WORDS: BEN ADSETT / IMAGES: DORY VALENTINE

Jodie Faster

Looking around The Union, there are a lot of sore heads as Jodie Faster explode into life. This feels like a kill or cure moment because their French hardcore/grindcore crossover is loud, brash and unapologetic. Songs fire from the stage at breakneck speed and it feels like the circle pit is never going to be big enough to satisfy the band. In the gaps between these short, sharp bursts of organised chaos, this is a band who use their words very well, from dedications to lost friends to outpourings of love for their scene, and these moments connect the crowd. This is a band who move round a stage like its second nature, constantly crossing paths without ever getting in each other’s way and this adds a touch of class to a beautiful, infernal racket. By the end, as people catch their breath, the room is back on form and ready for another big day of back to back bands.

PkewPkewPkew

With the room ready, PkewPkewPkew bring the fun. Their drinking pop punk songs sound even better when the sun is out, and soon have fists, fingers and beers held in the air from first to last song. Musically, they are well versed and share the focus throughout the set with a very polite stage presence. Part of the charm is their engaging stage patter, winning any undecided audience members over between each song and creates a huge atmosphere by the end of their breathless set.

Boom Boom Racoon

As Boom Boom Racoon take the stage, it’s hard to tell what an acoustic guitar, bass and a trumpet are going to sound like. To be honest, even after they played it’s hard to tell. Every song in the set offers something completely different from Manouche jazz, crust punk, folk, ska and, beyond the musical combos, are engaging throughout. Lyrically, this is a fiercely political experience with opinions on gender, the prison system and sexuality shared within and between songs. The cleverest thing about Boom Boom Racoon is their ability to write songs packed with serious influences, both musically and lyrically, that will have the most reluctant toes tapping along to their upbeat rhythms.

Bangers

After seven years, the expectant atmosphere in The Union for Bangers is electric. As they hit the stage, there is a moment where a sense of relief is replaced by pure excitement and within what seems like seconds, the last chords are played and the band leave the stage. With a set that rapidly tracks a very strong back catalogue, there’s something for every type of fan, and what better way is there to discover a band than through a greatest hits set within this atmosphere. Who knows what’s next for Bangers but if this is goodbye, it was absolutely wonderful.

ONSIND

Label mates ONSIND have a similar backstory and importance, and throw a “Ten Years Of Thatcher’s Death” party on the same stage. This is a very different band from the two piece acoustic act that started the project off over a decade ago. With one singer unable to sing but fortunately able to still play, they drafted in a replacement and what followed felt like a once in a lifetime set. With a last minute change on vocals, the crowd were enlisted to help out and boy did they help out. In a set that closed with an entire room singing ‘Never Trust a Tory’ at the top of their lungs, it is impossible not to leave inspired (and slightly croaky).

Death By Stereo

There are so many legends on the Manchester Punk Festival line up but were they on the Punk O Rama 6? In the case of Death By Stereo, the answer is yes. With decades behind them, this is a band who know what they are doing with a crowd and they held them in the palm of their hands from start to finish. Conducting the pit and encouraging the ever spinning circle to speed up and slow down at their will; all of this whilst also delivering a punishing set of hardcore with the occasional harmonised break before the crushing rhythms take back over.

Lightyear

If you were looking for a bit of chaos, Lightyear’s set complete with human tombola, venue climbing and endless taking the piss out of each other was the place to be. Somehow coming across as a band who have absolutely no idea what is going on, they still manage to play catchy and mood enhancing ska punk to a very high standard. This is a set that was pure chaos but one of the most purely fun things the weekend had to offer.

And with that – a quick snooze before another heavy day of running around Manchester Punk Festival.

Tickets for next years Manchester Punk Fest are available here.

Click the image below to see our Manchester Punk Festival – Saturday Gallery

The song is taken from their upcoming album, ‘Meow’, due for release on the 2nd September via Specialist Subject Records. You can pre-order it here.

The band will also be touring in September, which includes two dates with Pinegrove. Before that though, they’ll be playing the Specialist Subject all-dayer this Saturday with Bangers, Austeros, Woahnows, Doe and more at the The Lexington in London.

AUGUST
20 LONDON – Specialist Subject all-dayer, The Lexington

SEPTEMBER
3 EXETER – The Cavern
10 BRIGHTON – Cowley Bar
11 SOUTHAMTPON The Joiners*
12 CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach*
13 SOUTHSEA Edge of the Wedge
14 LONDON – Veg Bar
15 NOTTINGHAM – JT Soar
17 DURHAM – Empty Shop
18 BRISTOL – Hydra Bookshop

* w/ Pinegrove

‘There Was A Positive Vibe (When No One Was Left Alive)’ and ‘Walking On The Ground’ are both available to stream via BandCamp. The physical release will be available from the 19th August, and can be pre-ordered now.

Their final performance will form part of the Specialist Subject all-dayer, playing alongside Austeros, Doe, Sam Russo, Woahnows and more. Full details of the event are available on Facebook.

The final two tracks blend their melodies with often dark and humerous lyrics. Stream ‘Last Songs’ below.

Photo by Phillip J Randall

The festival has already announced We Are The Ocean, Hacktivist and Max Raptor as part of the bill, which is headed up by Reverend & The Makers.

For full details, check out the 2Q Festival on Facebook.

This month, we’re featuring the likes of Hindsights and Bangers who are both recent Beach Community signees, and many many more besides. We reckon it’s up there with the best of these so far, so have a listen using the player in this article, and read that handy booklet as well for some more information. If you’d like to download the compilation, please sign up for the mailing list below! If you’ve already signed up then you’ll be getting your download shortly!

THe album will be released on October 21, and you can hear a track from the release called ‘Park Animal’ using the player in this article. Check out the artwork below as well.

http://www.facebook.com/bangersbangers

Today we’re announcing our stage at this year’s Southsea Fest, which features some of our favourite bands from the length and breadth of the land.

We’re not adverse to doing things in a strange manner here at PT, so we’re leaving our headliner TBA for now, but we can promise that what we have in the works is going to be really special.

Check out our line up below (our stage is at the One Eyed Dog), and get yourself a ticket for £18 so you can come down to one of the best value festivals in the country on September 14 in Southsea.

UK punk rock legends Bangers take the sub headliner spot this year, with Giants, Nai Harvest and The Cut Ups appearing just before them. We’re also bringing you Ed Gibbs from Devil Sold His Soul’s new band All We Have and Tom Lacey of Ghost Of A Thousand’s new band Yards. Mike Scott’s hardcore outfit Lay It On The Line, As It Is, Still Bust and Nathan Detroit come before them, and Brighton newcomers Summerslam 88 appear as well. We’ve still got more bands to add to the bill as well as the headliner so please keep your eyes peeled over the next week or so!

HEADLINER TBA
Bangers
Giants
Nai Harvest
The Cut Ups
All We Have (ex Devil Sold His Soul)
Yards (ex Ghost Of A Thousand)
Lay It On The Line
As It Is
Still Bust
Nathan Detroit
Summerslam 88

+ more still to come!

http://www.southseafest.com/