Live Review: North West Calling Festival

Before we head into Manchester’s punk all dayer we have to acknowledge events that have impacted upon today’s line up. The Sham 69‘s drummer, Robin Guy, needs additional recovery time after his operation, so the band were forced to pull out of this year’s North West Calling event, hopefully he will make a speedy recovery and we’ll be able to catch them later this year. On a much sadder note Heavy Drapes were due to open this years North West Calling but tragically Garry Alexander Borland, the frontman and vocalist of Heavy Drapes, unexpectedly and suddenly passed away earlier this month. The Heavy Drapes were a band that were building a loyal fan base and garnering critical acclaim through their studio recordings and incendiary live performances and their opening slot has been left empty, a decision that reflects how much he meant to the punk community.

Manchester is in the grip of a heatwave as North West Calling makes it’s annual visit to the city, the streets that surround The Ritz are baking and are lined with punks of all ages for what has become an unmissable fixture in Manchester’s punk scene. Due to problems on the door we miss the beginning of In Evil Hours set, which is a shame as they were impressive when I caught them last year at Rebellion Festival, but what I do catch indicates they sound better than ever and their frontwoman, Alice Hour, remains as animated as ever as they deliver a punishing set to kick start the day. Despite the security checks and long queues In Evil Hour have drawn a respectable crowd into the darkness and heat of The Ritz for the start of North West Calling 2018, and as with their appearance at Rebellion Festival last year they have laid down a marker for the bands that will follow them.

Outside The Ritz smokers are sheltering in the shade provided by the tour couch, which has already attracted a parking ticket, and the venue is steadily filling up for this annual get together that celebrates all things punk. Slaughter II kick into their set which sees me scurrying back into the venue to catch a band that is formed from ex members of Slaughter And The Dogs, Ed Banger And The Nosebleeds and The Drones and as such it’s no surprise that they kick out a sound has a distinctly Mancunian punk edge that is borne of the first wave of punk. Across The Ritz it’s clear the bands aren’t just staying backstage, Weab of Dirt Box Disco is towering over the bar and members of Wonk Unit are meandering through the crowd maintaining the inclusive atmosphere that has been present at every North West Calling I’ve attended.

Despite the sweltering heat and the increasingly packed venue the atmosphere is one that is friendly, this is one of those events where the punk community comes together and friendships are made and renewed. For Duncan Reid And The Big Heads and I’ve retired to the balcony of The Ritz, something I regret as I meet a familiar face who reminds me of a foolish ‘last one in buys the beer’ comment I made and due to my delay getting in this was of course me. Duncan Reid And The Big Heads hit the crowd with a full tilt set of punk ‘n roll that reignites The Ritz. Their set embodies the punk rock of The Boys, Duncan Reid’s former band, but rather than sticking in the past this is a different beast that possesses a much more rock ‘n roll sensibility, I’m left wondering how and why I haven’t encountered them before now as their set was an early highlight.

The Ritz is beginning to resemble a sauna as Wonk Unit take the stage, they are playing in support of their recent, and in my opinion their best album to date, Terror. Alex Wonk is a captivating and slightly awkward presence on stage,  the band deliver a set that veers across their entire back catalogue in their own inimitable and chaotic style of punk rock. Some of their songs clearly strike a personal note, Alex becomes focused for the punkier version of Christmas In A Crack House, Me and Curtis, which he confirms was about “being a crack head” before they launch into Kings Road Sporting Heroes. Wonk Unit are a unique band on the UK’s punk scene, equally at home coverings personal subjects around recovery, political satire or songs inspired by Rambo, there really is no one quite like Wonk Unit.

Dirt Box Disco have become a more than welcome fixture at every North West Calling and the clown princes of punk don’t disappoint, from the opening blast of The Other Side Of The Street they deliver a full tilt set that takes in all six of their studio albums and sees the first pit of the day. Tonight Weab resembles the mutant child of Alice Cooper and its hard not to love the comic spectacle that is Dirt Box Disco, if they were just a novelty punk act their appeal would be limited but they back up their live circus with some of the most inrfectious tunes and singalong choruses you’ll hear. Inevitably when My Life Is Shit is played the roof almost comes off The Ritz and and sees the security almost buried under an avalanche of crowd surfers. Dirt Box Disco deliver a combination of punk rock and humour that is coupled with blistering live performances that has endeared them to crowds across Europe, judging by the crowd reaction today Dirt Box Disco could have headlined and no one would have batted an eye.

There is an inevitably awkward choice that you have to make as when you choose to get food on days like this, a sprint across the road for a quick bite to eat and we manage to get back in time to catch the end of Pentration’s set. Their set sees the first appearance by one of the original bands from the first wave of punk deliver a set that spans their career, and includes a selection of their classic punk singles, including the classic Don’t Dictate. As you’d expect by the mid point of North West Calling the combination of alcohol and scorching temperatures is taking its toll in some of the attendees and the venue has hit melting point ahead of a welcome appearance by Ruts DC ahead of their recently announced 40th anniversary of The Crack tour.

The Ruts DC are always welcome at a festival celebrating all things punk, their mix of dub and punk is the perfect pick me up and when they deliver West One (Shine On Me) early in the set the dance floor erupts and I find myself collared by Stephen Doyle from Salford City Radio who is keen to point out these are the best band of the day, and he might have a point. Ruts DC deliver a set that covers their original incarnation, the dub heavy material from their post Malcolm Owen era and their recent resurgence that followed the release of the Music Must Destroy album, all three eras of this iconic band’s fractured history blend together seamlessly. Their set works it way through all their s best known material before inevitably ending with the incendiary Babylon’s Burning, they return for a final encore of Psychic Attack that matches their best known single despite the two tracks being over three decades apart. If tonight’s set by Ruts DC was a preview of what to expect on next years The Crack tour then I’d book your tickets now.

One of the great things about punk festivals is the people you meet, I’ve talked to numerous people that I may or may not meet again at the bars that surround The Ritz and outside the venue where people are escaping the almost oppressive heat in the venue, all of which has added to the friendly atmosphere that is permeating this side of Manchester today. I arrive back inside to encounter Peter And The Test Tube Babies, a band who in many ways laid the foundations for bands like Dirt Box Disco and The Dead Pets. Mid way through their set I find myself hijacked by one of Manchester Punk band The Mardi Gras Bombers that results in a lost hour catching up outside one of the bars across the road from The Ritz, and sees us joined by numerous familiar faces I’ve encountered over the years at concerts and festivals, that means we inadvertently miss GBH‘s appearance at North West Calling.

I re-enter the ritz to find the Angelic Upstarts kicking off their set with Teenage Warning, a single I used to put on the pub jukebox to annoy the locals, and it’s clear that the Upstarts are as fired up as ever. It’s good to see that amidst the tributes to those that have passed the Angelic Upstarts bass player Gaz Stoker is wearing an Adolescents t shirt in acknowledgment of the loss of Steve Soto earlier this week. The Angelic Upstarts remain a working class political voice whose views haven’t changed since their inception in 1977, tonight confirms that despite the passage of over four decades they remain committed to their core values. This is underpinnned by The Murder Of Liddle Towers and a triumphant I’m Am Upstart that is dedicated to Steve Soto. The Angelic Upstarts are a band that inspired many and on the basis of tonight’s set they will continue to do so.

The Adicts close North West Calling 2018, they enter to the William Tell Overture before hirtting the stage with all the camp theatrical style you’d expect, from this point on its the band’s trademark Clockwork Orange on speed style as they deliver a set that is the perfect end to the day. The Adicts are a band I haven’t caught live before and the influence they’ve had in the modern punk scene, or at least the more theatrical side of it, has been underestimated as they deliver singalong choruses that are delivered with a theatrical panache that makes them the perfect punk band to close this particular party. After this we head into Manchester with many of tonight’s crowd to see what else the night holds. North West Calling has become an institution for a reason, old and new school punk bands and fans happily rub shoulders in this annual event, and if you’re in this region of the country then it really should be on your Calendar. North West Calling has been confirmed to return in 2019, tickets and the first details of the line up will be soon be available via the STP Records ticket store here and I’ll see you down the front next year.

All of tonight’s band’s can be found on social media, the following band’s also have their own websites

The Adicts website is located here

The official Dirt Box Disco website is located here

Duncan Reid And The Big Heads website is located here

In Evil Hour‘s Bandcamp can be found here

Peter And The Test Tube Babies website is here

The Ruts DC website can be found here

Wonk Unit‘s online presence is here

Live photography is by Gary Hough, his Instagram account is located here and you can click on any of Gary’s photos to view a slide show of the images