Blackpool/Preston punk trio Death Trails are no strangers to Rebellion Festival, and this year they are blessing us with two sets – one on the Club Casbah stage, and one on the Almost Acoustic stage. Even if you haven’t seen them perform, chances are, if you’ve been to Rebellion, you’ve seen frontwoman Catlow racing around Winter Gardens, as part of the festival team.
Catlow was nice enough to chat to us about how Death Trails formed, and what we can expect to see from them this year…
Firstly, how did you all meet and when was Death Trails formed?
I’ve known Luke (the bass player and other vocalist) for years and I got in touch with him as I’d had this idea to do something with female and male duel vocals, he said no at first because he was too busy (thanks Luke) but then messaged me a week later saying his wife had told him he should do it. I then found Muss (our drummer) on an old school “join my band” type website and met up with him for a jam on dark rainy night in Preston and the rest is history.
For anyone not familiar with your music, how would you describe your sound?
I usually describe it as a mix of punk, hardcore, grunge and ska. We like to play around with different genres but the general vibe is heavy and in your face. There’s some nice harmonies and some nasty screams and some sick bass lines and drum beats.
If you had to recommend one of your songs to a new listener, which one would you choose?
We’ve actually just recorded a track called ‘You Lose Good Day’, so I’ll say that even though I’ve not heard the final production yet as it’ll be out by the time anyone reads this – so fingers crossed it’s decent!
What can we expect from your sets at Rebellion?
Sweat, energy, passion, unity, back bends, a few jokes, and a warm welcome and good time for all – no hate, no fear, everybody is welcome here.
After seeing your impromptu acoustic set at Manchester Punk Festival this year, I was really excited to see you’re performing on the Rebellion’s Almost Acoustic stage (as well as your “regular” set, of course!). Was it more nerve-wracking to perform a more stripped-back set compared to your usual set?
100% more nerve wracking, yes. It was a last minute change due to personal reasons and we’d only had the night before to rehearse – I was actually working but managed to get away for an hour so that’s the only time we had to work something out. Not having a load of noise to hide behind was a little scary but the crowd was lovely and made it a really special gig.
I also have to ask – will your amazing cover of Pump Up The Jam be making another appearance?
Absolutely!
Are there any other bands on the line-up you’re particularly looking forward to seeing?
Always love Millie Manders & The Shut Up, Yur Mum, The Meffs, Wonk Unit, Maid of Ace, Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies, and I’m excited to see Girl School and Circle Jerks, plus as many new bands as I can catch on the introducing stage.
What else are you up to this year?
We’ll have our new track ‘You Lose Good Day’ out, so please give that a listen on Spotify or Bandcamp, and for gig dates for the rest of the year you can find us on Instagram.
And finally, is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for interview! LOUD WOMEN is an awesome collective and it’s always an absolute pleasure to be involved with anything you do. Long may she reign.
Thank you so much to Catlow for answering these questions!
Rebellion Festival takes place 7-10 August 2025 – full details and tickets here
You can find Death Trails on Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
