Live Review: Rebellion Festival 2018

For those who’ve never attended The Rebellion Festival or are just plain curious as to what goes on at a “Punk” Festival then let me take you by the hand and walk you through the streets of Blackpool. First off it’s not exclusively Punk bands that play. For instance along such Rebellion staples as Stiff Little Fingers, GBH, ANL and The Buzzcocks you will also find acts such as. The Wildhearts, Neville Staple (from The Specials), Mad Caddies, Lagwagon, Newtown Kings, Peter Hook, Michael Monroe, The Professionals, The Vandals, Theatre Of Hate, The Bar Stool Preachers, Idles and Public Image Limited.

Firstly the Rebellion venue. The Winter Gardens is based bang smack bang in the middle of Blackpool. Inside the historic building are multiple venues including the majestic Empress Ballroom which also hosts Ballroom Dancing, Darts, theatre productions and afternoon teas (but not at the same time). The Empress has the largest capacity followed by The Casbah, The Opera House, The Arena The Pavillion, The Acoustic stage and finally the RIS (Rebellion introduces stage).

The Festival also has an Art fair in the upstairs Spanish rooms. Works by Punk legends Charlie Harper (UK Subs), Gaye Advert and Knox ( The Vibrators) are all on show alongside some brilliant independent artists. It is also a good place to regroup, take five or just chill plus the bar there is always quiet and there’s plenty of places to sit and chat.

Food. As well as plenty of bars there are also several food outlets which serve everything from Hot Dogs to sit down restaurant fare and if you’re lucky enough to end up in the AAA area then you will find only vegetarian and vegan food on sale. If none of the eateries inside The Winter Gardens takes your fancy then you are no more than a two-minute walk to Blackpool’s many restaurant options, including a couple of superb (and Independent) Italian restaurants.

Beer. Okay, so we are a nation that equates beer price to value for money. A pint inside is £4 and has been for the past four years. The Pubs around the venue is cheaper at between £2-3 a pint, also some hostelries will have bands/DJ’s playing the Punk classics throughout the day. Blackpool embraces Rebellion.

Merchandise. The famous horseshoe market area curves round The Pavillion stage and is jam-packed with various clothing, music, magazine and Band Merchandise tables ‘n’ stalls. You could spend a fortune here as the clothing is wonderfully eclectic, some of the vinyl is incredibly rare and numerous bands man their own stalls. A band T-shirt can set you back between £10-20 or an official Rebellion shirt is £17.50. Normally there are bootleg event shirts on sale for about £10 outside, however, as Rebellion is a non-corporate or sponsored event then I would buy inside rather than purchase the cheaper looking unofficial options.

Staff. The Event staff that work at the festival are the friendliest I have ever come across. They just understand the Rebellion crowd and you will see the same patiently smiling faces every year.

Numbers. Rebellion attracts between 6-10,000 people each year.

Tickets. Weekend tickets are by far the best value especially when purchased in the early bird time frame. £145.00 for four days is the cheapest option for 2019. However, the price rises throughout the year. Individual day tickets go on sale closer to the event as some fans travel for a particular band. If you turn up on the day expect to pay £70.00+ for a day ticket, if available. In 2019 Rebellion favourites Cock Sparrer are headlining and that particular day(TBC) will sell out way in advance. There is readmission all day up to roughly an hour before the doors close.

Timings. Doors open at 11 am on Thursday and 12 pm for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The music starts at 12 pm and the normally finishes at 2 am except on Sunday when it’s 1230 am finish. The early start on Thursday allows plenty of time for you to exchange your ticket for a wristband. On exchanging your ticket you also receive a glossy event programme and a smaller, back pocket information sheet with all the bands and stage times.

What to wear. Whatever you’re comfortable in. You will see a plethora of mohawks, piercings, tattoos and tummies. The one thing you won’t see is trouble. No dress code but jeans and a T-shirt is pretty standard.

Accommodation. Blackpool has literally hundreds of B+B’s of varying quality, my advice is to shop around there is also a Premier Inn, Ibis and Hilton available if a hotel chain is more your thing.

The Crowd. One word, friendly. This is a peaceful event where everybody respects each other it’s as simple as that. Be polite and people will be polite back to you. Plus if people watching is a past time you like to partake in then this is a voyeuristic mecca. The locals and holidaymakers will stop to have photos taken with those Punks congregating outside.

Tip #1 Pace yourself, this is a marathon, not a sprint and you don’t want to be so drunk you miss the headline acts.

Tip #2 Go and see bands you’ve heard of. You’ll never be walking more than a couple of minutes between stages so go and explore.

Tip #3 Plan your day, sit down (with a pint) and go through the stage times.

Tip #4 There is plenty of free water available at Rebellion, keep hydrated.

Tip #5 You will see performers just wandering about or watching bands if you want a selfie just ask, they won’t bite.

Tip #5 The Loo’s at Rebellion are okay and there are plenty of them, however, if you need to sit down there is a Marks and Spencers right outside the Winter Gardens, which is also handy for tea, coffee and sandwiches.

Tip #6 There is a designated smoking area in The Winter Gardens or you could just step outside the main entrance.

2018 overview. Thursday saw the Buzzcocks headline The Empress while The Vandals, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Lagwagon and The Mad Caddies all added some American flavour and feel. However, it was Idles that (for me anyway) stole the show with a performance of deep pain, understanding and heart. The introducing stage was busy throughout the day with Kid Klumsey drawing a huge turn out while Theatre Of Hate closed the beautiful Opera House. Friday saw crowd numbers grow and we were treated to some exceptional performances. The Men They Couldn’t Hang, The Bar Stool Preachers, Anti Nowhere League, Spunk Volcano And The Eruptions, Evil Blizzard all stood out. Ex-Specials vocalist Neville Staple’s set of 2-Tone classics on the Casbah Stage was hard to top. Saturday was a Stiff Little double bill with original guitarist Henry Cluney playing an acoustic set before Jake Burns and Co played to a sweat dripping Empress. The Wildhearts also did two sets but going on at 1 am didn’t do them any favours although they still pulled out a stunning performance. Other highlights included the brilliant Wonk Unit, Ruts DC, UK Subs, Lower Class Brats and Peter Hook & The Light. Sunday starts with a pint it’s a cure or kills type of deal but a cold Moretti at the local Italian kicks the liver back into life. Today is a holy day and the high priest of Punk reverend Rotten is in town. Firstly Lydon takes to the Opera Stage for a surprisingly decent hour-long interview with Barry Cain before PIL headline the Empress. Lydon opens PIL’s set with an ill-advised tirade against Corbyn with alienates a large section of the crowd before launching into a less than impressive run through of PIL’s greatest hits. Before PIL Rebellion heroes Dirt Box Disco along with The Professionals, M.D.C, Michael Monroe, The Dickies and Slaughter And The Dogs all put in top-notch sets before the Rock ‘n’ Roll cabaret that is The Adicts round off Rebellion 2018 with streamers and style.

And that’s that, THE greatest festival closes its doors until August 1st 2019 that is.. Once you’ve been to Rebellion there’s a good chance you’ll be back again and again and again. People will chat with you in Pubs, restaurants, cafes and even on buses. “Who have you seen, who you looking forward to, where are you from” etc… The atmosphere, the people, the bands, the food, the beer(s), the laughter and most important the experience of it all. Blackpool and Punk what a devastatingly tasty combination you are! See you at the bar, the barrier, the Italian, the pub or at the fish shop for 2 am chips with curry sauce!