The Great British Alternative Music Festival (Friday)

A celebration of some great alternative music. A gathering of friends all linked together by a love of music that isn’t your mainstream chart fodder. A place where people warmly greet those they haven’t seen since this time last year. The Great British Alternative Music Festival is, just like the Rebellion Festival, a highlight on the musical calendar of many people. For some the list of fantastic bands playing is second to the fact that this is one big social occasion. For others it’s the chance to see a whole load of favourite bands in the space of just three days andfor others it’s the opportunity to discover ‘new’ bands on the always excellent Introducing Stage. This is our sixth visit, five at Skegness and one at Minehead, and our third covering the event for thepunksite.com.

Arriving early afternoon the first thing you notice is the friendliness of the staff. Check-in is as quick and efficient as it can be, directions are clear and first impressions of the accommodation are good. It’s warm, comfortable, clean and, for two people, spacious with decent kitchen facilities, TV, sofa, spotless bathroom and all just a few minutes walk from the three venues.

As always our apologies to the bands (and their fans) we didn’t get to see. Nothing personal – we have to eat, have the occasional sit down and chill

So to open up the proceedings and get this weekend off to a punktatsic start, SV And The Eruptions bring to Butlins Skegness a huge chunk of musical humour and sarcasm with songs of XR3’s and Hanging Round The Shops to an audience

of willing onlookers on the introducing stage. Judging by the swarm of already lubricated minds from the surrounding bars, this looks to be a weekend full of music and lets just say Frivolity. Billy Club are up next who bring their full speed ahead version of Punk Rock to the now building crowd, they have a following that spans a long career of touring around the UK over a few many years so get awarm response.  If any of you have a picture that this was Butlins for families that you might have been expecting, then Billy Club bring this crashing down! Who can follow such an onslaught?.  Well this falls to the Ashington based trio of LoGOz they have pretty much the whole audience to there feet and dancing as they throw out there North East version of Pop/Punk 70’s throwback guitar thrashing with a splash of Rock and adding a modern twist to their sound.  You’re still hearing fresh and exciting songs though, just being there and entertaining the throng of now bouncing Punks seemed to give them a sense of personal achievement, with songs like Long Time Dead, Disgraceland and ending with Mexicola, job done! You now have a very very happy and perfectly entertained Butlins crowd. 

There’s a pole on the stage, it dominates the centre and there’s a growing crowd and sense of anticipation waiting for Tokyo Taboo. Their reputation as an in your face rock n roll band is growing quickly with a lot here today having already witnessed them at Rebellion just a few months ago. Drums, bass and guitar start and, seconds later, Dolly Daggerz strolls on stage, her eight inch platform heels giving off a very clear ‘I’m not here to mess around’ message.It’s a superb 45 minutes of incendiary noise that hammers into to you both musically and visually. Daggerz, a supemely talanted pole dancer, spins up and down the pole, strolls into the crowd, sits on the stage edge all the while belting out vocals often based on deeply personal experiences. Powerful and, at the same time, melodic Daggerz is in the crowd singing in the faces of onlookers, singing straight into the phones of those attempting to flim this visual spectacle. Backed up by the driving guitar work of  Mickey Dangerous it’s non stop. New single ‘Whiskey‘ – based on her previous struggles with alcohol and subsequent sobriety – goes down a storm. In fact every song hits home, proving beyond doubt Tokyo Taboo’s reputation is well deserved and that this is a bandgoing places.

Following up from a full line up on the Introducing Stage and moving over with a wonderfully friendly atmosphere created by an attentive and helpful security staff to Reds stage area surrounded by sweaty alcohol filled men and women and Punks of a younger age too, the latter not alcohol filled I might add, it was time for Anti-Nowhere League to bring the fire and fury of there own brand go high energy Punk to the fray. If you have never been to an Anti-Nowhere League gig before then you must be prepared for a full on kind of fan base that is always willing to grab the energy that exudes from the stage and throw it around the mosh pit like it was a rag doll. Having arrived a little into the set just from the sheer numbers getting in, I rolled in just as Animal dedicated a song to his would-be attacker.  After suffering a knife attack recently in a local pub I Hate People was the choice for this tribute. The need to move over to the other of the main stages for the other offering on the musical menu for Friday meant not catching the whole set but suffice to say they were much loved by the Anti-Nowhere League faithful.

Last year’s Introducing Stage winners The Blue Carpet Band are first up on Centre Stage and wow, what an opening act. Grungy, dirty, bluesy rock n roll with a pure punk attitude from a band who have grown and matured over the last 12 months. Frontman Djamel dominates the stage from the opening notes. Strutting, shuffling classic 50’s moves. This is someone who can’t stay still. He’s in the pit, over the barrier, lost in the crowd and the crowd love it. All the while he’s backed by a band that are tight. This is a band whose growing popularity is more than deserved, a band who should, if life is fair, soon be packing out venues as big as this all the time.

We are back to Reds again and as always the whole Butlins staff are at hand to give us a smooth transition, we are now entering into a whole new realm of feeling and excitement that surrounds The Adicts who are next up.With a darkened room awaiting the arrival of an almost surreal moment, the suspense could be felt on the back of your neck.

Long standing fans know what to expect whilst those who have never seen this band before will leave with a huge ‘WTF’ grin on their face. Their set can be summed up in one word – “joyous”. It’s a set focusing on their high speed, popppy punk numbers. Songs that will have the place bouncing and bounce it did. Put a band that clearly enjoys what they do with a crowd that laps up every second and you’ve got an explosive mix of fun, singing, dancing. Mix fantastic songs with the obligatory packs of cards thrown to the crowd, water and beer drenching those at the front, streamers, masses of ‘confetti’, huge balloons and this is just one big punk rock party. Even the bouncers have great big grins on their faces, they can’t move out of the way so one crouches to avoid the various liquids and, by the end they’re joining in the fun throwing balloons back to the crowd. Superb stuff from a band everyone should see at least once in their lives. One final point, the site staff who have to clean up after this deserve a medal and a pay rise.

Switching venues is a theme you will notice throughout the whole weekend, its very similar to being at a festival of the outdoor kind, but without the weather to bring you happiness and joy on route, so into Centre Stage for almost the last time of the evening, and to add to all the other praise, door staff, bar staff and Butlins staff in general, thank you for being amazing to all the punters.  So The Blockheads, what can be said about a band that have brought so much joy to music loving festival goers the length and breadth of the country for so many years even after the sad loss of the mighty Ian Dury

Musically always at the high end of their game for every performance, bringing all the big guns out to a very full an appreciative audience, the legend that is Norman Watt-Roy on bass as always the glue that holds the band. You get a wonderful warm feeling when they play Clever Trevor, Reasons To Be cheerful and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick life is better after leaving a Blockheads gig.

Hanging around in centre stage for the arrival of the next band. This taking some time due to technical issues and we have at least time to take a breather and even join in the local tradition of downing a beer or two. Apparently this is what you have to be prepared for when you sign up to the Alternative party weekend, so not to disappoint off to the bar!. Menace up on stage eventually are pretty much what you might expect, professional 70’s street Punk and considering they started back in 76 they still pull the audience in and songs like “The Young Ones” and “I Need Nothing”.  They still hold sway with a crowd of like minded Punks.

Dirt Box Disco are a perfect close to the night. Waiting around for Menace to start on Centre Stage means we only catch the second half of the Dirt Box Disco set and by then Reds is dancing and chanting some of the most recognisable punk-pop anthems you’ll ever hear right back at the band. The departure of Weab last year hasn’t diminished the impact this band has as a live outfit. Spunk Volcano more than makes up on vocals as they hammer out all the festival pleasers. ‘Standing In A Queue’, ‘Girlfriend’s Best Friend’s Sister’, ‘Let’s Get Wasted’ and, of course. ‘My Life Is Shit’. In a room where the majority of people have had a few drinks, are in a party mood and want to have fun you can’t ask for anything more to end the evening.

Its now gone Midnight and a very long day for everyone is either ending or maybe just running through until the early hours, but either way the feeling of fulfilment is easy to see.

Co Written By Steve White

Tickets For Butlins Live Music Weekends 2020 can be bought Here

Link to Mark Cartwright’s Photos can be found Here

Link to Steve White‘s Photos can be found Here