After enjoying Rebellion so much last year we had to come back again. After dealing with London in a tube strike and having breakfast at Euston we caught our train up and checked into the same B & B as last year and walked down the beach to the Winter Gardens making it into the festival by about half two by which time we had already missed the chance to see 10 different bands. In itself, this little anecdote gives you an idea of how much goes on at this fantastic festival.
We decided to start things off slowly by getting the first Strongbow of the weekend and taking a seat in the Almost Acoustic room in time for Eliza P and The Disco Misfits who to be honest I've almost totally forgotten. They were not very good; attempting slightly ironic acoustic folk punk, but it gave us a chance to look through the schedule and figure out who we did want to try to see over the weekend.
Next stop was our first trip into the ever impressive Empress Ballroom for the first act on the main stage, FEROCIOUS DOG, who had many traditional Punk instruments along with them like mandolins, Violins etc. To go along with the Irish rebel folk punk brew they had going on, they were a great opening act for the main stage and drew a decent sized crowd for the mixture of classic Rebel songs and originals that made them sound like a cross between Flogging Molly, Rancid and The Kilmaine Saints.
From there we went to the new band stage in the Pavilion for DRAG who were a female fronted agit punk band that reminded me a bit of the Poison Girls but without all the Charisma and subversion that Vi Subversa had in spades. They did, however, do a pretty good version of These Boots Are Made for Walking.
We then went over to the Arena stage in time for TRIOXIN CHERRY who had a 2 Bass, 1 guitar line up with a good and angry woman fronting them as she sung about all the issues pissing her and the band off over some very bass heavy pop punk that at times was a bit Sum 41 but with far more interesting lyrics. A band that lived up to the reputation they have been building as a good live act well worth seeing and of course Trioxin Cherry is a great band name sounding like some awful chemical weapon or poison.
It was then time to go back to the Pavilion new band stage for some of THE POPES OF CHILITOWN: a 6 piece ska punk band who were not quite as tight as they needed to be to pull off the music they were playing. They sounded like a cross between the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Babyhead. If they can tighten themselves up they may do very well indeed.
It was then time for the first big name act of the weekend over in the Empress Ballroom and they had the crowd to go with it as SICK OF IT ALL gave us a great set of Noo Yoik Hardcore; treating us to a greatest hits type set and having loads of energy as well as seeming extremely happy to be playing in such a magnificent rooms as the Empress ballroom. They'd been hanging out in Blackpool the night before playing Bingo in the hotel as they now live really dangerous rock and roll lifestyles. Still, well worth seeing and damn how much do they work out to have that much energy?
We then went to the Arena to see VICKI VORTEX & THE CUM SHOTS. They never lived up to the name and after about 3 of their angry sleazy punk by numbers we'd had enough and went back to the Ballroom for THE BUSINESS, some proper old school East End skinhead Oi! punk who lit the place up from the moment they launched into the classic Saturday's Heroes. They piled into a set of Angry issue-based songs and drinking and footie songs most of which have great terrace chant style chorus and let's face it, front man Mickey Fitz is a proper East End character who knows how to work a room. They closed with a great version of Drinking and Driving: a song full of braggadocio of the alcoholically challenged which got the ballroom singing along and smiling too.
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After a football obsessed band who better to go and see but GEOFFREY OI!COTT who were once again out in the Casbah stage that is in the Winter Gardens car park. It's due for demolition in the very near future, but for now it hosted some proper Cricket Oi! Damn they were in almost as fine form as the England team in walloping the Aussies at Trent Bridge. This set sounded a million times better than the 12 Bar show a month or so ago. Welcome To Yorkshire was sung loud and proud in this Lancashire venue as well as a great version of Robin Hood was A Yorkshireman. They knocked it outta the car park like Norbert Phillip used to knock it out the park when he was my cricketing hero.
After all the sporting action it was time for some 2-Tone action from the NEVILLE STAPLE BAND in the Empress Ballroom and he didn't disappoint giving us a set of classics guaranteed to get the place going. From great versions of Pressure Drop and Monkey Man this was a covers heavy set even his big hit A message to You Rudy is of course a cover.
But Neville has bags of charisma; a great voice and a stellar band to get the place skanking along with him. The highlight of the set for me was a great version of The Slickers' classic Johnny Too Bad which he followed with the old Guy Lombardo classic Enjoy Yourself It's Later Than You Think. Many people really only know it from the Doris Day or Chas and Dave versions, though The Specials also recorded it. He of course finished with Ghost Town and then Gangsters: a stormingly great set
Last year the first band we saw were SPUNK VOLCANO & THE ERUPTIONS. This year they had moved well up the bill and played a packed out Pavilion stage. Ideal for their good times sleazy as all hell punk rock and I finally realized this band is sort of an offshoot of Dirt Box Disco; but more about them later in the festival.
Still as ever Spunk is in his gimp mask and leather (or is it pleather jacket?) and he has on some rather fetching Fred Flintstone underpants to help keep it surreal. Highlights of the set included a great When the Devil Spits It Out - rather angry and pointedly dedicated to Jimmy Saville and friends -Another Nail In Childhoods Coffin and the rather sad romance of Platform 3 they are great fun and for us a perfect close to the first day at Rebellion.
As we wanted to conserve our energies for the following 3 days we had to miss the Heavy Metal Kids, The Misfits and the Ramonas who were all still to play when we left in search of a bag of chips for the walk down the beach to our B & B.
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