South Essex’s favourite punk hoodlums Rat Hole take over The Hope & Anchor on Saturday 18th April 2026
If the spirit of original punk rock was rooted in DIY, then this evening at Islington’s iconic ground-zero punk venue the Hope and Anchor proves that the ethos is very much alive and moshing. Southend’s scallywag punks Rat Hole have put on this 3-band Saturday night shindig all by themselves.
As we walk in, we are greeted at the door by none other than Rat Hole guitarist Johnny Sideways himself, who dispenses door stamps with some relish and with a personal greeting! All part of the service mate! Immediately you feel amongst friends, quite a number in fact, because the room is pretty much full up from the get-go, which is hugely impressive and goes to show just how much this personable duo has caught the imagination of the London punk rock scene.
The night starts with a bang, with fresh faced Essex three piece One Offs, who energetically belt out a set of 90’s inspired street punk originals that get the early crowd jumping around with some gusto.
I always love it when a band starts songs with 1-2-3-4! and the tempo never drops from first to last song! In fact, things get faster as they go on. These young fellas mean business and deliver the sort of powerfully riff driven punk rock that Green Day might have made if they too had grown up in South Woodham Ferrers…
Highlights from what was a solid set of songs, obviously taken from themes close to their own lives, are ‘Bad Apples’ and ‘Nose Ring’. At the end of their set, One Offs leave the stage to a great reaction, only to reappear later to play an even more energetic role in the mosh pit!
Next up, it’s Essex anarcho duo Wokarati Party, who tonight take to the stage resplendently sporting bright pink ‘Snowflake FC’ football kits, to mark the release of their new single of the same name. Without doubt Tee and Kris have got their game plan spot-on, as they deliver a set of quirky, thought provoking, yet full on punk rock tunes to an enthusiastic and increasingly sweaty audience.
Tee’s primeval drum style drives the whole thing, with Kris’s buzzing telecaster adding the power to fill out a sound that lacks for nothing, as the duo share the vocals and deliver their own manifesto with guitars. Tracks such as ‘Divide and Rule’, ‘Tranarchy’ and ‘Victim’ make it clear exactly where they stand.
But this is not about po-faced politics, it’s about saying what needs to be said in a way that makes people want to listen, and it’s clear the band are having as much fun as the audience, as oversized footballs get kicked from stage to crowd, knocking over mics and causing mayhem, which you feel is exactly the point. The set comes to rather it’s comedic end with some punk line dancing in the form of ‘Milk Shake Shuffle’ a song that calls out politician Nigel Farage.
Kris encourages the audience to take a “step to the left, and Jump Far right and take two steps backwards, for the good old times” Normally, the band would be joined on stage by a representation the ‘Reformer in Chief’ himself, however it seems that the papier mache mask of the frog faced one, that is used to support this song, has been left at a previous gig in Bristol, So, instead tonight, it’s a chainsaw wielding Elon Musk who dances along to end what has been a really enjoyable set. After tonight, Wokerati Party would certainly get our vote, and if the audience reaction is anything to go by, we are not alone!
So now to the main event, and there’s huge excitement down the front as guitarist Johnny Sideways and fellow Rat, drummer Dr. Smackpot appear dressed exactly as they believe real punk rockers should look… Tonight they are joined by Ben the Dep on bass, who by contrast is looking uber cool in head-to-toe leather and shades.
It takes a little while to get things going, as Johnny decides to take to the stage via the parted audience accompanied his epic own pre-recorded ‘walk on’ music. Smackpot on the other hand is introduced to us with the sound of someone taking a rather loud dump – which he seems to think is fair enough!
It amazes me just how Rat Hole can simultaneously poke fun at both themselves and the punk rock genre in a way that punk fans old and new seem not just to accept but to love. The trick I guess is not to take it too seriously, just enjoy the music and have a good time. Having seen them play a couple of times at Rebellion, the reaction is exactly the same here as in Blackpool, but tonight’s crowd seem younger, and if anything, even more enthusiastic!
But it takes real talent to be funny and credible, and the reason why Rat Hole are so popular and compelling is undoubtedly their stellar musicianship. Johnny’s absolutely first class playing of his riff-fuelled punk guitar, Ben the Dep’s super tight bass chops, with Smackpot’s pounding drums underpinning everything else lets the wonderfully irreverent song content take centre stage. Check out their debut album ‘Proper Cunt Music‘!
Tonight, this is evident from the start, as the first set of songs – ‘You Can’t Drive’, ‘Back On The Piss’, ‘Sort Your Life Out’ and ‘Conspiracy Man’ – get us off to raucous start. As always with Rat Hole, there’s plenty of stop and start, as Sideways and Smackpot trade insults and ideas as they set up the next song. At one point they even stop for a mid-stage brawl, which we all know is premeditated, but no matter, it all adds to a sense of chaos!
Politically correct this is not! But I defy anyone not to smile at the lyrics and the antics and looking around at the crowd, it’s clear that everyone is into the sing-along classics such as – ‘If I Had A Pair Of Tits’, ‘Put Your Phone Away’ (ironically probably the most videoed song!), ‘I Caught You Wanking’ and their own attempt to find a political solution to the current turmoil around the globe, with the wonderful ‘World Peace at Wetherspoons’.
The fellas are now getting into their stride and encouraging the crowd to be loud as possible, as apparently there’s a live recording of the show tonight! No encouragement needed, as we all press on and the fun and games continue. Wokerati Party’s giant football makes a return to the stage, knocking over mics and equipment as Rat Hole tear into ‘Tour Life’ and ‘When We’re Famous’, before previewing a brand-new track ‘I Don’t Wanna Go To War’ – a declaration of their intended non-participation in any imminent military conflict. We get the feeling they may not be missed much anyway…!
As we get towards the business end of the set, The lads play a couple of their older tunes ‘Shit Now’ and ‘Not Scared’, before Smackpot steps out from behind his drumkit to sing us the ballad ‘All I Did’, accompanied by Johnny strumming a strapless acoustic guitar while perched on the edge of the stage. This it turns out is a two-part song, the second part being fast and loud, but tonight’s guitar change takes so long, it feels like another song, which prompts Johnny to bemoan the lack of a guitar tech… Perhaps when you’re famous lads, eh?
And so, to the final couple of numbers, of what has been a splendid example of ‘Cunt Music’ at its best. Appropriately the penultimate track is ‘DIY’, which very much sums up the nature of this evening, and the set comes to a triumphant conclusion with the ever popular ‘You Can Still Be A Cunt’ which provokes yet another opportunity for a wall of death on the miniscule Hope and Anchor dance floor.
At the end of it all, the band seem generally taken aback by the audience reaction, and for actually pulling off such a great show! As for the punters, everyone’s in on the joke and has had had a great time, and anyway, who’s to say that this has not been anything other than a fantastic evening of REAL punk rock?
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Writer, lyricist, and guitarist with The Viral Breakdowns, radio presenter and passionate protagonist of Punk! From teenage rocker in the seventies, to playing my own original music in far flung parts of the world, I have a love for fast, loud, short sharp tunes with attitude and edge. Based in Chelmsford, you can find me out and about on the Essex and London music scene or rooting through the racks of record fairs, markets and car boot sales, looking for hidden punk rock treasures.
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