Sixteen bands - two stages - no clashes! Shadow Promotions put on a memorable and mighty varied Punk Festival 🤘
For the first eighteen or so years of this century, Reading Festival hosted the Concrete and then Lock Up Stages. At their peak, the stages were crammed with the best punk and related bands from across the globe, including the likes of Rocket From The Crypt, Flogging Molly, The King Blues, The Bronx and numerous sets by Frank Turner. For a time, the skate punks even had their own half pipe outside the tent, showcasing skateboarders and BMXers. I saw many a set in those tents, but nothing will beat the massive dustbowl circle pit that filled the whole space during a rampant set by Gallows (post-Frank Carter). By 2019, the Lock Up had been so watered down it was no surprise when it failed to re-appear in a post-Covid world.
Although the promoters of the Reading Festival may think that modern punk’s heyday is no longer a commercial prospect, our very vibrant scene persists, and today’s Shadow Shuffle 3 at Reading Facebar, hosted by the excellent Shadow Promotions DIY, is full of the sort of bands that would have felt very much at home on the Lock Up stage. With 16 bands across two stages and no clashes, it’s going to be a very long day…
This is the second time I’ve seen local punks Skinhawk, and they keep getting better. Mixing raw political punk with a love of D&D, their incredibly energetic performance is a wake-up call for anyone still nursing any hangovers from Saturday night. ‘Not My Problem’ has the eager crowd singing along in unison. Brilliant start to the day.
Opening the main stage today are Boys Ruin Everything. It’s the band’s first gig, and it’s a little rough around the edges, but no less enjoyable. It’s a short and frantic set but the girls bring a lot of enthusiasm to proceedings and get a good reception from the crowd. Bonus points for the first saxophone of the day!
Back in the smaller room, Xray Vez brings an updated variant on nineties indie pop, reminiscent of the likes of Salad and Echobelly. It’s a welcome return for former Reading University student Vez making the first of her two appearances today (being keyboardist/backing vocalist for Wonk Unit as well).
Local three-piece Launch Control are no strangers to the Facebar – and their brand of socially conscious punk rock is an instant winner with the crowd. Singer Lee Switzer-Woolf spends most of his time in the audience getting the pit going, much to their delight!
I don’t know what’s in the water in Wiltshire, but Hell Death Fury make a completely bonkers mashup of screaming vocals, hardcore riffs, reggae grooves and a splattering of jazz infused funk. It’s an intoxicating mix of styles, normally within the same song – one of my highlights of the day.
Skate punks Old Chase are on next with another frenetic set that has the crowd moshing like crazy. The band are joined on stage by Rage DC’s rhythm guitarist Graham for a cracking finale to a very enjoyable set.
Back on the main stage are Fair Do’s – with an eager audience ready to be entertained. It’s high velocity punk rock with thrash-infused drums and some nifty fretwork that wouldn’t sound out of place in the bars of the US west coast.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the hyper aggressive and heavy ska punk of Ill Gotten Gains and they are still a class live act. I especially enjoyed the segments where the five-piece head off into dub territory.
The pop punk of Making Friends takes over the main stage. We’re very much into Green Day/Sum 41 etc. territory here, which goes down well with the younger members of the crowd. They’re a good live band but don’t particularly excite me – never mind, I’m not the target audience.
Local punk trio Tape It Shut are riding high on the excellent reviews of their ‘Suspicious Package’ album and have a lot of fans here. We’re back into spiky political punk with hard hitting verses and catchy singalong choruses. Skinhawk vocalist Nikki joins the band for a cracking ‘Parasites Inc’, whilst ‘Honest Politics’ sees Chris from Rage DC, Guy from Shadow Promotions and Punktuation’s own Hannah (celebrating her 30 birthday) join in on vocals for an incendiary conclusion.
Next up, Bristol’s Fidget and the Twitchers bring big ska tunes to the Facebar, with the likes of ‘Big Man’ and ‘Whiskey Mystic’. The brass section bound across the stage providing muscular back up to Danny’s street punk vocals. You can’t help but shuffle your feet to this band’s infectious grooves!
Headlining the smaller stage, Redeemon are something else. Heavy as fuck metal riffs mixed with ska sensibilities, blistering sax solos, and a singer who moves from shouty vocalist to trombone player in the blink of an eye. Glorious.
The most established band on the line-up by a long way, Wonk Unit have been treading their own fiercely independent path since 2006. They have the most varied set of the day, moving from the skate punk fun of ‘Strength’ to the gentle rhymes of ‘Horses’, before ending it with the ska beats of ‘Spooky House’.
By the time Pizza Tramp arrive on stage, they’ve already played an afternoon gig in Bristol (having also played across the English Channel the previous night) and are clearly exhausted. Regardless, frontman Jimmy No Whammy is on top vitriolic form as he berates anyone he can think of. Amphetamine fuelled guitars backed by Sammy and Danny’s relentless rhythm section keeps the music on track with short sharp stabs of punk rock noise. At times, the band make early Napalm Death seem ponderous in comparison!
We’re back to more conventional ska for headliners The JB Conspiracy as the seven-piece bring a dance feeling to the end of the night. Those who have survived the day (and there are a fair few who have already fallen) are treated to a consummate example of the genre, with the brass section taking centre stage for much of the set. It’s all feel-good stuff and a welcome finish to the day.
The old Reading Festival punk tent’s lineups were always an eclectic mix of styles falling under the punk umbrella, and Shadow Shuffle 3 has shown that diversity still infuses the scene today. With this in mind, don’t miss the bigger and better Shadow Shuffle 4 – returning to Reading Facebar on Saturday 1st May 2027 – tickets on sale soon!
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: IAN LADLOW
All Videos: RUTH RAE
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