Live Review: The Great British Alternative Music Festival (Saturday), Butlins, Skegness, UK, 6th October 2018

Day two of The Great British Alternative Music Festival sees the warm weather and t-shirts of the opening day give way to grey skies and rain, accompanied by leather and waterproofs but aside from the brief stroll to the venue from our accommodation this is indoors so the rain doesn’t affect anyone’s enthusiasm for another day of punk rock and beer that brings an array of bands old and new. Today opens up with one of 2017’s Introducing Stage winners, No Thrills, who blow the metaphorical cobwebs away with a set of charged breakneck punk rock that is embedded in the roots of hardcore with a touch of early Misfits.

No Thrills are swiftly followed by UK82 originals GBH, they remain an omnipresent feature in the punk scene. Never diminished or diluted, they remain almost unchanged despite the passing of almost four decades, but would you have them any other way? Tracks such as Knife Edge remind that GBH are still very much a force of nature. The duo of opening acts, coupled with the eclectic punk soundtrack of requests from the crowd, is not the wake up call that you would normally expect at the family friendly holiday resort of Butlins.

The Introducing Stage kicks off with Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies who bring a breath of fresh air with post punk and punk influences and a unique array of lyrical influence that ranges from Marcel Duchamp to Yuri Gagarin, all delivered in a socially aware style along with a theatrical panache and self-deprecating scouse wit, as well as the eponymous Dinner Ladies that bring an element of performance art into the mix, making them utterly irresistible, this is reflected in the vote as Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies win and will return next year. Bus Station Loonies maintain their chaotic punk rock credentials with a no frills set of raw DIY punk rock that comes across as the product of a late night liaison between Wonk Unit and Crass.

Delinquents bring a welcome return to the roots of melodic punk, this is a band that gets better every time you see them, familiarity does not breed contempt in the case of their brash high octane punk rock. They deliver brutal punk rock with a good natured hardcore assault. They are joined onstage by The Blue Carpet Band frontman Djamel Abina for the Fuck You Song which brings together two of our favourite acts from the weekend. The final band for today’s Introducing Stage are Witchdoktors. Delivering a high octane blend that’s straight out of the garage, the WitchDoktors channel a direct link to the origins of garage punk and ensure that, as was the case yesterday, the Introducing Stage is the place to be.

The Rezillos are the perfect band to kick start the night. Walking on stage to the Pink Panther theme they deliver a crowd pleasing set that kicks off with a frantic Flying Saucer Attack that signals a more than welcome run through the entirety of their classic album, Can’t Stand The Rezillos. The Rezillos are still fronted by the ever present duo of Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds and you really couldn’t ask for more from a band that were, and on the evidence of tonight’s performance still are, one of Scotland’s most eccentric live acts. The packed out Reds Stage indicates we are not alone in welcoming The Rezillos back to Skegness.

We approached the appearance of the Sham 69 with some trepidation having seen them perform some mediocre gigs in recent years. Tonight they are back to their best, their set underlines just how much the street punk scene owes to this band. Everything you could want from the Sham 69 is present and correct in tonight’s appearance. My faith in one of punks originals is reaffirmed, something that is cemented by a rare outing for the first song I ever heard by the band, No Entry. Their set reminds you just how many classic punk singles Sham 69 released, each song is followed by another perfect singalong terrace chant that culminates in Hurry Up Harry, the band might as well not be on stage such is the volume of the crowds vocals.

Meanwhile on the other main stage The Boomtown Rats knock out a killer career spanning  set. Whatever people think of Bob Geldof he’s a showman who puts everything into a Rats gig. Pounding the stage with more energy than most people half his age. (She’s Gonna) Do You In, Rat Trap, Like Clockwork and the rest sound as good now as they did back in the day, and appropriately enough their set, despite Bob Geldof doing his best to alienate his fan base over the years, is a tonic for the somewhat dishevelled troops that have attended to catch their set.

There’s a palpable buzz ahead of Dirt Box Disco’s appearance at an absolutely packed Centre Stage, and with good reason. If any band is suited to playing in the equivalent of a haunted funfair then it’s the grotesque cartoon punk of Dirt Box Disco. Tonight is, somewhat unsurprisingly in the wake of the release of the Hooray Hooray remastered compilation, a greatest hits set, but no one is complaining about the crowd pleasing classics, including a rousing My Life Is Shit, and the perfect song for a weekend in a holiday camp full of drunk punks, Stop Shouting. Tonight bodes well for the shift to a new label and the next chapter in the bands history and you can’t help but feel that the chant of “Hooray Hooray it’s Dirt Box day” is only going to get louder over the coming years.

Tickets for Butlins 2019 Live Music Weekends can be booked here

Photography by Steve White and you can visit his Flickr site here,

Review co-written by Steve White