When Dirty Harry asked, “Do you feel lucky punk?” he never thought he could be asking a question forty years later to the thousands of visitors to this yearโs upcoming Rebellion Festival. The Rebellion punk festival makes its yearly visit to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens and just keeps growing, not just in the scale of the festival but in the sheer number of acts lined up. Once again the cream of the crop is heading to Blackpool. Tartan, leather, studs and hairspray will once again be the order of the day as the punk community descends for the four day celebration of all things punk.
The chance to see one of my favourite bands, the massively underrated Chameleons, has to be the highlight for me. To be able to watch the best band to come out of Manchester in that boom time of the early eighties cannot be missed. This band is just one of well over two hundred to be playing. Other big names on the scene include Stiff Little Fingers, GBH, King Kurt, Killing Joke, Goldblade and many others that a best of punk album would be glad to have included. It’s not all better known bands either, literally dozens of smaller but no lesser bands are set to grace the stages. Max Splodge, Argy Bargy, The Gonads and the wonderfully named Spunk Volcano and The Eruptions will all be joining the chaos and creating musical havoc over the four day extravaganza of rough โnโ ready sound explosions. I say chaos, but from past experience the Rebellion Festival is a well-oiled and well organised few days of fun.
Nearly forty years after the birth of punk, there might be the odd hip that won’t stand a whole long weekend of pogoing. With thousands of younger devotees to the music that refuses to roll over and grow old gracefully and the bands formed to serve the newer generations, there is something at which everyone can shake their mohicans.
It’s not just music either; there are stalls, films and all manner of attractions to make this yearโs Rebellion festival the best yet. I for one can’t wait and hope to see you all there. The answer to Dirty Harry’s question should be, โYes, I do feel like a lucky punk, thank you for asking.โ
And here’s what the Twittersphere is up to on the eve of the festival:
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