A Punk Pilgrim’s Journey to Winter Gardens Blackpool
Another year, another annual pilgrimage to Rebellion Festival at the Winter Gardens Blackpool; downloading and printing off schedules to see what bands we want to see; can we catch the first half of this band and catch the last half of these?! Drive up, check into our B&B, don comfy footwear and off to the fabulous Winter Gardens for ticket/wristband exchange, get the first pint of the day and meet up with friends you’ve not seen since last year, catch the first band on the itinerary or mooch around checking out all the merch & record stalls! I’ve again the honour and pleasure of being granted a photo pass so I can shoot/review for Rock News (thank you James!).
Thursday: Late Arrival and Evil Blizzard Kickoff
This year we arrived in Blackpool a little late due to traffic so it was a quick check-in at the B&B then quickstep down the road to the venue to grab wristbands and catch the first band we’ve got on our list to see – EVIL BLIZZARD. These guys are old friends of ours so it’s always nice to catch them. If you’ve never had the ‘pleasure’ before, they’re currently a 6-piece consisting of a singing drummer, 3 bassists, a guitarist and a pig on synth. The queue to get in is huge, due to the mass of fans leaving after seeing the previous band – The Drowns. I spot another photographer flashing his pass to queue-jump – I didn’t know I could do this!! :😄 I sneakily follow suit and also use him to get further into the venue against the tide going the opposite way – hey, I’m a short-arse!! Turns out he’s a really lovely fella and we follow each others Instagram before we have to put in our earplugs and get into place ready for Blizz to come on stage. I love catching these guys and it’s always nice and cool to be noticed from the stage!!
Buster Shuffle and a Boozy Twist
I catch up with the merch girls who are married to two of the Blizz guys, blag a bit of merch and catch the start of BUSTER SHUFFLE, before a drink is needed; it’s warm in there!! Best-laid plans of seeing a fair few bands on this first day go slightly out of the window as we end up having a few drinks in The Old Vic bar with some of Blizz after they’ve unmasked… This leads me to the new self-service bars that have appeared in the Winter Gardens this year… a row of kiosks where you put a couple of plastic glasses in, a shutter comes down, your glasses get overfilled and bob’s your uncle! (for the outrageous £7.20 a pint!!) No idea what you’d do if you wanted to pay by cash…
Dead Stilettos and a Damned Encounter
After being recommended a couple of up-and-coming bands to see (that happen to be on Evil Blizzard’s Filthy Dirty’s label Cracked Ankles) we head off to catch DEAD STILETTOS, Manchester’s “latest hot property”, these guys are high energy, great to watch and were a mix of Beastie Boys, Idles with a Stranglers-esque bassist – 100% a band to catch on the circuit!!
We end up with a bit of merch so walk back to the B&B to drop it all off. On the way there we randomly bump into Captain Sensible and Paul Gray of The Damned who were heading to the venue. What lovely gents!! I’ve instructions from Captain to take lots of photos of him ☺️
John McKay’s Reactor and a Dodgy Kebab
Heading back ourselves we catch a bit of JOHN MCKAY’S REACTOR in the Opera House; the former Siouxsie And The Banshees guitarist has stepped out on his own, with a female vocalist taking on both his solo work and a few Banshees back catalogue. Because of the early beers and not wanting to knock our pipe out the first day, we’re back to the B&B via a takeaway for a dirty kebab.
Friday: Dodgy Kebabs and Random Hand
FRIDAY – the dirty kebab ended up being a dodgy kebab… swing by the pharmacist on the walk to the venue! Today is a good day for catching bands, and the Introducing stage probably is the best one to frequent! First up for us today is RANDOM HAND from Keighley, West Yorkshire. These were another band recommended to us and they’re great fun! A combination of ska, reggae, dub, punk rock, metal, hop hop and dub they’ve been around since the early noughties and I’m annoyed that we’ve not seen them before now! Will definitely catch them again.
Wonk Unit and Mick Rossi’s Gun St
We head over to Club Casbah to catch WONK UNIT, a DIY punk band from London who we’ve known for a number of years and who are always brilliant with catchy 2 minute punk pop songs. Front man Alex has also brought his young daughter Aubrey who he gets on stage to dance – keep the language clean!! Heading to the Opera House for a sit down and to catch a bit of MICK ROSSI’S GUN ST (Slaughter And The Dogs guitarist going back to his roots with a bit of a glam rock feel) and SWELL MAPS C21 (a new incarnation started in 2021 of the original experimental punk post punk band from Birmingham), we then head to the Introducing stage in the Pavilion to shoot another Cracked Ankles band, TV FACE, a post-punk noise-rock psych from Lancaster, described as 3 socially-awkward weirdos, these were also great to watch and I’m glad they were recommended to us.
The Undertones and The Damned Pit Rush
We head to the Empress Ballroom to catch the UNDERTONES and it is packed. I sadly didn’t have time to get from the Introducing stage to the Empress in time to get to the front and into the pit, so make do with being about 20 from the front at the side where the pit entrance is – my priority for today is to get to shoot the next band. I didn’t want to push further forwards to try and get to the pit and end up annoying people, but I’ve got a great view and am stood with a group of lovely German fans. It’s a great vibe, with favourites such as Teenage Kicks, My Perfect Cousin and Jimmy Jimmy getting everyone dancing and singing. As soon as the band finish and (some) fans start leaving, I make my way to the pit straight away. Pits can get full and if you’re too late and there’s already a lot in there then you miss out – I don’t want that!! I get in and along with what seem to be extra security it’s possibly the busiest pit I’ve been in, which can make it tricky for everyone trying not to get in each other’s way or bumping into anyone and ruining photos. But I manage it and finally get to shoot THE DAMNED!! I’ve been using my 50mm 1.8f prime lens so far this weekend so sadly Rat Scabies and Oxy Moron were a little too far away for me to satisfactorily get, but I get plenty of Captain Sensible (as instructed!), Paul Gray and the man himself Dave Vanian, who looks very youthful with his new haircut. The lighting was a bit naff, and while it improved later on in the gig it wasn’t great for the first 3 songs (which is all you get for most gigs), and I’m glad on my lens choice after all as it allows plenty of light in.
Hugh Cornwall and a Better Dinner
Having seen The Damned a many times already, and super happy that I got to shoot them this time around, we head to the Opera House part way through their set to catch a bit of HUGH CORNWELL’s set. I never got chance to see The Stranglers with him (I was only about 12 years old when he left) so along with when we saw him at a punk weekend at Butlins some years ago, this is my opportunity to see him doing some Stranglers songs, as well as his own solo material. It’s a pity he’s changed his bassist since that Butlins gig though as he previously had a female bassist who put JJ Burnel to shame, but it’s a guy on bass today who is also brilliant. No dodgy dirty kebab on the way back this evening, we planned better and had some lovely food in the Winter Gardens; once bitten twice shy and all that!!
Saturday: Red Arrows and Wonk Almost Acoustic
SATURDAY – We meet our regular Rebellion Festival friends in a sports bar in town. Forgetting it’s Saturday and the footie’s on we get the rooftop beer garden to ourselves and end up seeing the Red Arrows display! There’s an airshow on this weekend as well on the beach front and we also end up seeing a Spitfire, a Lancaster bomber and a Typhoon – never heard anything like it!! I took a video or two on my phone that really doesn’t do the sound justice, you see the plane a fraction before the sound hits you, it feels like an assault and it’s only flying relatively slow! Being on the ground with multiple of these must be terrifying…
First up today is WONK ALMOST ACOUSTIC in the gorgeous Spanish Hall upstairs. This room is beautifully decorated and makes me feel like I’m in a Shakespeare-esque Italian square with all the faux-balconies etc around the walls. Alex Wonk’s daughter Aubrey was first up at the front with her ear-defenders on, dancing away, and there were a few other toddlers and young children here today.
Mika Bomb and Zounds/The Mob
MIKA BOMB is next up in the Pavilion on the Introducing stage. These were an unplanned band, they were doing a bit of a soundcheck as we walked past, thought they could be interesting so hung around. An all-female 4 piece from Japan, they were great to shoot and brought a fantastic high energy to the room. And I do like bright yellow guitars haha!
ZOUNDS and THE MOB are next up in the Opera House. ZOUNDS are an anarcho-punk/post-punk band from Reading and THE MOB give off a bit of a gloomy post-punk vibe that wouldn’t be out of place in a Cure fan’s collection. This type of music is right up my street to be honest, closet miserable so and so, me!!! We end up getting an early night as I still seem to be feeling the effects of Thursday night and feel a bit off. A good night’s sleep and an English breakfast in the morning will sort me out 🙂
Sunday: Clobber’s Proposal and Loud Women
SUNDAY – Back feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! First up is CLOBBER in Club Casbah, a London-based band that have come again via recommendation. Quite hardcore, I’m both annoyed with myself but a bit glad that I didn’t get to shoot from the pit as, after an initial bit of cheeky bants it’s high energy, the singer Charlie Longman gets two cans of beer from the drum riser, opens both, smashes them together over his head and flings them, beer spiralling out everywhere, including over the monitors etc, into the crowd! Aaaaargh for the photo potential!! But my lens isn’t waterproof and I’ve already got a lens that’s got sticky zoom movement from beer… We all get to be witnesses to a marriage proposal!! Charlie the singer at one point during the set talks briefly about mental health and how his wife has helped him. He then takes to the mike to say she’s not actually his wife, yet, takes a box out of his pocket quipping that it’s been giving him anxiety all weekend so far! His girlfriend comes on stage, down on one knee and he proposes! I must admit I really welled up and I think a fair few others in the room were the same. I’ve put the video I got of this up on my Insta if anyone wants to feel all soppy! His now-fiancee joins the band for the next song, they’re both certainly a good fit!
Still dabbing at our eyes, we head for a more relaxed atmosphere in The Old Vic, the only “pub” in the Winter Gardens, and no self-serve here! This is to watch XRAY VEZ who is the keyboard player for Wonk Unit. She’s doing her own material, mainly acoustic with Wonk Unit’s guitarist, bassist and drummer supporting her. It’s here that we see the next generation of young gig photographers – the future looks bright!! Keep it up boys 🙂
Bruise Control and Loud Women Day
Keeping with the Wonk Unit theme, we next watch BRUISE CONTROL with former Wonk drummer Tommy taking up the sticks for this Manchester-based punk/garage/indie band. This is their biggest ever gig and they definitely enjoy it. For their backdrop they’ve compiled 80s action film clips so have Arnie, Bruce Lee etc which they say hope won’t have Universal knocking on their doors!
Sunday at Rebellion is now LOUD WOMEN in the Pavilion, a day dedicated to female artists/bands. We catch some of COWZ and QUICK ROMANCE’s sets and settle in for GOO, another band from Keighley, West Yorks, “fuzzy poppy indie stuff”. We end up having a little chat with singer Tanisha afterwards at their merch stand, she’s lovely and we walk away with some vinyl. Another local band that I need to catch again!
Molly Vulpyne and Anarchistwood
I catch a bit of the lovely MOLLY VULPYNE in The Old Vic (sorry again that I missed you earlier this weekend!) before going back to the Pavilion for ANARCHISTWOOD – I’d bumped into their drummer in the toilets as he was doing his makeup and looked very tears of a clown all reflected in the mirrors. I stop by their merch stand before they go on stage and get a photo or two, before the visual onslaught of them on stage. They describe themselves as “prank rock” and their show is certainly a full-on sensory experience!! One of the pit security didn’t seem to know what had hit him haha.
Chelsea and The Nightingales Finale
We then head to the Empress to watch some of CHELSEA’s set – this is the favourite band of one of our B&B regular guests (it’s been the same guests at our B&B for 3 or 4 years now, all really nice guys to have a natter around the breakfast table with, along with our landlady Janie and her two cats!). I think it’s the first time I’ve seen these and they were really great.
It’s back to the Opera House for a sit down and to catch THE NIGHTINGALES, a post-punk alternative band from Birmingham who started in 1979, as old as me!! I don’t know them at all and they play all the set without any gaps, but I really enjoyed the strangeness. Then to the Arena to catch HR FROM BAD BRAINS for a bit of reggae and a dance to end it all off – we usually catch Bad Manners but they’re not on until 10.55pm and as it’s the last day you start to slow down a bit…
But we can’t just go to bed this early, so we head out into the nice cool Blackpool air to the Rose And Crown. This pub always has its ample outdoor seating packed full of punks all through the day and night and stays open late (Morten, our Danish co-guest at the B&B, didn’t come home until gone 4am one night after being here for hours after Rebellion had finished for the day!!). We sit outside with some great tunes being played on the best jukebox in Blackpool, drinking a few double whiskey lemonades and end up having a bit of a late one!
Rebellion Reflections and 2026 Hype
It used to be a case of catching as many bands as possible to tick them off but these days it’s become more quality over quantity and we don’t see as many as we used to but it’s been a great Rebellion Festival again. The B&B is already booked again for next year, we need to pull our fingers out and get tickets sorted!! It’s the 30th anniversary Rebellion next year (although some might say this year was the 30th, depends how you work it out I guess?), there are already early band confirmations so check out www.rebellionfestivals.com where weekend and day tickets are available NOW!
See you next year!!!
My Rebellion Festival Experience 2025 @ Rock News RockNewsUS
