Manchester Punk Festival (Friday 7th April 2023)

How has it been a year since we last put on our party boots ready to head out into the sunshine and Manchester Punk Festival, this also raises the question how do they manage to ensure good weather in a city famous for it’s rain, not that a bit of precipitation would deter us but it’s absence does improve the weekend. Every year Manchester Punk Festival manages to be a testament to the spirit of the DIY punk scene as the team responsible put together a line up that is hard to match, one that focuses on the underground and the current, or at least recent, wave of punk bands, along with one or two more familiar faces, but there is no spirit of ’76 present, there are no historic reminders of punk’s past, apart from maybe a few perennial favourites such as Discharge and Snuff. This a representation of the punk scene right here and now, as well as a gathering of the tribes from across the UK and beyond.

After collecting the wristbands we reaquaint ourselves with those in early in the Manchester sunshine, beers are consumed and the piss is taken, the perfect warm up ahead of the live Hello & Hoof podcast in the Sandbar that is hosted by Danny Barrett (The Crash Mats) that is the truly random love child of Horn & Hoof Records and Evil Music Live. This is the most chaotic and random podcast you will encounter that resembles a cross between a daytime tv show and a bad trip hosted by Alan Partridge. The torch is lit for the opening ceremony, all 40 watts of it, and chaos then ensues as Danny attempts to interview 20 people in 40 minutes including members of Clayface, The Sewer Cats, Shackleford (who incorporate an impressive magic show into their two minutes on stage), Smoking Gives You Big Tits, Snatch Game, Knife Club, Comeback Clit, Haest and Tio RIco, to name but a few, being subjected to the most random questions you’ll encounter as the set disintegrates around them. 

“How we fuckin’ doin’?” is probably the most appropriate way of opening up the festival ‘proper’ in The Union. This last year has seen relentless gigging, including supporting Amyl & The Sniffers, creating pro-looking music videos, and now waiting to unleash their debut album, Useless For Something, has seen Bruise Control take their place as a really credible act in the wider UK scene. Kicking off with said album opener, Useless. It’s not long before buzz around the band swells, then brims over completely. It only takes one song before frontman Jim’s shirt is off, and his confrontational ‘in yer face’ bark has the pit swirling to the self titled single. What the guys have, are short, sweaty and scrappy (in the best way) gutter-punk singalongs that marry rowdy Oi! and indie sensibilities, through guitarist Niall’s intriguing chord choices. On fan favourites Taxman and Disco Fury, they move up through the gears, managing to even drop some Black Sabbath into the bop of Come on Down, and close the set out with a suitably bruising HMRC. A triumphant homecoming.

After the trio present from The Punk Site meet up for beer and pizza we split with two of our number heading into The Bread Shed for Japan’s Green Eyed Monster, this is the way of things as the planned itinerary has been derailed before 5pm. Green Eyed Monster veer from sweet poppy moments to hard edged punk rock, and pretty much everything in between, that makes them the first unplanned discovery of the weekend. Their all too short set is delivered with infectious enthusiasm and energy, any language barrier is vaulted over and the sizeable afternoon crowd are effortlessly won over by the charm and joy that this trio bring to their live set.

Meanwhile in Gorilla and fresh off the back of their debut album, AILMENTS, gruff-punks Clayface make the step up to a bigger stage, and ride their current confidence through a thunderous set. These songs, from the opening bass rumble of Big Things Happen At Greenfield Skatepark onwards, have been simmering away, ready to be let loose on the public. Breathless, they rattle through hard-hitting riffsters like Bite The Bullet and Hole In The Chest that charge the crowd, who reciprocate the euphoric energy. There’s also a sense of positivity in the air; it’s nice to watch people who are enjoying what they’re doing playing to a smiling crowd who have come to support their people. Closing tune Employee Of The Year commands a singalong, and it’s “Oh Well. Whatever. What’s The Point?” refrain is even heard being whistled later in the toilets. Legacy.

A stroll down Oxford Road to Gorilla, with a brief stop for the essential caffeine top up, albeit in martini form, is next up as Fortitude Valley are bringing their bittersweet indie punk to Manchester Punk Festival. Live their sound is beefed up from their 2021 self titled album, the nuances and subtleties aren’t lost but there’s just a more muscular feel to the tracks. Their sound is a mix of pre millennial alt, think Veruca Salt and The Breeders, that’s backed up with a more strident beat, but then we have to depart and trek back up to The Union, sadly due to bad timing we only catch the tail end of 4ft Fingers pummelling set.

Simultaneously in The Bread Shed Burning Flag are in a colossal mood. They’ve got the ‘core’ end of hardcore nailed, like the fundamentals are in place, a stoic backline, churning out undulating grooves, incessant chugging and metallic breakdowns against a punctuating whipcrack snare. Atop the noise, Holly prowls, and stalks the stage, focussing and refocussing her tirade towards society, misogyny and internally, too. They’re a great band if you want to snarl along with Pay Me, Ghost Skin and Vendetta churn along, mixing sludge and staccato across fluctuating tempos. A couple of new tracks, Hecate and Off With Their Heads make an appearance; a comforting thought that there’s more of this to come. While the world outside crumbles, a distant thought for those crammed inside The Bread Shed this evening, Burning Flag close out with Broken Britain and its spiralling denouement: “what future?”

We’re not moving as there’s a palpable tension in the room tonight. Going Off are HOT property at the moment, off the back off their recently released debut, What Makes You Tick? Measuring the scope for something incendiary, frontman Jake traverses the crowd, snake-like, coiled, before taking the stage, which is where it coincidentally all goes off. The band are a visceral, violent beast – grinding away meticulously through a revamped set that includes Shell Shocked, Code of Conduct and Flesh Prison, the band also being politically and societally astute, as well as being a blunt force. In fact, there’s a kind of drama, theatre, to the way they play with tease and tempo, luring the audience in with lingering feedback and extended drum build-ups that pay off in the best way, through some frankly rude and rapturous breakdowns. All the while, Jake maintains a maniacal presence, with a convulsing, mesmerising performance that must leave his lungs in tatters. Fucking devastating.

Floridian punk outfit The Beltones make a welcome return with a full tilt set of punk ‘n roll, one that revitalises those in The Union. The veteran punk outfit deliver their set with a laid back nonchalance that only comes with the passing of (almost) three decades, that isn’t to say that there is any lack of energy, this is a band enjoying their renaissance, or maybe their twilight years, either way it’s a more than welcome reacquaintance with an outfit who are rare visitors to our shores, to put it mildly, as it’s been two decades since they last visited the UK. And what’s clear is that they are still loving every second on stage, even after all these years. 

Off With Their Heads are the final band in The Union, and it’s a fitting end to the day that sees the venue rammed and for the first time today the pit explodes into life with a tidal wave of crowd surfers thrown into the mix. This isn’t a surprise as Off With Their Heads are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their landmark Home album by playing it in full, or at least playing most of it as “no one wants to hear that shit”. They are drowned out on the choruses of this much loved full length, this is the stuff that memories are made off and if I went home now I would go home a happy man. Whilst this is the closing set in The Union, the day is far from over and after this we head towards the Zombie Shack as Phinky has unfinished business that goes way back.

Back when The Crippens were known as Dr & The Crippens, Phinky tried to see them twice and failed abysmally due to a combination of alcohol and bad timing, their appearance tonight means he can finally put this right, it has taken him a while, over three decades to be precise, but the time has finally come. And it’s every bit as surreal and manic as he’d hoped. With a set including Freak Of Nature and There’s Something Wrong With Her, this is old school UK hardcore that was Fired From The Circus, appropriately enough the title of their debut album from back in the day. This was surreal, intense, slightly horrifying and fucking good fun, In short everything we hoped for and for one of us past mistakes were corrected tonight.

Finally, at least for us, it’s Knife Club in that farthest flung venue of Manchester Punk Fest, Rebellion. The all star band were a highlight from last year and well, they are again this year. Their new full length, Our Club, Our Rules, surpassed their impressive debut album and tonight’s show matches this. As you’d expect there is a manic pit and crowd surfing, getting to the bar is impossible as the pit expands, or the “fun zone” as vocalist Andy Davies refers to it. The Tibby Tab Tiger brings a truly manic episode in the pit, and as this is amongst the finest songs we’ve heard in recent years this was metaphorical cherry on toady’s cake. This has been a perfect start to the three day celebration of the DIY and independent punk scene. We may be limping and aching but there are no complaints, and we’ll be back tomorrow for round two.

Live photography courtesy of Gary M Hough of Shot From Both Sides. Words by Phinky and Adam Pytro.

Tickets for the 2024 Manchester Punk Festival can be purchased here.