(Reviews by Andy Murphy & Mark Kelly)
We have finally reached the conclusion of our Rebellion Festival coverage for 2024, as we head into Day Four. It’s fair to say that it’s been a tremendous success, with punks travelling from all over the planet to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, where it has been running continuously in one form or another since 1996.
Some folk have made their debut pilgrimage and others sadly their last! On this note we were saddened to hear of the unexpected passing of Chon Travis, (above photo) the frontman of Love Equals Death, who we review below and this being one of his very last performances. The official statement reads as follows:
“Its with heavy hearts we tell the world this news: Yesterday (11th August) at around 5pm, England time, we were getting ready to leave our hotel for our show in Stafford. We hadn’t heard from Chon in about an hour or so.
He wasn’t answering his phone and we knocked on his door for 10 minutes before the hotel staff let us in.
When we opened the door we found him on his bed with his guitar and unresponsive. We administered CPR for about 15 minutes before paramedics arrived. They continued to attempt to revive him. After another 45 minutes or so they let us know that Chon had passed.
He did not use drugs and was in very good spirits for this entire tour.
We are obviously in a complete state of shock and trying to figure things out right now. We will have more to say in coming days but right now we are asking for privacy as we process this and try to navigate our way back home.
Please keep Chon’s family in your prayers”.
This is article four of four and concentrates on the happenings on Day Four. Day One’s account can be found HERE, Day Two’s account can be found HERE and Day Three’s account can be found HERE.
So without further ado, let’s get down to business…
DAY FOUR – SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST
CRAN – Arena (1:00pm – 1:30pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
Day 4 of Rebellion seems to have come around far quicker than I expected. I always feel a little melancholic on the last day of a festival because I really don’t want it to end. The only way to approach the final day is to make the most of it, so therefore I’m in the Arena at 1pm to catch Cran, who are a four piece from Paris. Apparently they have travelled up from Bristol this morning, but they don’t seem in the least bit fazed about having undertaken such a long journey before playing. The first song is fast, shouty punk which certainly blows the cobwebs away! However, everything seems to be at exactly the same pace, which makes the material seem a little as if it’s all on one level. One of the songs starts slowly, but soon accelerates to the usual pace. A little bit of comedy arises when the bassist’s mic stand falls off the stage. A roadie replaces it on stage, but it’s slipped down to half of it’s intended height, causing the bassist to kneel to sing his backing vocals. Despite the relative similarity of their songs, Cran are a good start to the day.
(Mark Kelly)
THE ATTACK – Empress Ballroom (1:00pm – 1:30pm)
The final day is here and I’m still standing strong with a busy day ahead. Due to unforeseen circumstances Brighton & Hove News missed out on seeing The Attack who had come all the way from Orlando to play at The Pipeline the week before Rebellion, so I’m on a mission to make up for our loss, as I get to see them play live for my first time. The lunchtime slot on the final day of a festival maybe isn’t to everyone’s liking, but on each of the preceding days I have seen three really good bands so no pressure! The band enter the stage to a great backdrop photo of the tower which shows us all what we are missing out on in the great Blackpool outdoors as another 12 hour day devoid of sunlight beckons.
Once the fist bumping is out of the way, which probably gives away that they are from the USA, for those who may be new to the band, they are straight down to business and are on the attack from the first chords of ‘Call To Arms’. This is good old American punk played at a relentless pace which is guaranteed to help you sweat out any hangover. The contrast on stage is great with Brad Palkevich on guitar and his mean look never smiling like an old skool punk, whilst Mikey Cortes on bass can’t stop grinning the whole while. Let’s not forget TJ Howard on drums who provides all the energy. There is a young boy, with his dad, on the barrier next to me who is loving every minute and knows every lyric. He is soon pointed out by lead singer Charlie Bender who is impressed that his ‘mom’ allowed him out on a Sunday lunchtime. The set ends with another singalong, at least for the young lad, ‘Breaker Breaker’ and the young punk is made up as he deservedly gets given the setlist and a plectrum in a nice touch from the band. It’s great to see the next generation of punk rockers starting young and getting encouragement from their idols. It’s safe to say that this is the fourth consecutive great start to my day.
(Andy Murphy)
RITES OF HADDA – Opera House (1:50pm – 2:20pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
And now for something completely different! I honestly have no idea what to expect as I enter The Opera House to see Rites Of Hadda, but I had heard some good things about this band and thought why not as I’ve never witnessed an Anarcho-pagan-gothic-psychadelic-queer-witchpunk band before! From the moment lead singer Wasp enters the stage, and what an entrance, wearing a wasp-coloured frilly puffy dress, I instantly realise that Rites Of Hadda are made for The Opera House. As I have mentioned previously the stage is massive, but Wasp’s personality fills it and some more. If you love extravagance and flamboyance, then you are in the right place.
We are off to a frenetic start with anti-capitalism song ‘Keep Buying Things’ which is a great opener with a Dead Kennedys feel to it and I already know I have made the right choice. I suppose I should have expected it with the band’s influences ranging from Motörhead to Crass. The second song is about how Wasp was bullied at school and how those bullies became fascists and is named after the question that was shockingly on everyone’s lips at the school ‘Is Ross Woodward a F*ggot?’. Wasp has a wardrobe malfunction as the dress goes a bit south and starts to expose his nips and bemoans paying £300 for an ill-fitting dress even after eating three bags of chips! Wasp spontaneously treats us to a blast of ‘Nessun Dorma’ given that they are playing in The Opera House. Wasp announces the final song with 15 minutes left of the set but then points out that it is a very long song and even includes an onstage change of outfit into a tight fit blue rubber dress with blue wings for extra effect. My eyes have been transfixed on Wasp throughout, while the band have provided a wonderful musical backing to enable the lead singer to shine. And so the show is all but over in a flash. Wasp appears visibly moved by the turnout of this progressive and supportive audience. Once again there is a big shout out from Wasp to all those who protested against the fascists yesterday as Rites Of Hadda were there on the frontline. I feel exhausted from just watching this band and need to sit down.
(Andy Murphy)
SNM – Ris In Pavilion (2:00pm – 2:30pm)
I make my only trip to the Pavilion today to see SnM, who are a very self-assured young band from London. They have every right to be self-assured, as they are tight, powerful and accomplished. All four of them have a very cocksure stage presence. During the first song, ‘Suicide Song’, vocalist Mimi stops the song in the middle by screaming “shut the f*ck up!” Whether this is part of the song, or whether someone in the audience said something that she disapproved of I don’t know, but it certainly made everybody take notice. Mimi is an excellent frontwoman. She engages with the audience really well. The band’s material is very impressive too. So much so that their cover of the UK Subs’ ‘Down On The Farm’ seems somewhat superfluous. ‘Peg Doll’ features a picked intro and a sweet solo from guitarist Harry. ‘Medusa’ has ‘classic’ written all over it. They occasionally bring to mind The Runaways, but more so Hole. A further cover is ‘Aneurysm’ by Nirvana. It’s a good version. Mimi has a great Cobain-style scream, but to be honest I’d rather have heard another of their original songs, which so far have been awesome. What a great band! They seem to have arrived fully formed!!! SnM: stars in waiting. You read it here first! Plus the band are relocating to Brighton next month as well.
(Mark Kelly)
RHODA DAKAR – Literary (2:30pm – 3:00pm) (Photo of Rhoda Dakar at Rebellion HERE)
I pop up to the Literary stage, arriving for my final visit of the festival in order to find that seat to recover after Rites Of Hadda. I was expecting to see ‘Ska Queen’ Rhoda Dakar being interviewed, but Daniel Rachel author of ‘Too Much Too Young The 2 Tone Records Story’ has remained on stage after his earlier interview and seems to be doing most of the talking, of which a fair bit is related to the demise of The Selecter first time around, which I’m sure will be explained in far more detail in his book. There is a chance for Rhoda to talk about the Two Tone film ‘Dance Craze’ and amazingly she confesses to having never seen it until fairly recently and even then she watched in an Imax cinema which made her feel rather queasy. It sounded a lot better than she remembers but then realises that is because some of it has been rerecorded since. Rhoda gives a plug for her upcoming tour and a reminder that she is playing in The Opera House later, which I am so looking forward to.
(Andy Murphy)
THE EMPTY PAGE – Ris In Pavilion (2:45pm – 3:15pm)
I’m wandering around the venue after my visit to the Literary Stage thinking that I really should have some lunch as it’s 3pm now, only to be distracted by a band playing the Rebellion Introducing Stage which sounds just like my thing. Describing themselves as fuzzy goth, indie, post-punk, etc. from Manchester, they pretty much cover everything I like about music, and football if they are of the sky blue persuasion! I only manage to catch about half of The Empty Page set, but I am suitably impressed by their performance to forget my hunger pangs for now. It doesn’t pass me by that Kel on bass and vocals is very passionate about any cause close to her heart and rightly so. One person I spoke to said that he would rather listen to more of their music, but I would argue that if you want to make your voice heard there is nothing wrong with an impassioned speech especially when it is against misogyny and violence against women and girls. Talking of which ‘Cock Of The Fifth Year’ is my favourite song of the set which Kel tells us is about going to school in Chorley with some of the types she described in her speech. As a lyric from said song says it really is time to “lock up your sons” if such behaviour continues. Based on the 15 minutes I have witnessed I will definitely be giving their three month old album ‘Imploding’ a listen.
(Andy Murphy)
THE TURBO A.C’S – Empress Ballroom (2:55pm – 3:35pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
Turbo A.C’s, who appear in the Empress Ballroom, are yet another band appearing at this festival who have been in operation for twenty or thirty years or more, who I’ve never heard of! What have I been doing with my time?!! Well, I’m taking the opportunity to catch up with Turbo A.C’s now! They’re a four piece from New York who mostly specialise in fast punk. Vocalist and guitarist Kevin Cole makes the band introductions surprisingly early in the set, with everybody playing a little solo, just in case anybody had any doubts about how accomplished they are as musicians! They have a very impressive guitar line-up, with two Les Paul’s and a Rickenbacker bass. ‘Emergency Room’ particularly stands out in the set, as does a punked-up version of The Shadows’ ‘Apache’. Whatever would Hank Marvin say?
(Mark Kelly)
BABY SAID – Ris In Pavilion (3:30pm – 4:00pm)
With Loud Women taking control of the RIS for today there are some interesting new bands on show. Baby Said is probably not the standard fare that you would expect at a punk festival, but they are here along with others set with the challenge of breaking down barriers. They take their name from a song by their favourite band Maneskin and would probably be classified as more alt-rock in their style with some heavy guitar riffs, and there’s melodious vocals from teenage Portsmouth based, Italian/Punjabi sisters Veronica and Jes Pal. They have progressed from being a covers band, though they still do this to fund the band, to showcasing their own talent in Baby Said. Holly Knowles on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, along with Maddie Hackett on drums complete this all-female quartet. They only released their debut EP ‘Who Gives A Rock‘ in June featuring the songs ‘Panic Attack’, ‘Mouth Shut’, ‘Fight’, and ‘You Killed It’ which are all included in the set, plus other songs including ‘Sweet Talk’ and ‘Dead To Me’ which has a great bassline. The positive reaction of the crowd shows that his band achieved what they set out to do and broke down the barriers of playing what can be a tough Rebellion audience. Having played The Great Escape Festival earlier this year, and booked to play Reading, Leeds and Victorious Festivals later this month it’s fair to say that they have a bright future ahead and I will be interested to see how they develop.
(Andy Murphy)
ANDY ELLISON & VICIOUS BISHOP – Opera House (3:40pm – 4:25pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
As Turbo A.C’s finish their set it’s time for me to go to the Opera House where Andy Ellison & Vicious Bishop are playing a Radio Stars set. I’d always liked their single ‘Nervous Wreck’, but hadn’t heard much else from their back catalogue, so now’s my opportunity! I’m really impressed by what I hear. ‘Beast Of Barnsley’ is excellent, being precisely the kind of sophisticated new wave that I’d been hoping to hear. ‘She’s So Dissatisfied’ is a new Vicious Bishop song. It has reggae tinged verses and features a cracking guitar solo too. It may surprise some to hear that Andy Ellison was in John’s Children with Marc Bolan. Thus we get Marc’s classic ‘Desdemona’ from that era. ‘(My Dog Is Hooked On) Cocaine’ is a new song by Paul Roland, but is very much in the witty style of Radio Stars. As the penultimate song in the set we get the aforementioned ‘Nervous Wreck’, followed by ‘No Russians In Russia’. This has been a really interesting set, and I will indeed go back and rediscover the Radio Stars’ back catalogue.
(Mark Kelly)
CHOKING SUSAN – Arena (4:20pm – 4:55pm)
It’s taken me until 4:20pm on the final day to make my only trip to The Arena of the whole festival. When I last attended a couple of years ago I have to say that I struggled with the sound. Even with earplugs I felt like my ears were going to start bleeding whilst listening to John playing and they are only a two piece! This year though the stage has changed position and the difference with the sound is a major improvement so well done Rebellion for listening to the audience. The reason for my visit is to see Detroit band Choking Susan and it’s not until I arrive at the barrier that I realise I haven’t eaten properly today. Here’s hoping that Choking Susan will satisfy my hunger as I am feeling rather lightheaded.
I watch lead singer Colleen Caffeine go through her warm-up routine for a solid ten minutes before the band even start playing and I can see why it’s needed as they thrash through ‘Waste My Time’ in just over a minute and my hunger pains are all but forgotten about. Every song is played at a blistering pace and the only thing that surprises me is that they only play 13 songs in their 35 minute set. I’m thinking that Discharge really could ramp the pace up a bit. Not much is off limits when it comes to topics of songs so this band are probably not for the faint hearted. I can see why Killer Keith is named so, as he plays the guitar as if it is a weapon of mass musical destruction. Stand-In bassist Rob from Scotland does a sterling job even if he did try to sell the setlist to me for £30. There is a cover of The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ and even that sounds faster than normal. Old school punk song ‘I Hate My Life’ is the stand out track for me and yes it’s fast. That set sure flew by and I was so distracted that I didn’t even think about food once but now I can hear my stomach calling for a pie and chips.
www.instagram.com/choking.susan
(Andy Murphy)
BLYTH POWER – Opera House (4:45pm – 5:30pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
Next up in the Opera House it’s Blyth Power, who I saw in this very venue last year. At the time I vowed that I would ensure that I saw a full Blyth Power show, but here I am once again viewing a 45 minute set at Rebellion. Their soundcheck takes longer than they were expecting, as guitarist Hugo is having problems with his guitar, but they soon get underway with ‘General Winter’, which apparently is all about wetting yourself in church. ‘Seven Summers’ is about squatting in the 1970s and 1980s. Without that freedom, many bands (The Clash for example) probably wouldn’t have existed. ‘Moseley Or Slump’ is about some 1930s graffiti still extant in London in the 1980s, the inference being that if Oswald Moseley wasn’t elected the UK would suffer an economic slump. The song itself has a very pleasing reggae section. ‘God’s Orders’ is about being in a band for a long time with people you hate, travelling around in a van. A song that many musicians can probably relate to. Presumably it doesn’t apply to the current line-up of Blyth Power as three of them are related!
(Mark Kelly)
RHODA DAKAR – Opera House (6:00pm – 6:45pm)
My final stop off at The Opera House is to catch Rhoda Dakar for my second time today after her earlier interview. I’ve been waiting so long to hear her sing some songs from her days with The Bodysnatchers and I don’t have to wait much longer as the second song in is the 1980 single ‘Easy Life’ which reached number 50 in the charts. This is a wonderfully mellow set compared to virtually all that I have listened to this weekend and makes me feel chilled out and relaxed before a final onslaught tonight. There are some wonderful covers including The Kinks ‘Stop Your Sobbing’, Morrisey’s ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’, Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, but the best and most appropriate for Rebellion just has to be her own version of the Buzzcocks classic ‘I Don’t Mind’ which gives Rhoda the opportunity to speak of her friendship with Pete Shelley, RIP. She finishes off with the song that everyone has been wanting to hear and used to sing in front of the mirror with their hairbrush in hand, performing her band The Bodysnatchers Top 30 hit ‘Let’s Do Rock Steady’ which has the whole place skanking. Rhoda has shown us that she still has the voice and charisma to hold the audience in the palms of her hands and if you are going to see her play live then make sure you go along and don’t be one of the 20% who purchase a ticket and then don’t attend.
(Andy Murphy)
MERYL STREEK – Club Casbah (6:45pm – 7:20pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
So after chilling out to Rhoda Dakar I suddenly find myself at the other end of the scale, in fact I’m probably right off it as I decide to go and watch Irish solo artist Meryl Streek in Club Casbah. I am witnessing the most menacing performance of the festival as Meryl Streek walks around the stage looking angrier than the angriest person I have ever met, which isn’t helped with his Marilyn Manson contact lenses. I almost want to leave but I am mesmerised. Meryl comes into the crowd for his latest single ‘Paddy’ and they part so he can walk back and forth down the middle and whereas most crowds would mosh with the a lead singer no-one barely moves a muscle as he commands that much respect from his fans, dare I call them ‘Streekers’! Given that I work as a housing support worker trying to prevent homelessness in my real job, there is one song that brought Meryl to my attention and that is the hard hitting ‘Death To The Landlord’ and it doesn’t disappoint as Meryl snarls over the backing track. The anger is real and totally understandable.
The only time I see a glimpse of a smile is when the youngest crowdsurfer I have seen at this festival makes it to the front and is safely carried over the barrier by the security staff who I think have been very attentive the whole festival, always offering water to those of us down the front. Meryl makes a dream come true by ensuring the young boy gets to share the stage and strut around like a Mini Meryl with a flash torch, and once again a youngster who knows all the lyrics. ‘If This Is Life’ is another immense track and by the time the set is over I have started to feel much more comfortable with my surroundings and not so intimidated by Meryl, after all he’s angry with the world and rightly so.
(Andy Murphy)
BABY TEETH – Ris In Pavilion (7:15pm – 7:45pm)
I return in haste to the RIS to see Baby Teeth having given them a listen on a Rebellion Spotify playlist, but with the crossover from Club Casbah I miss the first two songs of their set. I do though arrive in time for the quite magnificent ‘Act Your Age’ with some rocking guitar riffs and I am instantly hooked. Baby Teeth are from High Wycombe which isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of music, but already I am thinking that this threesome are surely on the verge of changing all that soon. They name musical influences from Alice in Chains to The Clash, but I also liken them a bit to another of my favourite young bands HotWax. ‘Too Cool’ is a very personal song to vocalist Lock as they tell us about the difficulties of being in a relationship with a not very nice person when Trans. I love their honesty and openness and it’s clear that they are doing something they enjoy which is surely what life is all about. Loud Women have certainly come up trumps bringing this band to play Rebellion and are my unexpected find of the festival. Lead singer and bass player Lock, Dan on guitar, and Ben on drums, are unassuming offstage and have a nice confidence onstage considering they only formed in 2021. Ending the set with mosh pit worthy ‘White Van’, I really want to see this song released on white vinyl as a double A side with ’Act Your Age’ and someone needs to make this happen. I look forward to seeing this band conquer the south coast in the near future.
(Andy Murphy)
LOVE – Opera House (7:15pm – 8:05pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
After a break for dinner I’m back in the Opera House for Love with Johnny Echols. I reviewed them a few weeks ago when they played at Brighton’s Concorde 2, but I honestly can’t get enough of this band, plus this is the last date of their European tour, so I can’t miss it! The audience is initially a little sparse as the band take the stage, but the venue soon fills up. They’re only playing a fifty minute set tonight, but many of the highlights of the Brighton gig are still present and correct, especially opening song ‘My Little Red Book’. During ‘And More’ Mike Randle has his foot on his monitor, which is probably the most rockist thing that I’ve ever seen him do! He shares lead guitar duties with original member Johnny Echols, who’s playing is absolutely searing throughout. During the classic ‘Alone Again Or’ Mike Randle plays the horn part on guitar. During ‘Wonder People’ Johnny and Mike swap lead lines. Honourable mention must be made of frontman Rusty Squeezebox’s vocals, which are excellent throughout. The set closes with the final track from ‘Forever Changes’, the epic ‘You Set The Scene’, which could almost have been written as a concert closer. Thus ends Love With Johnny Echols’ European tour. I sincerely hope that they make it across the water next year.
www.instagram.com/lovewithjohnnyechols
(Mark Kelly)
ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER – Almost Acoustic (8:35pm – 9:20pm)
I venture upstairs to the Almost Acoustic stage to catch Brighton & Hove Albion supporter John Baine, or Attila the Stockbroker as he is known onstage. There are few people around whilst he is warming up which he blames on the popularity of The Sweet playing The Empress Ballroom. Not that he bears a grudge, but he notes that it’s the second time he has clashed with them in his long career. We are introduced to Nelson Mandola his musical instrument companion of 42 years. In this time he has amassed a huge back catalogue which he unfurls before our very eyes. The fact that he is playing the Edinburgh Free Fringe and doing 14 completely different sets in 14 days is testament to this. I first saw Attila perform in 1984 at a Miner’s Benefit gig in London and most recently supporting Mark Thomas in Hastings, but tonight promises to be a different affair with mandola in hand.
Firstly Attila reads us his latest poem ‘Stop The Goats’ which is his usual topical genius given the far right histrionics of the past few days, before treating us to 45 minutes of his 240 hour back catalogue. The anti-fascist theme continues with ‘This Is Free Europe’ and it is clear that everyone present is singing from the same left-wing anti-capitalist, anti-establishment hymn book. With poetry and lyrics that are political, clever, humorous, angry, and relevant for our lifetimes, Attila gives us full value in his set. He even gives away some CDs at the end of the show which he had found lying around, but sadly no-one purchases them anymore. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable set from Comrade Stockbroker.
(Andy Murphy)
SYTERIA – Opera House (8:35pm – 9:10pm)
Next up in the Opera House are Syteria, who feature Jackie Chambers from Girlschool on lead guitar. They describe themselves as a pop-punk band, but I can also hear 1970s glam-rock influences in there as well. They have some utterly amazing four-part harmonies, of the kind of quality that you don’t normally hear outside of a choral setting, and certainly much better than you would normally hear from a rock band. Vocalist Julia Calvo’s vocals are also awesome. She’s a great frontwoman too, frequently coming to the front of the stage, which not many people have done in the Opera House. There’s a large expanse of space in front of the monitors and mic stands on the Opera House stage. Julia has made it hers. There are not that many people in here tonight. They’re missing a treat. During a song that I think may be called ‘Beauty Is Cheap’, Julia views herself in a hand held mirror. ‘Sheep’ is very lyrically humorous, whilst during ‘Start The Revolution’ the band ‘machine gun’ the audience with their guitars. On new single ‘Monsters’ vocalist Julia also plays guitar. This has been a tight, powerful performance. The band have gigs booked from now through to November. They’re certainly worth seeing. Their third album ‘Syteria World’ is out now.
(Mark Kelly)
COCKNEY REJECTS – Empress Ballroom (9:15pm – 10:15pm)
I make tonight’s only visit to the Empress Ballroom to see the Cockney Rejects. It’s clearly a classic performance from the off, but I find myself thinking that they’re this good and they’re thinking of retiring??? Indeed, in between his onstage boxing moves vocalist Stinky Turner does indeed mention the ‘r’ word, only to say “more on that later”. I wonder whether this is going to be the band’s last gig. If it is, then it’s a cracker! I know that Stinky is the band’s last remaining member, and that he’s been joined by three new Rejects: Michael “Olga” Alga (of Toy Dolls fame) on guitar, JJ Pearce on bass, and Ray Bussey on drums. I assumed that these guys were there just to see out The Rejects’ last gigs. However, after probably The Rejects’ best known song, ‘The Greatest Cockney Ripoff’, Stinky announces that the Rejects are going to continue with the new line-up, and there will be more gigs next year. This wasn’t necessarily the kind of announcement to make grown men cry, but I suspect that some were close to blubbing. Personally I walked out of the venue in a far better mood than when I entered it.
(Mark Kelly)
BRUISE CONTROL – After Dark In Pavilion (9:40pm – 10:10pm) (Photo from this performance HERE)
I return to The Pavilion for the After Dark session and some good old hardcore punk. I am instantly curious about the band as I see that the lead singer is wearing a Toxic Wotsit t-shirt. Toxic Wotsit is synonymous with the Hastings punk scene in that they promote gigs, run festivals, and sell vinyl and merch on their website. Sadly this year will be the last ‘Wotsit Called Fest’ at The Crypt in Hastings over the last weekend in September, but it is great value for money and well worth attending. I digress with that little plug for my adopted hometown.
Anyway the band’s name is Bruise Control and they are just two days shy of the third anniversary of their first gig and as I was saying lead singer Jim Taylor is sporting a Toxic Wotsit t-shirt having played ‘Wotsit Called Fest’ last year. The t-shirt doesn’t last long as Jim soon goes topless to go with his 1980s European porn star look; just an observation and not that I’ve watched any of said filth. Bruise Control have only had to travel 50 miles from Manchester which is quite handy because drummer Tommy has been working all weekend and apparently hasn’t shut up about it, but to be fair it is his birthday today and the punk audience even sing him ‘Happy Birthday’. With the bass player wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt it’s inevitable that we get a bit of ‘Paranoid’ thrown in for good measure at the end. My highlight is ‘Taxman’ which was the first single off their 2023 debut album ‘Useless For Something’, and has some of the best lyrics I’ve heard this weekend which probably can’t be published here. Still give this a listen as Bruise Control stick up a big middle finger to the uncaring Tory Government of the time which thankfully is no more. The success of their set is shown by the large queue at the merch stand afterwards with t-shirts getting snapped up by anyone who has any money left after four days of beer and punk rock ‘n roll.
(Andy Murphy)
LOVE EQUALS DEATH – After Dark In Pavilion (10:30pm – 11:00pm)
I am sorely tempted to pop into The Empress Ballroom and catch the first half hour of Stiff Little Fingers especially as they tend to open with ‘Suspect Device’, one of the greatest songs ever written, but I decide not to go for it and hang around to watch the next band who have travelled all the way from Petaluma in Northern California to play Rebellion. Love Equals Death formed in 2003, but when lead singer Chon Travis left in 2009 that was the end of the road for them. Fast forward 10 years and Chon decides to reform the band with all new members which changed again after Covid with the current line-up being Chris Ivy on guitar, Matt Brown on bass and the latest recruit Tony Heckerman on drums.
As with The Attack earlier in the day there is pre-gig fist bumping going down between the band members before they rip into ‘When We Fall’ taken from their only studio album ‘Nightmerica’ which was released in 2006. Whatever has made me decide to stay and watch Love Equals Death it is a good decision as the band is giving their all, with Chon especially giving one of the most energetic performances I have seen at this festival with quite a few scissor jumps incorporated into his act. For me the band are at their best when they go hard and fast with ‘Bombs Over Brooklyn’, Green Day sped up, and ‘V.O.C (Voice Of Change)’ being my songs of choice, with drummer Tony having to perform at his optimum level. There is one faux pas as the band start playing the wrong song when it should be ‘The Letter’ which is laughed off by all in the room as the guys on stage appear to be really theirselves. This was another discovery for yours truly and I will certainly be checking out their back catalogue.
Footnote:
Sadly this was to be the one and only time I will get to see Love Equals Death play live as tragically lead singer and founder member Chon Travis was found dead in his hotel room with his guitar next to him, whilst the band were still touring England. Thank you for the 30 minutes of bonding with your band. Rest In Punk Chon.
(Andy Murphy)
THE ALARM – Opera House (11:15pm – 12:15am) (Photo from this performance HERE)
My final gig of this year’s Rebellion Festival is The Alarm in the Opera House. My first thought on seeing the stage is that there’s no drum kit, but there are three mic stands at the front of the stage. Are they going to play without a drummer? Then I notice that there is a very small kit at the front of the stage comprising a bass drum and a snare drum. This puzzles me further. All questions are answered when Mike Peters strides purposefully onstage with an acoustic guitar. He announces that he’s going to play ‘Declaration’, meaning the album. The three mics are there so he can sing from different parts of the stage. Mike is not a well man and has been having chemotherapy. Thus he’s wearing a beanie in place of his long blond locks. However, he’s in no way lacking in terms of energy, grit and determination. His voice is on fine form too. For ‘Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?’ he plays harmonica in a cradle, and also plays his guitar with a pack of cards which he then scatters over the stage. I’ve not seen that before! I’d never realised before how many songs on ‘Declaration’ are actively about defying death. This is very moving considering Mike’s condition. It’s a long time since I’ve listened to ‘Declaration’, but having heard it played live tonight it sounds timeless. I’ll certainly be revisiting it. This has been a fine, fiery performance. At the end Mike thanks us for making him “feel alive tonight”. I hope he feels alive for many more years to come.
(Mark Kelly)
SNAYX – After Dark In Pavilion (11:20pm – 11:55pm)
Tonight’s headliner isn’t Stiff Little Fingers, nor is it Conflict, and not even the Alarm. No, I remain firmly in The Pavilion at the After Dark Stage to see another band that I only saw just eight days at ‘Burger Jam’ in Hastings, yes it’s the excellent SNAYX. I’ve already bumped into lead singer Charlie Herridge and bassist Ollie Horner and had my fanboy photo with them, and a further time with drummer Lainey after they‘ve returned to the venue from having some dinner, so I’m all groupied out, but dead excited for the final chapter of my Rebellion 24 adventure with the nicest hosts you are likely to meet.
Beforehand, I get speaking to an American who has come over from Portland, Oregon, for his first ever visit to the festival and he has amazingly chosen to watch the mighty SNAYX for his first time over all the other bands on offer. I tell him that he won’t be disappointed. I also get to meet some fellow Belly Crawlerz from SNAYX Facebook fan page beforehand which is nice. Due on at 11:20pm for a 35 minute set it seems like the band have gone all big time on us as they keep us waiting a whole five minutes before starting their set. Are we going to miss out on 5 minutes of snakey activity as timings have been pretty strict all weekend? I haven’t mentioned this previously, but I have been wearing a support on my right knee for all four days as a precaution before what is going to be its biggest test tonight as The Pavilion prepares for the SNAYX bounce and what is bound to be an energy sapping pit.
It all starts with an “Oi, I said Oi” from Charlie and the band’s stage persona takes hold with no more Mr Nice Guys and Gal as the political and social lyrical rants start. The band work the room so well and the energy levels rise instantly with the opening song ‘Work’, which is an achievement for this member of the crowd after close to 50 hours of being stuck indoors at the Winter Gardens, which would be enough to make anyone ‘Deranged’ which just so happens to be the second song of the set. ‘Body Language’ is a winner as always with its slow start rising to a crescendo which makes it impossible to resist the SNAYX bounce, and repeat. ‘Boys In Blue’ is another favourite as Charlie points his finger around the room shouting “and what does that say about you and you and…”.
The interaction with the crowd as always is exceptional and Charlie joins us in the moshpit for ‘Fayx’ as is now traditional. I am honoured to get what I can only describe as a sinister finger wiggle from Ollie during ‘Sink Or Swim’ to which I respond with pulling a face which was probably far from sinister. I should never have considered that we would be shortchanged as the band play us their cover of Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ as it hits 11:55pm when they should really have finished. Now that’s punk for you! For the record Jase from Portland loved every minute of it. The only thing missing is the limited edition free SNAYX ‘Citizen Smith’ Rebellion badge, which has been overlooked in the mayhem without Larry Idle to oversee, but still a few of us hang around afterwards and manage to nab one or two despite security asking us to leave several times. This is such an uplifting end to a hectic four days, and I leave the Winter Gardens on a real high. As Wolfie would say “Power to the people” and SNAYX of course!
(Andy Murphy)
Reports from Rebellion Festival performances on Thursday 1st can be found HERE, performances on Friday 2nd can be found HERE and reports from Saturday 3rd August can be found HERE.
The dates for next year’s ‘Rebellion Festival’ will be Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th August 2025 and tickets are now on sale. Purchase yours HERE.
Fancy more ‘Rebellion’ reading? Then check out reviews of the last couple of years below:
