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

Of course, the guys have decided to bring some very talented bands along for the ride kicking off with the insatiable Funeral Shakes. The Watford lads are without doubt the best dressed band out there at the moment (where can we buy those shirts?) their lyrics may be full of dread, regret and heartbreak but those topics have never sounded so good. Sure with early doors there might not have been as many people in the venue as they’d have wanted but that doesn’t stop their brand of good old rock n roll getting those in attendance moving. Just like the recent vinyl revival, Funeral Shakes have dug deep and dragged a 50s sound back into the present and not to mention that technically, Funeral Shakes are the first band to ever play The Underworld 4 nights in a row. Technically…

Next up bringing with them a huge change in pace are Death By Stereo who immediately launch into a ferocious set. It even seems to take the crowd by surprise a little but that soon passes as a circle pit erupts and the band can’t help but join in the fun running through the pit while still managing to hit their notes. Death By Stereo are all about riffs, huge vocals and even more riffs which fit perfectly into the evening, which reminds us of the difficulty settings from your favourite computer game. If Funeral Shakes were the easy, fun setting then Death By Stereo are the medium, harder setting you must conquer before moving onto the hardest setting, which in this case are the mighty Cancer Bats.

And finally, the reason we’re all here. To celebrate 10 years of one of the finest records out there ‘Hail Destroyer.’ Taking the stage to a huge roar from the crowd as you’d expect they kick off proceedings with their no nonsense cover of the famous Beastie Boys track ‘Sabotage’ there are crowd surfers and mosh pits from the get go and these don’t cease until the final note has been played.

Not wanting to go straight into ‘Hail Destroyer’ the guys first build the foundations with a brutal rendition of ‘Bricks & Mortar’ before laying waste to the entire room. Playing through each track with care and precision they sound as huge and chaotic as ever. ‘Sorceress’ and ‘PMA ‘til I’m DOA’ still sound as fresh and engaging as they did a decade ago. But tonight isn’t just about the record, it’s about the bands journey because as they put it “We’d still be working in a tofu factory if it wasn’t for you guys” there’s even time for a few tracks from the bands epic surprise album ‘The Spark That Moves’ before they finish fittingly on yet another chaotic performance of ‘Hail Destroyer’

And just like that Cancer Bats write their own page into the famous Underworld history book by becoming the first band to headline the venue for 4 nights straight. And with the resounding success of their newest record here’s to many more landmarks for the Canadian band. Long live the Cancer Bats.

CHRISTOPHER LEE

The sold out shows will see Cancer Bats perform their 2008 second album ‘Hail Destroyer’ in full as part of the record’s tenth anniversary. The band’s last release was 2015’s ‘Searching for Zero’ on Metal Blade Records (US), New Damage Records (CAN), Noise Church Records (EU), GrindHouse Recordings (JP) and Cooking Vinyl (AUS).

As for the other bands; the last record from Death by Stereo was their 2016 EP ‘Just Like You’d Leave Us, We’ve Left You for Dead’ on Irish Voodoo Records, Arrest Records and Concrete Jungle Records.

Meanwhile, Funeral Shakes will be releasing their debut self-titled album on the 16th February via Silent Cult Records. They feature current/ex members of The Smoking Hearts, Nervus and Gallows.

APRIL
24 LONDON The Underworld
25 LONDON The Underworld
26 LONDON The Underworld
27 LONDON The Underworld

The shows will be in support of their upcoming debut self-titled album, which will be released on the 16th February via Silent Cult Records.

You can get more info on these dates as well as their previously announced shows below.

JANUARY
20 BEDFORD Esquires w/ Gold Key, Hero Dies First + VNDTA
FEBRUARY
14 LONDON The Old Blue Last w/ Lirr + Wild Cat Strike
15 WATFORD LP Cafe w/ Bogans + Storm Harbor
23 HUDDERSFIELD Parish w/ Mr. Shiraz
24 STAFFORD Red Rum w/ Sonic Boom Six
25 NORTHWICH Salty Dog
MARCH
02 CORBY The White Hart w/ Loose Tooth + Ex-Pets
APRIL
04 BRIDGEWATER Cobblestones
05 NOTTINGHAM Red Room
06 DARWEN Sunbird Records
07 GLASGOW Broadcast
08 DONCASTER Woolpack
09 MANCHESTER Night People
10 LONDON Thousand Island
11 BRISTOL The Louisiana
24 LONDON The Underworld*
25 LONDON The Underworld*
26 LONDON The Underworld*
27 LONDON The Underworld*

* w/ Cancer Bats + Death by Stereo

Hands down the band with the finest facial hair on any guitarist the world has ever known, the chronically underrated Death By Stereo have covered Rancid for an upcoming tribute album (sketchily called ‘Hooligans United’). They covered ‘Rejected’.