Christopher Nosnibor
Punk never died, and while many of the old garde got fat and bloated and / or faded into obscurity and insignificance, many of the artists who defined that short yet incendiary period thatredefined music for all time are still going srong and are as essential as ever. Others simply have too many classic songs to let go, and are still performing them with the same energy of 40 years ago. I’m basing that on footage I’ve seen from back in the day, of course, having only been born in 1975. But that means that the music of the punk era has been an integral part of the backdrop to my entire life, and its fair to say that the music of the last 40 years would have been very different and infinitely poorer without the historical rupture that was punk.
Rebellion Festival – running August 4th – 7th at the Winter Gardens in Backpool – clebrates all things punk, and the 2016 lineup is a belter. With 300 band across seven stages, it’s a packed-ot bill, but The Buzzcocks, The Damned and Stiff Little Fingers are obvious draws, each being legendary in their own right.
But then, the history of punk is packed with bands renowned for a single clasic album or a clutch of killer singles, and Slaughter and the Dogs, The Dickies and Anti Nowhere League are all intgral to the bigger picture of what made punk in the late 70s and early 80s.
Jello Biafra is a legend in his own right, while The Ruts stand as one of the most innovative acts to have emerged from the first wave of punk, not only incorporatin elements of reggae in their sound butfully embracing the dub sound later in their career. They’re also as good a live act as you’re likely to see / hear, anyplace, anytime, and new single ‘ Psychic Attack’ shows they’ve lost none of their edge.
Chuck in classic acts like Chelsea, Angelic Upstarts, the band painted on more leather jacets than anyone on the planet has had hot dinners The Exploited, Jilted John, GBH, not to mention Dag Nasty, Vice Squad Subhumans, UK Subs, Goldblade, The Membranes, TV Smith of Advrts fame, and The Dwarves and you’ve got the makings of a raucous, riotous and incredibly fun weekend in prospect.
Aural Aggravation 