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Review: 'REBELLION FESTIVAL 2015 (DAY 2)'
'Blackpool, Winter Gardens, 7th August 2015'   


-  Genre: 'Punk/New Wave'

Our Rating:
Having spent the morning relaxing and walking on the beach, we made our way into the Winter Gardens and to the Casbah stage in time for the second band of the day, INDECENT ASSAULT, who are an angry as all fuck street punk band railing against the injustices of society rather than the sort of Indecent Assault the band's name might imply. In short, they were a good wake up call to start the day.

We stayed in the Casbah for VOX POPULI, the Serbian street punk band who opened with a punked-up version of Satta Massa Gana that only became apparent on the chorus as they sang in Serbo-Croat, I think. They played at full pelt and in between songs the singer explained what the songs were about; normally anti-war and social issues. They were really great and totally worth seeing. I really liked the song they played that had a Nuclear war going on musically.

We went onto the Empress Ballroom for IN EVIL HOUR: a hotly tipped female fronted Punk Metal act who didn't live up to the hot tip status. No matter how throaty the singing was or how thrashy the guitars they did nothing for us and we left after about 3 songs as we were a bit bored.

BRASSICK were about to start in The Arena. We liked them last year and this year too as they are a great Midlands issues-based full-throated female fronted punk band with loads of energy and attitude. They had more going for them than In Evil Hour had I really liked the songs they played from the new album. Well worth catching live.

On our way between stages we caught a guerrilla set by HOBO JONES & THE JUNKYARD DOGS who set up their homemade instruments in the Winter Gardens main concourse to play some skiffle punk covers. The security were on to them by halfway through the first song and tried to shut them down at the end of it but due to how many punks were cheering for more the security allowed them a second song by which time a management bod had showed up to make sure they didn't do a third. It was great to see them bringing some anarchy to Rebellion. Sorry we missed the band's real set.

Then it was straight back into the Empress ballroom for DIRTBOX DISCO who to us at least are an offshoot of Spunk Volcano & the Eruptions but it might be the other way round. Either way, they had the ballroom singing along to their sleazy dirty-ass punk and roll and they all seem to have a great sense of the absurd to go with the inter-song badinage. I need to investigate them a bit further.

We stayed in the Ballroom for GIMP FIST but chose to take a seat in the balcony for the band's Last Stand. This appearance was billed as the band's last gig for now/ever as they stormed the ballroom with their skinhead/Oi!-inclined punk about social issues and the struggle to make the towns they live in a better place. They went down well but this set wasn't as much fun as the one they played last year.

By now it was time for a Pizza break so we went an hung out with the Swedish contingent at Pizza Express; allowing us to get the energy we needed for the rest of this incredible day's music.

It was hard to believe it was still only early evening. We then went back into the Empress Ballroom in time for PETER & THE TEST TUBE BABIES who played a basic greatest hits set that included a great version of The Jinx; a good singalong to I Never Made It To The Bog In Time and a rousing version of Up Your Bum. They put a smile on the faces of almost everyone in the ballroom.

Then it was a short dash to the Arena stage for CYANIDE PILLS to detonate their explosive amphetamine-fuelled garage punk playing in a whirlwind of catchy riffs and dynamite lyrics. They were great and I love the version of Johnny Thunders Lived In Leeds they played.

After that we went back to the Empress Ballroom for the rest of the day and to catch RUTS DC on the main stage. Unlike last year when they headlined the Pavilion stage this time they had gone big and as soon as they opened with the band's Cilla Black tribute. Surprise Surprise, they had us all skanking along with them.

SUS is these days more of a song for American fans but still sounds great as does Jah War that had a good dubby edge to it. West One shone for sure and Staring at the Rude Boys was a real highlight and following it with Babylons Burning kept the pace up. They closed with a mass singalong on In A Rut before they did indeed get out of here.

Next on was UK SUBS to play the band's annual Rebellion show and Charlie Harper was in great form. You Don't Belong sounded righteous and angry and he was punching the air like he was still under 50 not over 70. Down On The Farm burned with intensity. The new song Suicidal Girl sounds like classic UK Subs with coolly chilling lyrics. They did a brutal version of Warhead and finished with what I have down as Guilty, but sorry I'm no Subs expert.

THE DAMNED had the job of following the UK Subs and from the keyboard opening that led into Melody Lee it was clear they are currently in fine form with Dave Vanian looking almost unchanged in his Black Leather jacket and valve Microphone hamming it up on Love Song as the good Captain Sensible let his guitar do most of the talking. Well he did chat plenty between songs and Machine Gun Etiquette was great and I Just Can't Be Happy Today kept them on the front foot as did a suitably spooky Horror Taxi and a nicely pumped up version of Eloise. New Rose and Neat Neat Neat both inevitably got huge cheers and most of us were singing along even if we couldn't keep up with Neat Neat Neat. They finished with a great version of Smash It Up with a few false endings: a great set and The current line-up is brilliant.

This just left time for the headliners SHAM 69 to come on just before 1 am. This is the version of Sham 69 featuring Dave Treganna, Jimmy Pursey, Dave Parsons and Robin Guy. They opened with Song Of The Streets (What Have We Got) and from there on in it was greatest hits and Jimmy Pursey back at his best. So glad he decided to re-join the band.

I Don't Wanna was as furious as ever and Ulster still had the bite and edge as he sang about how there were no winners of that war. Rip Off got us all pogoing and going nuts. They Don't Undertand? Well they might not but everyone in the ballroom understood this was a brilliant set as Jimmy stalked the stage imploring us Tell The Truth as Robin Guy hammered the drums like crazy.

Bastille Nights calmed things a touch before the now rather ironic George Davis Is Innocent put a smile on my face. That's Life went by in a blur before the ballroom went nuts on Borstal Breakout. Nothing like a room full of adults singing about escaping from Borstal. Angels With Dirty Faces was a mass sing along. Money begged its usual questions just before Questions & Answers and Jimmy and the two Daves have a few of those. They then threw in a great cover of White Riot before closing with a brilliant version of If the Kids Are United that took me back to when I first heard it in the 70's as a kid.

Of course they got an encore which they opened with a song I didn't recognize about living for freedom before they brought the house down with a riotous version of Hurry up Harry. I don't think anyone in the entire Ballroom didn't sing along to the chorus. The whole place was screaming "we're going Down the pub!" It was a magnificent end to what was easily the best day of this year's Rebellion Festival.

We staggered out in search of some late night chips on the way back to our B & B shattered but very very happy indeed.
  author: simonovitch

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