Fun, Friendly and Fantastic - Undercover Festival XIII in words, videos and pictures..
A new location (at the Showground, Battlesbridge Antiques Centre), a slightly different format, yet still the same warm welcome, plus of course their accustomed array of top bands and artists. There are music festivals, and then there is Undercover Festival – a place where those of us who love alternative music will always make new friends, while discovering great new performers!
Punktuation’s Ruth Rae eschewed the camping option, and stayed in the lovely on-site B&B, Frasers – their cooked breakfasts were delicious – enjoying a comfortable place to rest her head and her camera. The well-organised Undercover team ensured that the two day festival flowed as smoothly as the beer at the on-site bar, this time across two stages, with plenty of variety for all.
Arriving on site to the usual friendly welcome from Tash and Jen on wristband and ticket duty, a short stroll took me to the bar / second stage, April’s Acoustic(ish) Den of Iniquity, perpendicular to the Main Stage, which was situatated at the top of the events field. Festival Organiser Mick Moriarty and his hard-working crew had everything ready for the first bands, as the audience assembed ready for an afternoon and evening of riotous rock ‘n’ roll!
Introduced by our popular compere Keith Woodhouse (main photo), the excellent Gripper Lee kindly stepped in last minute to open proceedings on the Main Stage, with a short set of their own material, including the funky ‘Pale Blue Dot‘ from their latest EP release ‘Look Away Now‘. Inviting anyone who wished to join in for a couple of covers – ‘Straighten Out‘ (The Stranglers) and ‘Hate to Say I Told You So‘ (The Hives) – they warmed us all up perfectly for the subsequent acts!
Next on the main stage were the youngest band to play the festival, Monumental – vocalist Finn, 18; guitarist Alfie, 20; bassist Nathan, 19; and drummer Denny, 21. They soon had the crowd caught up with their poised, polished, mod-influenced sound, which belied their tender years. Announcing a band favourite, ‘Eyes Wide Open‘, it was clear from their grins how much they enjoyed themselves on the stage!
Ending their set with a cover of ‘Little Bitch‘ (The Specials) to also verify ther ska credentials, the crowd yelled for more, so Monumental gave us a mod-tastic cover of ‘New Rose‘ (The Damned) which naturally had the crowd jumping around. I highly recommend you catch them playing live this autumn:
11th Oct 25 – Hope & Anchor Islington
17 Oct 25 – Dixon Studio, Southend
15 Nov 25 – Goffs Park Social Club Crawley
29 Nov 25 – The Prince Albert Brighton
First band to grace the Acoustic Den stage, introduced by compere Sean Quinn, were The Hedge Inspectors, a ukulele (Mike) and bass (Caroline) playing duo, who were also multi-tasking by running the stage’s sound desk! They did a cracking job, as the sound in there was excellent all weekend, and their set was top class too! Performing an amusing variety of personal songs, including ‘Angry Bees‘ – “A true story about the time I got knocked off my bike by a tractor full of cheese in Woking” explained singer Mike – they were loudly and deservedly applauded.
Over in the Den, Gripper Lee went on to play their second set of the day, their enthusiasm undiminished! Sounding just as epic as they did on the main stage, Richie‘s rumbling bass filled the room with sound, accompanied by Gripper‘s precision drumming and swirling, melodic guitar from latest recruit Justin. “We’re where we belong at last,” quipped Richie, “In the bar!”
Undercover favourites Dakka Skanks were a huge hit on the Main stage, enthralling us by playing their cracking new song ‘Repent‘ for only the third time live! A fast-paced number with hard-rocking guitars, yet full of soul.
There were dancers aplenty in front of the stage, keeping warm and out of the slight drizzle, engaged by vocalist Clara Byrne‘s incredible voice and the band’s tight beats. “Rest in peace Mensi” said Clara, before Dakka Skanks played a cover of ‘Brighton Bomb‘, their favourite Angelic Upstarts song. Including a timely reminder that skinhead culture is not about a small group of racists, they launched into a heartfelt ‘Ain’t a Skinhead‘.
At the same time, Joe Bitter was on the Den stage, as a solo artist struggling a bit to be heard above the Main stage! Being the professional he is, he wasn’t fazed, and gave us a splendid set of several Emergency Bitter songs, followed by a few of of his socially conscious individual numbers. ‘Rooftops‘, about people being conned by grifters, ‘Rise Up‘, what to do about the cost of living crisis, and ‘Divided States‘, on the mess that’s happening across the pond. “I only care because the same thing’s happening here” he sang. “Here’s a phrase I’ve used before – it’s a long weekend, pace yourselves!” he cautioned, before launching into ‘Never Again‘, a hilariously accurate number about overdoing our drinking..
The East Town Pirates‘ ship docked just in time to light up the Main stage with their sea shanty punk! Much loved by the crowd, beer glasses and hips were swaying as the band swung through a rip-roaring set, including ‘Glory Days‘, ‘Old Grog‘ and ‘Throw Your Arms’. Fleagle (Red Anger‘s rhythm guitarist) led a multitudinous conga line through the wildly dancing throng during the latter song; it was a wonderful sight to behold!
Over in the Den, another solo performer Shell The Alternative Folkie brought us a selection of her songs, inspired by both nature and her life. A mixture of goth, punk and folk, she mesmerised the audience with her unique style and musicality.
Looking the part in matching black trousers and shirts, with assorted colourful ties, brass-fuelled ska-punks Codename Colin soon had the crowd bouncing and skanking along with them! It was the first time I’d seen this energetic and excellent band, and I was highly impressed. They played their most recent single release ‘The Worst Is Yet To Come‘ and another new song ‘Hangover‘ which went out to “anyone who’s drunk more than 6 pints so far!” A touching tribute in the form of a trumpet on a high stand on the stage was present, in memory of their late player Snowy Snowdon, who passed away unexpectedly after the band’s last tour in April.
Ace anarchopunks Subhumans got a proper mosh pit going with their rapid-fire music! Vocalist Dick Lucas stirred the crowd with his words about not allowing ourseves to be dragged into a system that’s not designed for our good. Before playing ‘This Year’s War”, he said “It’s always about the white people trying to take all the commodities off the brown people – it’s fucked up.”
There was singing along aplenty to ‘Apathy‘ and ‘Subvert City‘, a rallying pro-Palestine cry, then a few more words from Dick; “The 1% think they own our fucking brains – WE are the 99%, with our emotional intelligence, love and community”, which of course led neatly to Subhumans blasting out ‘99%‘!
Finishing the night on the Main stage were the magnificent Popes of Chillitown, who instantly held the amassed crowd in the palms of their hands! Introduced by a silver-masked, red-cloaked, crucifix-carrying figure, we enjoyed a super set from the ska-punk Festival favourites, and the energy from the band was reflected by an equally enthusiastic crowd jumping along throughout.
Treating the eager crowd to a selection of great songs from their career, starting with ‘Opoom‘, from their now 10-year-old album ‘To The Moon‘, the band leapt around the stage like men posessed.. by the spirit of great music, of course! One of their final numbers was the title track of their most recent album ‘Take A Picture‘, “a song about tech stealing your soul” explained Matt:
Ending the evening in the Den, rock ‘n’ roll punks The Assassination Bureau didn’t get the audience they deserved, as most folk were over at the Main stage.. Fortunately it was a different story the next night, with a very full marquee enjoying their set! Here’s a vid of ‘Safety Net‘ from the Friday – listen to the lyrics:
Those with energy to burn finished the night dancing to DJs Jerry Lunn and Mick Moriarty‘s record collections in the Den, warmed by refreshments from the late bar!
A stunning start to the festival, and with yet more fun promised the next day, the festival-goers made their way to their beds, tired but very happy.
Read more from Undercover Festival 2025: DAY 2
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: RUTH RAE
Videos: JIM C at Altered Natives and RUTH RAE at Polite Punk
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