Review:
'Rebellion Festival 2026 Day Two'
'At The Winter Gardens Blackpool'
- Album: 'With Sham 69, Anti-Nowhere League, Ferocious Dog,'
- Label: 'Roman Jugg, John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett,'
- Genre: 'Punk/New Wave'
- Release Date: '7.8.26.'- Catalogue No: 'Handom Rand, Menace, Anti-Virus, Split Dogs etc.'
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Our Rating:
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I would like to thank everyone involved in putting on the best festival imaginable, from all the bands, the onstage and backstage crew, all the staff at the Winter Gardens and obviously to Jennie and Darren Russell-Smith for the immense job of promoting and putting together this brilliant festival. I would also like to apologize to any musicians I spoke to over the weekend whose bands I didn't get to see, as usual far too much happening and a few mega band clashes. Apologies for all the guesswork on song titles. This year Rebellion was celebrating both its own 30th birthday and the 50th Birthday of the Punk explosion of 1976 and they did so in style with extra events in the Run Up to the Festival proper that meant by the time we got to Blackpool on the Thursday we had already missed Adam & The Ants, Neville Staple and Spike from The Quireboys and many others.
This review features Sham 69, Anti Nowhere League, Ferocious Dog, The Roman Jugg Band, John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett, Handom Rand, Menace, Christmas Kwon From 18 Fevers, Anti-Virus, Split Dogs, RumKicks and Marc Valentine.
Day 2 started with our traditional walk along the beach and fry up getting into the Winter Gardens in time to see Marc Valentine open the Opera House stage with his brilliant glam punk band who opened with Linear Slopes that had more than enough of Richard Davies pinpoint guitar to get everyone going, NY UAP sounded huge in the Opera House with some great keyboards, Marc was moving all over the huge stage belting out Strange Weather. A Temporary Buzz was something many of us had been chasing to help with our hangovers, but this one came with crisp elegant guitar solos, Photograph kept the pace up before they took us to Mornington Avenue that certainly sounded great, before they closed with Last Train Tonight that seemed to be rather too early in the day to be honest, but it was a great set to start the day with.
We then went into the Empress Ballroom for RumKicks who were asking us all the key Rebellion question, are you Drinking Everyday almost everyone in the ballroom said yes, Yewon then told us all that I Don't Wanna Die as they kicked off into this K-punk tune, Fuck You had the usual intro where Yewon lists all the people she wants to say Fuck You too, including the bands road manager and everyone whose ever made sexist remarks towards her or the other members of the band. Punk Rock Boy is just the sort they want to know, so long as they don't tell them they aren't pretty enough to be in a band. Yewon then told us about the bands insomnia as they were so excited to be at Rebellion before a very energetic I Can't Sleep got the room bouncing. Rude Girl Oi sounded like another statement of intent, they got serious on Mosquito Bites and how much they hate being bitten, before they closed with Punkrocker and left the stage to huge cheers as we all love Rumkicks.
We stayed in the ballroom for Split Dogs who had packed it out and from the moment Mil hit his first riff they were immense, I think they opened with Meg that saw Harry strutting over the stage in her silver dress, Be A Sport was the first song that about half the audience were singing along to, Harry did everything she could to nail it. Suze's bassline really punched through Rock & Roll Bizness before Harry told us how much she Suffers before asking why does it burn, before they launched into an epic version of Precious Stones with a huge pit and everyone singing along. Prison Bitch was down and dirty in all the right ways, they amped it up on Monster Truck with And What going down a storm by the time they closed with I'm All In most of the Empress was smiling at just how great Split Dogs were.
We then went over to the Arena for Anti-Virus the Brazilian hardcore band who played a similar set to the one that opened there Sempre Em Frente tour at the Hope And Anchor, opening with Ferro E Concreto with its fist pumping cries of Anti-Fascista, Otavio stalked the stage bellowing out Nosso Estadio, with Conflito sounding like the rumble it obviously is, I'm pretty sure the highlights of the set were Anos 80 and Humano Traffico, but my lack of Portuguese makes it a bit difficult, either way they went down really well and it was great to see them again.
We then took a seat in The Old Vic for some of Christmas Kwon from 18 Fevers set of stripped back acoustic K-Punk that opened with Don't Cry No Tears that was heartfelt and she had a good tone on her acoustic guitar. Scars seemed to be racked with emotional pain, she introduced a new song that was in Korean that sounded like it could be quite catchy, before doing a decent version of The Distillers Beat Your Heart Out. Her social conscience was to the fore on Your Towns Shut Down about living somewhere with bleak prospects. We then left before the end.
Going up to the Spanish Room for Menace's acoustic set, they had been joined for the set by Leigh Heggarty from Bones Of The City and Wingmen among others. We arrived just as they were finishing Insane Society, Noel then told us I Need Nothing while they sounded pretty heavy for an acoustic set. Electrocutioner still sounded potent in this stripped back format, Carrie was nothing like the Europe song of that name and I'm Civilized is a great message, that is sadly needed more than ever. The packed room sang every word of GLC before they closed with Last Years Youth that by now should be Last Century's Youth for most of the band and audience, even if it is still sadly spot on that Punks always told the truth more than the politicians ever did, they left the stage to huge applause.
We stayed in the Spanish room for Handom Rand a smartly dressed trio of South African merchant bankers, masquerading as the acoustic ska incarnation of Random Hand, who opened with Come And Get It that had a great trombone solo and upbeat vibes. While complaining about having to wear a suit to play, that meant they needed to Wipe Away those diamonds. Fired Up had loads of energy and the floor was bouncing before they got a lot heavier on a classic ska cover of Warning Nuclear Attack. After some banter about wearing uncomfortable shoes to play in, they skanked through When They Ask Me in a cool way. They then had a Talk With A Thief that asked a good few questions that was followed by a song about a monumental funeral where 2000 people Showed up that closed the set in poignant fashion.
It was time for a sit down in the Opera House for one of the legendary losers John Otway & Wild Will Barrett back together and Deep & Meaningless like never before, opening with A413 Revisited that had enough of a surreal edge on the journey to Princes Risborough, John then proudly introduced the big hit Cor Baby I'm Really Free that was the first song that Wild Willy deployed is amps in rubbish bins that he kept lifting the lid to change the sound it was a great effect, the B-side Beware Of The Flowers came with its normal intro about it being voted in the top lyrics of the millennium, with Wild Willy swapping instruments and playing up to the absurdity of the song. John attached his drumpads for lots of pratfalls during Body Talk. Wild Willy's Banjo playing was great on the Duelling Banjos' backing for the reworking of Two Little Boys the song from the start of the 20th century, John apologised afterwards due to its connection to handsy Harris. Loved how they re-worked Cheryl's Going Home before they closed with Geneva that included Wild Willy Barrett taking a hammer and saw to his acoustic guitar, that was for sale afterwards to the highest bidder, then strapping on his Bagpusspipes in a surreal conclusion to a typically mad John Otway set, still getting away with it.
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We then moved upstairs in the Opera House for The Roman Jugg Band who contain the Tuppeny Bunters, they opened with Psychomania one of the songs from Roman's period in The Damned, this had a great dark goth edge with Fiona's swirling keyboards. Roman got to the dark heart of Generals with his guitar whipping up a storm against Paul Bedford's crunchy playing. They took us to the Shadow Of Love full of dark intent, it was amazing that even being at Rebellion Roman was claiming I Just Can't be Happy Today even with everyone singing along. Still There'll Cone A Day when a band this fine makes him as happy as it made us. Fiona switched places with the drummer for what I guessed was We Don't Get Down that changed the drive a bit, with the almost lighter dynamic staying for Is It A Dream, we then got a super dark brooding Grimly Fiendish that led into the even darker Storms they were brewing in the Opera House before closing with a rampage through Neat Neat Neat at about two thirds the pace The Damned usually play it at, this was a great fun set.
We went back to the Empress Ballroom for what may be the last appearance at Rebellion by Ferocious Dog before Ken Bonsall calls it a day, they opened with a long twisting version of Haul Away Joe with the fiddle taking the lead, Pentrich Rising got everyone going and singing along before Ken welcomed us all and gave his usual intro to Iron Mike Malloy that was played at a super-fast pace.
Broken Soldier was a real highlight, the sad tale of tossed away veterans living on the streets. Pocket Of Madness was bittersweet with I think a mighty mandolin solo. Their reworking of When Jonny Comes Marching Home had some great slow and speedy bits, Matty Groves had more meaning for me this time, having read Studs Terkel's explanation of the lyrics on the way to Rebellion, this was such a powerful version. Ken saluted us all and gave thanks to the Celtic punk originators The Pogues and The Dubliners while introducing a brilliant stop start sing along rave up to Paddy On The Railway that the Ballroom went nuts for which just left them time for Slow Motion Suicide one last whirlwind of a song that was played super-fast in the main to conclude a legendary parting shot set.
Next in the ballroom were Anti Nowhere League who played a greatest hits crowd pleasing set from the opening Punk Rocks Gonna Live Forever Animal was punching the air along with the rest of us, He told us to have no fear the New Age is here, which is of course what worries most of us these days, This Is War makes clear the stupidity of destroying everything over the lean mean Biker punk they perfected decades ago. I Hate People got a huge roar from the audience and Animal smirked his way through it. Let's Break The Law saw Animal sniffing away like normal while everyone joined in. Animal then got romantic sort of on Wet Dream before they blasted through the band's debut single Streets Of London a song whose message is still sadly relevant with too many homeless on our streets. Animal then introduced a new song possibly called Country before he gave us a nod and a wink to introduce Woman who once he's spent some time with her, he wants to get Fucked Up And Wasted again, so of course he must say his prayers and God Bless Alcohol will always be his god. The whole room sang So What at top volume before Animal gave praise and thanks to the king of punk on I Wanna Be Like Charlie Harper don't we all, before they closed with We Are The League to leave everyone smiling and happy.
The second day then ended for us with Sham 69 still in the Empress Ballroom with Jimmy Pursey stalking onstage with a full black parka on with the hood up, before he opened it to reveal his Punk threads as they opened with an impassioned What Have We Got that is still a prefect plea for a more egalitarian world. No Flag was bitter and angry with Dave Tregunna's bass attack leading the way. I Don't Wanna was as snotty and brattish as can be with Dave Parsons guitar wailing away. Ulster Boy's message was at least heard in Northern Ireland if not elsewhere, remember there are no winners in war. Like normal if you go to Oxford Street everything is still A Rip Off and Jimmy is still incandescent on They Don’t Understand, if only they did the world would be so much better. 14 Years was still taking the piss as a sentence for a bit of weed, that still hasn't been legalized. The ballroom erupted for Borstal Breakout that was followed by a frantic That's Life. Before Angels With Dirty Faces got most of us singing along and grinning as Jimmy asked What's it All About a song that's more pertinent now than when they wrote it. They took us back to the bands dark days with White Riot there take on the Clash's classic, before closing with the crowd pleasing If the Kids Are United that went down a storm, they came back for an encore sing and dance along to Hersham Boys and the inevitable Hurry Up Harry to leave us all chanting we're going down the pub at the end of anther great day at Rebellion.
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author: simonovitch
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