Every Rebellion Festival, thousands descend on Blackpool’s Winter Gardens to celebrate punk’s legends. The iconic names fill the Empress Ballroom, Casbah and Opera House, anniversary albums get another airing, and old mates reunite over pints and patches like it’s still 1978. But if you’re anything like me, some of the best moments of the weekend often happen somewhere else…
For four days I barely strayed far from the Rebellion Introducing Stage, watching the future of the festival unfold, thirty minutes at a time.
And don’t let the name fool you. “Introducing” doesn’t just mean young, it means new to Rebellion and the Rebellion crowd, and as usual that means bands from here there and everywhere – of all shapes and sizes! Yes, sometimes that’s a teenage band playing their first major festival. Sometimes it’s seasoned musicians starting a brand-new project. Either way, they’re all here for the same reason, to show the punk rock crowd exactly what they’ve got.
The RIS schedule was packed from the first band on Thursday to the final chords on Sunday. But these were the acts that stood out for us for different reasons and are the wonderful discoveries that we’ll take with us until next time. Ruth, Sonny, Florian, Herman and I bring you our RIS reviews from 2026:
Thursday – New Blood, No Fear
Thursday reminded everyone exactly why the RIS exists!
Opening the whole festival at 11.45am are Thrown Away, a young Scottish punk band based in Edinburgh. Hamish shouts out the vocals in his best ’82 Oi! style, pint in hand, blasting angry messages in songs such as ‘Political Lies‘ and ‘Big Man‘, getting the first punters revved up for the rest of the day. It’s great to see a mosh pit in full swing so early, fuelled by the large & growing crowd. Ha alongside kilt-clad bassist Matt, guitarist Shaun and drummer Matt include two newer songs amongst the older ones. ‘Streets of Stirling’ is their Oi! song – proving they can play even faster – before they chuck in a great cover of The Partisans ‘Killing Machine’. Last year’s debut album ‘Better Late Than Never‘ sets out Thrown Away‘s stall – if you’re into political Hardcore punk, you’ll be hanging on to every word!
Ruth
Pretty much right from the kick off, Isle of Man three-piece Smoking Fingers brought their infectious youthful ska-punk energy to Rebellion, getting the early crowd skanking and moshing in equal measure. Formed through a college music course, Ewan on guitar/vocals, Alaisha on drums and Aedan on bass, not only put on a hell of a show, they captured the attention of more established bands with later festival name checks from Random Hand and MC Lofty from Last Tree Squad, probably because after their set they seemed to be everywhere in the Winter Gardens! These were three kids having the time of their lives and that enthusiam shone through in every song, not even a broken string stopped Smoking Fingers from delivering a truly blistering debut set.
Richie
Aftrshocks brought a cool blast of old-school power down from the hotbed of Scottish punk that is Dundee. A young band with ears firmly tuned to the first wave, with Daniel on guitar, Danny on bass, and Cameron on drums, they delivered a lively and aggressive set with more than enough contemporary and youthful fire to stop it becoming an exercise in punk archaeology. Overcoming some technical issues along the way, Aftrshocks delivered a great set of songs driven by the unmistakable Gibson custom guitar sound and rock steady rhythm section. The pick of what was an excellent set of songs was ‘Get Loud’ – a call to action that the audience seemed to embrace entirely with their after-song reaction! A trip to the merch desk was required and their CD left the show, in my pocket.
Richie
Part of the joy of the introducing stage is the quick turn around and unfussy staging. This played out perfectly for Manchester trio Minimal Faff, who delivered an excellent and enjoyable set of songs with with rather more substance than the name might suggest. Their songs are short, urgent and melodic but deal with decidedly grown-up subjects. ‘Two Month Notice’ tackles housing insecurity and greedy landlords, while ‘Fight’ deals with addiction and supporting somebody who’s struggling. Straight up, Minimal Faff’s uncompromising delivery of tough subject matter whilst maintaining a likable charm endered them to a decent sized early afternoon RIS crowd.
Richie
South Wales trio Hairdye have been attracting attention well beyond the DIY circuit. Surely one of the youngest bands at Rebellion this year, they have some excellent songs, and the feeling of a band whose ceiling is still a long way off. The Newport based three-piece of Tom Clark on guitar, Penny Stowell-Corten on bass/ vocals and Rhys Lewis on drums mix skate-punk, riot grrrl and grunge into a very listenable set, delivered in a measured and confident, if rather static, style. With these songs in their repetoire (the excellent ‘Sick’; being the pick), It’s no surprise that Hairdye have already picked up serious BBC Introducing support, Young they certainly are. Promising doesn’t really cover it. We can expect a lot more from this band.
Richie
In the spirit of full disclosure, I’d caught Be N!ce at one of their previous London shows last year. But I wanted to see just how much they had developed after they’d just released their latest EP; ‘It’s Getting Harder’. Arriving in Blackpool, they’re armed with the sort of punchy, melodic songs that bring a touch of discomfort to the routine! The London based four-piece; Polly Mills – vocals, Emily Harris – bass, Alex McIntosh – drums and Brett Lee – guitar, deal in short, sharp blasts of post-punk attitude, mixing big hooks with everyday frustrations and a healthy streak of irreverent dark humour. All of that was in evidence here, they put on a great show, which was in equal parts energetic and seductive. There’s lots to see and lots of movement, especially from Emily on bass. ‘Witch hunt’ and ‘Cambridge’ from their previous recordings seague effortlessly into the latest singles ‘Green Burial’ and the deliciously salacious ‘Buddy’. This was a memorable half an hour. Be N!ce by name, perhaps. But beneath the humour there’s always enough bite and menace to suggest they don’t intend to play nicely for long.
Richie
Compared to the previous bands on this stage, Grail Guard hit RIS with the subtlety of a brick through an office window. The Coventry hardcore four-piece – Riaz, James, Phil and Adam – formed in 2022, but between them carry more than twenty years of Midlands punk experience. With over 100 gigs under their belt, they’ve been building a reputation as one of the UK’s most ferocious new hardcore outfits. Frontman Riaz is very much the focal point. Growing up British, Indian and Muslim in a working-class Midlands town, his lyrics draw directly on experiences of racism and exclusion, alongside government corruption, inequality and the rise of the far right. This isn’t politics bolted onto punk for effect – it’s the reason Grail Guard exists. Tunes like ‘Anxieties’ and the excellent ‘People Just Like You’ give anger somewhere to go: Today they are fast, furious and with something worth being furious about, they provided a timely reminder that punk works best when the anger has a target.
Richie
Grail Guard play great old school hardcore music with an anti-racist message, and their debut album, ‘Still No Future‘ sold out in the blink of an eye. They are soon to play The Pipeline in Brighton with Pizza Tramp (Sept 4th) but there was no way I was going to miss them at Rebellion Festival today. The room was full to capacity as the band took to the RIS stage, and the band wasted no time in dishing out their ferocious hardcore. ‘Our Streets‘ got a welcome airing, as singer Riaz, jumped into the front of the audience. The stage crew fed him more mic lead, as he screamed into the audience’s faces. They played loads from the new album, along with a new politician-baiting song called ‘Beehive‘. A raging ‘Resist Or Die‘ was dedicated to the people of Palestine, and Grail Guard ended their set with the anthem that is ‘Anxieties‘. They urged the crowd to sing along as they shouted, “Fuck off you fascist scum!”, and we all obliged. A great set of punk rock songs were played – be sure to check out Grail Guard in a town/city near you!
Sonny
Friday – Experience Counts
Friday reinforced something I’ve always loved about the RIS, it’s not about age, it’s about discovery.
The earliest band of today was R.P.C., who call themselves; “A dance and thrash infused hardcore/skate punk band based from Bristol, spawned in 2021”. The lineup is: Ciara Maria Hayes – Vocals James Spillane – Guitar Emmet Hickey – Bass Alfie Anderson – Drums. R.P.C. played to a full audience! Ciara’s voice was loud and effective. Alfie wore a Fugazi T-shirt. Their somewhat hardcore punk was played melodiously. The audience loved them!
Herman
Thronk! are a new band from Newport/Weston Super-Mare who play the kind of old school UK hardcore that would go down well blasted out of your ghetto blaster at your local skate park. This three-piece features Rich Brown, who was the original Split Dogs drummer. They inject a sense of humour into their songs, in the same way The Stupids did, or in the way Pizza Tramp do today. Their newly released, caffeine-fuelled EP, ‘Kick Me While I’m Down’ is a banger, so I was all ready to check these guys out today. The first thing I noticed was that the drummer was sporting a fetching party hat and an ‘I Am 40‘ birthday badge. What better way to celebrate your birthday, hey? Between the stage crew and band, there also seemed to be plenty of Yur Mum hat representation too. Enough about hats… Singer Andrew Lee Davies seemed energetic and enthusiastic, as he introduced Thronk! as a group of fluffers, sent to excite us, in preparation for the rest of the day’s events. This band do like their coffee, and by song three of this enjoyable hardcore set, they played tribute to their favourite tipple. ‘Super Mario Clart‘ is a bit of a classic in the band’s repertoire, and they ripped through it, in a caffeine-fuelled frenzy.
Thronk! teased us with an intro that sounded identical to ‘New Rose‘ by The Damned, before segueing into one of their own old school hardcore numbers. It’s worldwide knowledge that Thronk! also enjoy a pot noodle, and the next song was a tribute to that culinary delight called ‘Bombay Bad Boy‘. The band were feeling generous today, as they threw a couple of pot noodles into the hands of a starving audience. The band even treated us to a cover of ‘My Lovely Horse’ which put a (sugar) lump in my throat. All good things must come to an end though, but not before the band could run through ‘There’s No A.I. In Team’ from their new EP, and ‘Shit At Your Job’. This was a fun set of songs delivered with plenty of energy. Consider me fluffed.
Sonny
Catfight became my first real new discovery of Rebellion 2026. The room was already impressively busy and the band quickly grabbed the attention of the audience. Their set consisted mainly of original material alongside a small number of covers, and both worked extremely well. With every song, the reaction from the crowd seemed to grow. When you look around the audience and spot people such as Charlie Harper and Gaye Advert watching the band, that probably isn’t a bad sign either. Those are two people you certainly don’t need to teach anything about punk rock! Catfight certainly didn’t look like a band simply grateful to have been given a slot at Rebellion. They played with confidence, energy and a genuine sense of enjoyment. The reaction inside the packed room spoke for itself, with both their own songs and the occasional covers going down extremely well. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we see Catfight at Rebellion. And perhaps next time they’ll be on a bigger stage?
Florian
Critical Candy are a family trio consisting of two daughters and their mother. I’d listened to them quite a lot before Rebellion, so I was genuinely curious to find out how those songs would translate live. I wasn’t disappointed. And judging by the reaction around me, neither was the rest of the audience! Rose on drums was unfortunately almost hidden away at the back. There didn’t seem to be a spotlight directed towards her, leaving her sitting largely in the shadows – the classic fate of the drummer. Musically, however, there was absolutely no hiding her. Her powerful and precise playing constantly pushed the songs forward and provided a huge amount of drive to the band’s sound.
Ruby, on vocals and guitar, impressed me most of all with her voice. Her guitar playing was absolutely solid, but it was that clear and distinctive vocal that really stood out and gave Critical Candy so much of their character. Underneath it all was Vicky, mother of the two daughters, on bass. Her playing looked completely effortless and wonderfully relaxed. There was no unnecessary showmanship, just precise and confident bass playing from someone who very clearly hasn’t just picked up the instrument for the first time. And without her, of course, there quite literally wouldn’t be a band! It’s the combination of those three musicians that makes Critical Candy work so well. Three different personalities and roles coming together to create an impressively tight sound.
Florian
The Coathanger Solution came over from Dublin with considerably more menace than their name might suggest. A gloriously ragged collision of punk rock’n’roll, big hooks and hard-hitting, riskee lyrics, This Rebellion appearance was a rare UK gig, making the Introducing Stage a particularly appropriate place to find them. Fronted by the force of nature that is Klare, and with Johnny and Ralf on guitars, Violent Bob on bass and Justin on drums, The Coathanger Solution fill the stage with a larger-than-life presence. With a set taken mostly from Their debut album, ‘The Coathanger Solution – Official Album’, the songs are noisy, angry and funny when they need to be. Yet this is a band with an eye for the absurdities and aggravations of everyday life, with little interest in dressing them up, as Klare tells us stories like ‘F***er of the bus’ and invites the audience to ‘Kiss My C***’. You can see the smiles all around the room. There’s nothing particularly complicated about The Coathanger Solution, and that’s meant entirely as a compliment. Good tunes, sharp words and punk rock played with enough dirt under its fingernails to remind you where it came from.
Richie
Tomorrow Burns is a new punk band based in the Midlands, featuring Dave Jones on vocals, who is a regular DJ at Rebellion Festival. This year he was blasting out tunes on the Club Casbah stage. Tomorrow Burns have already released an EP; ‘The World’s Not Safe Anymore’ and have just unleashed a great debut album called ‘Dark Days Ahead‘. Their music style includes elements of bands like Chaos UK and Disorder, and their overall vibe brings back memories of Punx Picnics of old. They started off their set today with a song from their new album called ‘No Future‘.
The room was beginning to fill up, as the band treated us to another new song, followed by ‘Politicians‘, which had a metallic crusty sound, not heard much since the early 90’s. In fact, much of the band’s material does remind me of the anarcho-punk stuff that was produced in that era, and that’s a big plus point from me. Tomorrow Burns played a couple from their first EP, ‘Force Fed‘ and ‘Spitting Venom’, the latter featuring Mr Jones complete with loudspeaker. ‘Slave To The System‘ is a total banger which reminds me of early Doom, who also happens to live in the Midlands. They played a song called ‘Disorder‘ too, followed by their namesake song. This enjoyable old school set was rounded off with ‘Guns And Knives‘, a great song to go out on. Tomorrow Burns are a band to watch out for, so punk rockers… be vigilant!
Sonny
In the evening, RIS transforms into After Dark in the Pavillion, but we hung around as next up was a band I’d been looking forward to seeing all year:
The Puncturists are a Barnsley-based four-piece that may have been around the block, but there’s nothing sedate or tired about the noise they make! Formed in 2022, today’s line-up is Gail Townsend on vocals, Pat Crawford on guitar and backing vocals, Dale Farrow on bass and backing vocals, and Martin Gregory on drums. Pat is no stranger to Rebellion, having previously played here with Barnsley goth-punks System Of Hate, while Dale’s punk credentials stretch right back to 1978. Gail, meanwhile, only stepped up to become the band’s permanent lead singer later in life, which is remarkable, given her supremely confident performance and distinctive punk rock delivery. Gail and Pat take the stage looking colourful and sharp, and musically, The Puncturists deliver an equally bright, uncomplicated pop punk set, with its vibe planted somewhere around 1979, but with well constructed songs rooted firmly in the here and now. The tunes driven by high string bass melodies really cut across with what is an ‘in the know’ Pavillion crowd, who enthusiastically sing back the words to songs with which they’re clearly familiar. Early in the set, The Puncturists give an airing to their ‘fuck off to age’ track, ‘55’ – we all join them to bellow that fifty five (or even older) is indeed our time too. That’s why we’re all here.
Richie
Saturday – Punk Refuses to Stand Still
It was ‘something for everyone’ Saturday!
Skint Knees hit the RIS on Saturday with a raw blast of Sheffield riot-grrrl punk. Now a three-piece, Jinx on guitar and vocals, Skunk on bass and vocals and Rachel on drums and vocals, they’re three best friends making, in their own words, “loud shouty music together”. With all three sharing vocals, there’s less a frontperson than a collective assault. With real attack, today Skint Knees fitted the Introducing Stage perfectly; young, political and completely uninterested in permission for their set, which turned gender, sexuality, mental health and inequality into short, sharp bursts of noise that came loaded with attitude, but importantly, great tunes too.
Richie
Leeds trio Clitspit are another discovery that I really hope I’ll get to see many more times in the future. Their bass, drums and guitar have a sound and personality very much of their own, although reminded me a bit of Lambrini Girls. Playing high-energy riot grrrl punk at its finest. Every year I discover acts on the RIS stage that completely blow me away, and Clitspit are definitely up there with the very best bands I’ve seen on that stage during my 13 years of coming to Rebellion!
Florian
Brighton’s WREX, Rebellion virgins, are fronted by Mae Seaton on vocals alongside George Donoghue on guitar. Producing a set full of chaotic, high-stakes energy, that is an electro-charged collision of punk, nu-metal, pop and electronica, it’s music designed equally for dance floors and mosh pits. Today they completely grabbed and in fact literally invaded the room. Mae didn’t just sing; she commanded the floor, tearing into the crowd with a restless, unpredictable presence that blurred the line between the stage and the audience. George literally took his riffing into the thick of it, by setting up in the pit for the final couple of songs! Over the past few years, we’ve seen RIS bands move to the bigger Rebellion stages and the smart money will be on WREX moving up the Rebellion pecking order, if this performance is anything to go by!
Richie
Bloody Benders added some Mexican punk rock theatre to the proceedings. Formed in Mexico City in 2011, the all-female five-piece mix punk aggression with B-movie horror, plenty of theatrical swagger, and numerouse props and costume changes. Today’s audience was treated to inflatable eyeballs, skeleton masks and bridal veils that all helped to delightfully narrate tunes including ‘Vampira’ and ‘Lost Girls’, while they delivered their mix of horror, rebellion and female empowerment. Theatrical and perhaps gloriously over the top, today Bloody Benders didn’t so much play the Introducing Stage as haunt it, and we loved it!
Richie
Much has been written about The Nanaz, so we were keen to catch their late afternoon set. Born out of Newport’s Nana Punk project for women over 50, Anne-Marie Bollen on bass, Ange Pearce on lead guitar (AWOL today, so there’s a dep), Claire Symons on rhythm guitar, Deb de Lloyd on viola, Marega Palser on vocals and multi-instruments, and Jade Ball on drums are living proof that punk has no age limit. Their songs about menopause, pension injustice and life after fifty are funny, fearless and completely authentic. Their songs come straight from lived experience; debut single ‘60 Lies’ takes aim at the WASPI pension injustice, and like the whole set, is delivered with authentic humour tinged with a defiant anger and is refreshingly unfiltered. The Nanaz weren’t pretending to be punk rockers – they were simply proving it’s never too late to become one.
Richie
Visiting us all the way from Riverside, California, River Ratts brought their Latin flavour of Punk-Metal-Ska to brighten up Blackpool! There’s something for everyone in their varied set; vocalist Roland shimmies, shakes and skanks around the stage while his bandmates – Frankie on bass, Jed on guitar and Marco on drums – demonstrate an almost psychic ability to musically move across several genres, all within the same song… River Ratts certainly held the crowd ethralled, wondering what musical tricks they’d pull from their bag next – and the guitarists undoubtedly win the award for ‘coolest Punk shades’ on the RIS at this year’s festival!
Ruth
Sunday – LOUD WOMEN, Loud Statements
By Sunday, most festivals begin winding down. Not on this stage…
Since 2024, the final day of the Introducing Stage has been curated by LOUD WOMEN, the organisation championing female, trans and non-binary artists across the punk scene. It’s been one of Rebellion‘s smartest decisions, not because it’s ticking boxes, but because it keeps introducing genuinely exciting artists to a festival audience that might otherwise never discover them.
Violet Violet brought a piece of Norwich riot-grrrl history back to life on the RIS. Originally formed in the early 2000s, the recently reunited line-up features Cheri Percy on guitar and vocals, Fliss Kitson on drums and vocals, and Kylie Rouse on bass, this was best friends picking things up again after almost two decades apart. Their jagged, infectious punk once earned Steve Lamacq’s approval; BBC sessions and tours with The Nightingales are very much still in evidence, and the enjoyable set of tunes will no doubt become even more fluid as they get back into the swing of things. Today they were a reminder that reforming doesn’t have to mean looking backwards. Violet Violet returned older, undoubtedly wiser, with a pile of vinyl recovered from Cheri’s mum’s attic, but also with those riffs and riot-grrrl instincts reassuringly intact.
Richie
London five-piece Thwack! – four women and one man – immediately stood out thanks to their unusual combination of guitar, bass, drums, cello and violin. They began their set with an a cappella introduction to ‘Three Angels’ before picking up their instruments and showing what the full band could do. There wasn’t one fixed frontperson either. The guitarist and bassist shared much of the lead vocal work, switching roles between songs and giving the set a constantly changing dynamic. Overall, Thwack! were one of my favourite discoveries of the final day. Their lyrics were creative, varied and unapologetically political. Their music provides a loud voice for LGBTQIA+ themes, touching on trans activism, queer resilience, sapphic yearning and the struggle against social exclusion.
Another recurring theme in their work is the uncomfortable question of how much of yourself you are prepared to destroy for the entertainment of others. It reflects the pressure to constantly perform, deliver and make yourself available – whether within modern society or the music industry itself. These are subjects that feel particularly relevant right now, and Thwack! approach them without losing the energy or fun of the music itself. Hopefully a debut album won’t be too far away either?
Florian
Moving up the gears, Witch Spit brought a feral blast of Australian punk to the RIS. The Adelaide two-piece; Paige Hollow on vocals and guitar and Alex Hollow on drums, describe themselves as “Feral Girl” punk, with the influence of L7, The Distillers and Bikini Kill clearly audible in their stripped-down riot-grrrl racket, with songs like ‘Scumbag Sister’ really grabbing you the ear! Today they were raw, confrontational and impressively noisy for just two people, and not even a broken E string one song before the end of their excellent set stopped them from really impressing! This was an excellent first appearance, and I hope we’ll see more of these loud women, because Witch Spit didn’t so much introduce themselves to Rebellion as spit directly in its face.
Richie
Wokerati Party brought their humourous brand of anarcho punk to the Sunday RIS punters. The Southend duo, Kris on guitar and vocals and Tee on drums and vocals, emerged from the ashes of T-Bitch in 2024, mixing political satire and DIY punk with a serious message underneath all the mischief. Tracks including ‘We Are The Wokerati Party’, ‘Divide and Rule’, and recent single ‘Snowflake FC’ take aim at culture wars and the protagonists behind them. Tee’s pounding drums and Kris’s buzzing guitar make considerably more noise than two people have any right to – and today they are joined on stage by Kirsty Almeida to highlight current concerns about the quality of maternity care in the UK.
The whole set was angry without being po-faced, political without preaching, and funny without losing the point. Oversized footballs, wonderful character masks of Elon Musk and Nigel Farage, and an onstage battle between the latter and Count BinFace during the excellent ‘Milkshake Shuffle’ brought a delightful chaos to the climax of Wokerati Party’s set, proving that protest punk works rather well when you can dance and laugh along with it!
Richie
Breakup Haircut brought London’s DIY spirit to the stage. The four-piece; Delphine on lead guitar and vocals, Ishani on rhythm guitar and vocals, Ripley on bass and vocals, and Jordan on drums deliver joyous lo-fi pop-punk tunes with angular guitar, relatable lyrics that mix anxiety, relationships and everyday life with humour around some seriously catchy tunes with big melodies. Today they were infectiously likeable from the start. Breakup Haircut proved DIY punk doesn’t always have to sound angry – sometimes having a bloody good time through great tunes is rebellion enough.
Richie
First of a succession of three RIS bands I catch in the evening, YAKKIE self-released ther debut album ‘Kill The Cop Inside Your Head‘ back in February, and it was a big hit with us! They’re also a big hit here – and my favourite RIS band this year. A punk supergroup of sorts, Janey Starling on vocals, Maeve Westall on drums, Robin Gatt on guitar & vocals and Laura Ankles on bass & vocals have been in Dream Nails, Personal Best, Colour Me Wednesday and Petrol Girls, to name a few! YAKKIE play us an energetic and emphatic set, including feminist anthems ‘He Sleeps Alone‘, ‘Lean Out‘ (an anti-‘lean in’ song), and ‘Right of Reply‘ – written because dead women don’t get this when they are blamed by the media for being murdered. With a driving, dirty bass sound, an on-point guitarist, and a lively and charismatic vocalist, if you’re not seething with righteous anger over injustice after their set, you weren’t listening!
Ruth
Next up, US band Whoremones, based in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California. Their hardcore-punk-thrash attack just about melts the RIS stage, with vocalist Pascale Sifantus hurling herself all over it, railing against social injustice and inequality. She angrily speaks out against the “Paedos and fascists running my country”, and insists that the only thing to do with Nazis is to kill them – a sentiment echoed by many bands over the long weekend.
Arrow Avalon beats the living hell out of the drumkit, but it’s not a set of pure thrash – there are more tender moments within some of the songs too, and it’s all delivered straight from the heart. We’re even treated to the live premiere of a brand new song – ‘Hollywood Gouger‘! Check out Whoremones‘ debut album, cleverly titled ‘Affect for Cause‘, released at the start of this year.
Ruth
HAWXX make no bones about being a very political band, and they have plenty of well-reasoned things to say, both in and in- between songs. Based in London, they play a mixture of hardcore and melodic Punk, filled with strong messages, writing songs about “feminist resistance, undoing oppressive beauty standards, violence against women and queer people, and the unfolding ecological catastrophe.” Lead vocalist Annouli speaks out about the injustice of prisoners being given long jail sentences in this country for destroying armaments that are commissioned by Israel to use in their genocidal war, and confirmed the band’s support for animal liberation.
The large crowd soon discover how powerful and LOUD HAWXX are as a band, with a sound that comes directly from their hearts and straight through us like a hurricane! Their final number – ‘Be that Whore‘ – is a rallying call to women in a society that’s sucking our souls dry. Annouli drops to the floor of the stage, as the set finishes in a dramatic wall of noise, bringing the voices of millions of the oppressed out into the open. ✊ HAWXX recently released album #2 ‘The World Splits Open‘ is a must-listen, and you can catch them touring the UK from next month!
Ruth
Still the best Rebellion room in the Winter Gardens..
Of course, these are only a few of our highlights. The RIS and Pavillion featured dozens of bands over the weekend, and that’s really the point. No one person can see or like everything. Every year somebody asks me, “Who was the best band you saw?” It’s not usually one of the headliners. It’s usually somebody I’d never heard of on Thursday morning. That’s why I keep coming back to the Introducing Stage.
No hype. No algorithms. No nostalgia. Just musicians of all ages and nationalities putting everything they’ve got into thirty minutes, hoping to win over a room full of people who know punk when they hear it.
Some succeeded, some not so much, some surprised me, but every one of them deserved their place. While the legends remind us where punk came from, the RIS quietly shows us where it’s going. And for me, that’s still one of the best reasons to come to Rebellion.
Need more Punk In Your Life?
EP review: Barriers – ‘Time Crisis’
It was just over eight months ago that we last saw Brighton quartet Barriers, at a superb gig at London’s Deptford Endeavour, and so we’re
Jimmy Eat World, London Crystal Palace Bowl, 16th August 2026
Damn, we feel old. A visit to the UK from Jimmy Eat World is always a cause for celebration, but this time it comes with
Album review: The Barbarians Of California – ‘MEGATONS’
Damn. No sooner had we said that the best hardcore is usually born from struggle, than we came across this great sophomore album from The
Voodoo Radio, London Water Rats, 15th August 2026
“Dad tells people to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Tinder!” So declares Voodoo Radio vocalist/drummer Paige with an eye roll, and it’s not the
Live review: The Wildhearts rock Reading’s Sub89 on 10th August 2026
It’s been nearly five years since The Wildhearts played Reading, and a lot has changed. By 8pm, the venue is already gearing up for a
Review: Rebellion Festival 2026 – Day 4
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Rebellion Festival, the world’s largest annual Punk event, returned to its long-standing home, the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Team
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.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
