARGY BARGY who not surprisingly had a large skinhead turn out for a really great set of Hardcore skinhead Oi. But don't make the mistake of thinking they named themselves after the most verboten of all curries, the Argentinian steak Bhaji, they are in fact named after a Cock Sparrer song.
Now while the name is suggestive of violence they are an anti-violence and anti-fascist Oi band and yes it does make sense live which is why they have been going for 20 plus years now. Watford Jon really worked the crowd well and the highlight of the set for me was No Regrets and no, it's not the Walker Brothers song.
We then went back to the Almost Acoustic stage so that I could finally get to see PAULINE MURRAY play live again for the first time since the 80's. I had been a bit worried earlier when Gerry Sadowitz stood next to us at Splodgenessabounds that he was going to replace Pauline on the bill as he did the first time I tried to see her play. Still, she was playing solo with an acoustic guitar and admitted to being nervous as she prefers to perform with a band.
It soon became clear as she played a set of mainly new unreleased songs in minor chords that she really did need a band or someone else to accompany her. Although her voice sounded great these songs needed fleshing out a bit. My favourite was After All and after much apologizing from Pauline she finished the set with Don't Dictate that still sounded great even in this stripped-down format. Although this did make me worry a bit that Penetration wouldn't live up to my expectations when I finally got to see them on the Saturday.
After a much needed food break, we started our second half off in the Empress Ballroom with G.B.H. the legendary hardcore punk band who've been going now for over 30 years. They played what I take it was a greatest hits set as although I've seen them a couple of times before at festivals I don't own any of their records. Still they were very abrasive and tight and Colin Abrahall is still a great front man. They finished their set with a fast and aggressive version of The Stooges' 1970 (I feel Alright) that brought a smile to my face.
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Then it was time for the band whose presence on the bill was why I had to be at this year's Rebellion Festival. Yes, making their first UK appearances since 1977, it's THE DICTATORS NYC, no it's not the original line-up and yes they added the NYC to make clear it isn't the original line-up. Even so, I'd wanted to see the Dictators since buying the 12" Single of Search & Destroy/Sleeping With The TV On in the Kings Road in 1982!
It's been a long wait but finally here was Handsome Dick Manitoba and Ross The Boss Freidman and the boys. Right from the opening notes of Party Starts Now it was clear they still have it and damn what a set! Yes Handsome Dick we all know you will be the Next Big Thing as Thunderbolt Patterson's drums laid down the monumental foundations of Avenue A. we were all back in Alphabet City in the bad old unreconstructed days when danger lurked on every street.
The Savage Beat had Dean Rispler and Thunderbolt Patterson locking down a mighty beat and groove while Ross the Boss killed it on his guitar. Then Handsome Dick did some great testifying on Who Will Save Rock And Roll. Well on this evidence The Dictators NYC will. Two Tub Man was a brilliant highlight and Daniel Rey battled it out with Ross The Boss for guitar supremacy as Handsome Dick laid down the credo of the Two tub man he once was.
Baby Lets Twist got lots of us dancing to this classic they gave us a lesson on the band's hometown on New York New York and managed to close the show with a storming version of Kick Out The Jams that just totally sealed it for me. This was one of the sets of the festival and certainly the best set on Friday.
After that we went and had a seat at the back of the Casbah stage for Demob's set of angry skinhead punk that sounded ok but after the Dictators was rather forgettable. Then it was back into the Empress Ballroom for another band I have been waiting since the 80's to see live. Yes, SLAUGHTER & THE DOGS are back and as ever they are playing old school Stooges/Velvets/Dolls style street punk. Mystery girl sounded great and Wayne Barrett is one damn fine frontman, really getting the place going as they played a storming version of I'm Waiting For the Man and it was great to hear Situations played live with Mick Rossi's guitar sounding immense as well as Boston Babies. A very cool set indeed.
We then finished our day back at the Casbah stage for GEOFFREY OI!COTT the leading lights in the cricket Oi scene! Yes they all play in cricket whites and have a wicket in front of the drum kit while Geoffrey himself plays his cricket bat like a guitar. They were great fun and We Got the Runs was brilliantly puntastic even if they play far quicker than Mr Boycott ever managed to.
It was great to hear the crowd singing "LBW!" repeatedly on demand. They left the wicket for Tungsten Tossers: an ode to Darts and I think it was on Bar On The Terraces that Geoffrey started hitting tennis balls into the audience one of which hit Jo right in the middle of her forehead which simply wasn't cricket! or was it?
Either way they were a perfect end to a great day's music. All that left us time for was to get some chips on the way back to the B & B before we collapsed.
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author: simonovitch
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THE DICTATORS NYC
PAULINE MURRAY
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