Rebellion Festival is the UK's largest punk festival, and the best fun to be had in Blackpool by far. Six stages, plenty of bars, clean flushing loos, no shortage of seating, and a huge, welcoming crowd of wonderful people representing punk and its subcultures. It's a truly special place where everyone – from established acts to new bands – feels at home, and the community spirit is palpable throughout the weekend. Team LOUD WOMEN were back again at the majestic Winter Gardens, as was our 'LOUD WOMEN Sunday' collab on the Introducing Stage on the Sunday. More about that shortly ... for now, here's Stacy Norman's highlights of day one.
Last year, Brighton “queer-disco-punks” Playing Alice opened LOUD WOMEN Sunday – this year, they were back, and they were the opening band on the enormous Opera House stage. Their bouncy, danceable sound was perfect to perk people up as they entered Winter Gardens.
They were followed by Twat Union, another band returning after playing last years’ LOUD WOMEN Sunday. While it might have been a bit too early to get the crowd on board with the concept of “punk line dancing” during Little Pink Drill, they did win them over after a few songs. When it came time for some more crowd participation for Red Flag, people we more than happy to join in waving, well, red flags.
Their set ended with frontwoman Kate changing into flame-decorated knickers before the band went into crowd (and my) favourite, UTI. Towards the end of the song, Beth (saxophone) ran to the front of the stage and chugged a carton of cranberry juice, as we all cheered her on. Twat Union were honestly one of the most fun bands I saw over the weekend. You really need to make sure you see them next time they play near you.
PUSSYLIQUOR are another band who are no strangers to LOUD WOMEN, having previously played LOUD WOMEN Fest in 2023. Their sassy, feminist punk never disappoints, and shouting along with chorus to ‘C.U.N.T’ is always a lot of fun!
A bit of a change of pace next as I head to the Literature Stage to catch some of the RIS and The Future of Punk panel, made up of Caitlin Bowyer and Scotty Perry of Slackrr, Millie Manders, Cassie Fox of I, Doris and LOUD WOMEN, Mimi of SNM, Charlie Longman of Clobber, and hosted by Johnny Wah Wah. They talked about their own personal stories of getting into punk, and the importance of the Introducing stage.
Next I headed to the Arena stage to make sure I caught Brighton ska-dub-reggae-punks Dakka Skanks. The Arena was bursting with people, which was great to see, and well-deserved. During their set, they paid tribute to the late Mensi of Angelic Upstarts, playing their emotive cover of Brighton Bomb. Clara’s vocals are as beautiful and powerful as ever, filling the room and dancing over the band’s impressive guitar work.
Over to the Almost Acoustic stage now, for Blackpool/Preston punks Death Trails. After seeing their impromptu acoustic set at Manchester Punk Festival earlier this year, I was excited for another chance to see them in that setting. They kicked things off with ‘Animal’, and took us through a stripped-back fast-paced half hour of punk, including their recent single ‘You Lose, Good Day’, and their fantastic cover of ‘Pump Up The Jam’.
Next, it was back down to the Arena to see Australian duo Mannequin Death Squad. With a setlist that features a pretty even mix of their recent new album Wise and Dangerous, and tracks from their previous album, Super Mental Psycho. Their raw, grunge-tinged punk has such an infectious energy (think the shorter, fast-paced songs of Nirvana or Mudhoney), it was no surprise to see the Arena filling up around me as they played. I really hope they come back next year.
I, Doris brought their kitschy mummycore to the Almost Acoustic stage again this year, and it was a treat, as always. They were joined by Hazel of Playing Alice… or is her name Doris now? Either way, the band get people dancing and singing along to their fun patriarchy-smashing anthems.
It’s time for my first stop at the After Dark this year, for The Courettes, who are making their Rebellion debut this year. Another powerful duo, made up of married couple Martin and Flavia Couri, hailing from Brazil and Denmark, they play punky 60’s girl-group-style garage-pop. The space is absolutely packed – and very hot. Their energy cuts through the crowd and, two songs in, the After Dark stage hit capacity. They’re surely destined for a bigger stage next year…
The last band of the night for me are Manchester post-punks The Red Stains. They made their Rebellion debut last year, when they closed the LOUD WOMEN stage, and I dare you to find a band who have made a better debut. This time they’re playing the Arena, and frontwoman Natalie makes full use of the extra space, getting into the crowd and demanding everyone pays attention.
Recent single ‘Diana’s Seatbelt‘ gets a great reception, and the crowd are definitely left wanting much more.
Stay tuned for our Day Two highlights!