Hundreds of Punks and Skins descend on Dunoon for a weekend to remember 🤘
This year was to be Punk On The Peninsula‘s 10th anniversary, and I thought it was about time that my wife and I checked it out. Organised by Iain Kilgallon of Control fame, this festival has gone from strength to strength, and with the help of volunteers and a loyal following of attendees from all around the world, the festival has reached its first decade of existence. Couple that with some top bands amidst the stunning setting of Scotland’s Dunoon, and you’ve got yourself a true gem to add to your punk rock calendar.
After a night in a Gatwick hotel, we hopped on a plane to Glasgow on Friday morning, before getting on a train to Gourock via Paisley. On our train ride, it was soon apparent that the scenery was mightily impressive, with its rolling hills surrounding the Firth Of Clyde. The weather was a little downcast, but we didn’t let that put us off, as we took our ferry ride over to Dunoon. The festival takes place close to the water, on two tent-covered stages. At our disposal, we have a bar, an eatery and various pop-up stalls. There was even a cocktail bar for the more adventurous in the room.
Friday
After we checked into our accommodation, we hot-footed it to the festival to check out Glasgow’s Razortooth, who had been recommended to me by Steve from Criminal Damage. He certainly wasn’t wrong, as they dished out a solid set of melodic Oi! songs from within an already packed 2nd stage tent. Razortooth are a band to check out again in the future.
We then headed over to the main stage to see Bastardes. They hail from Gothenburg in Sweden and play melodic Streetpunk. The crowd seemed more than up for it, and the frontman was very lively, enthusiastic and Bastardes seemed very happy to be here.
Oxblood from the States were up next, and we stationed ourselves front left to take in their Oi! tunes. We had met their guitarist and his partner coming off the ferry earlier, so it was nice to check out his band, after they’d made the effort to fly over from Chicago for the weekend. Oxblood were definitely entertaining, and gave that Oi! sound an American slant, as only they know how. Decent ‘in your face’ punk rock.
Headlining tonight were The Macc Lads. They are an acquired taste, and it’s a taste I certainly haven’t acquired over the years. They started with ‘Sweaty Betty‘ and carried on in that vein. It came across as a ‘blue’ Northern comedy act, backed with a proficient bunch of musicians. It’s okay if your humour hasn’t evolved since the 1970’s, but it’s definitely not for me. Saying that, I met various fans beforehand, who have travelled all over the country to see The Macc Lads, so what do I know?
To round off our Friday night, we headed to Vic’s “Oi!ster” Bar for the after-party, which consisted of more Tenants Lager, chin-wags and a set by The Dreggs. A good start to the weekend.
Saturday
We were up bright and breezy on Saturday morning, grabbing ourselves a quick breakfast before heading into town to take part in the festival’s annual March Of The Punks event. Once the punks and skins were assembled, we followed the Dunoon Grammar School Bagpipe Band to the venue, as tourists snapped away with their cameras at this curious spectacle. Once in the festival grounds, the band carried on, as we formed a circle around them. We were then treated to some traditional Highland dancing, courtesy of the Christina Cairns School Of Highland Dancing. The dancers were young, and coupled with the melancholic strains of the bagpipes, it would be certain to bring a tear to your eye (ask my wife).
What better way to start our day than to watch The Blitzed blasting out a set of Blitz songs. Now, I’m no fan of tribute bands, but if your band is playing Blitz tunes, then you’ve got my attention every time. Good fun. The band who originally crafted those songs are so underrated, and The Blitzed certainly did them justice.
We have only come across Roadkill Drive-Thru over the last couple of years, and they are a damn fine band, as well as a great bunch of lads. They took to the main stage and duly rocked us hard like no-one else can. ‘Breathe‘ is a certified headbanger and ‘Kiss My Arse‘ is the band’s official anthem. Much singing from the crowd accompanied this song, while their drummer showed us his amazing collapsible drumkit. Roadkill Drive-Thru play garage-flavoured punk rock, and I think the crowd recognise a good band when they see one. Top stuff (They have a new album out now, ‘Needs Must While The Devil Rides’, so do yourselves a favour and grab a copy).
We popped out briefly, to drink more Tenants Lager in the Argyll hotel bar across the road, so apologies to any bands we may have missed over the weekend. In fact, if you’re needing a break, there are plenty of decent bars around, including The Clansman with its beer garden, and of course, Vic’s ‘Oi!ster’ Bar where live punk music plays throughout the day and night.
May Contain Nuts were entertaining the crowd nicely, and Birmingham’s Face Up brought the noise, with some top quality punk/hardcore.The Allergics packed out the 2nd stage, and it’s easy to see why. Top quality, heads down, balls to the wall punk rock. I even detected a D-beat at times too, which got my head nodding. The Allergics are another band to watch out for, and they even featured a certain member of Geoffrey Oicott in their ranks, trivia fans.
I’d wanted to see Red London for many years, but for some reason, their gig schedule had always eluded me. Until now, that is….Their melodic songs are impressive, and their singer is a total presence, armed with plenty of dry wit. He reminded us that they were an anti-racist band, as they tore through their back catalogue with gusto.
They even featured Gaz Stoker from the legendary Angelic Upstarts on bass. A quality set of melodic punk rock songs delivered with conviction. Let’s hope it doesn’t take me so long to catch Red London again. They were one of the highlights of the weekend for me, and just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, they were selling their T-shirts for a tenner!
On The Huh were next on, and I had also been waiting a while to see these. Based mostly in Norwich, except for their singer who now resides in Scotland. They soon filled their tent out with their catchy streetpunk songs. Their singer, Sloss, prowled the stage, as he did when he fronted Braindance in the 1990’s. Their bassist, Chris, is also in Infa Riot and Clara, formerly of The Pukes/PMT, was filling in on bass today. It was an impressive set, and I look forward to checking out On The Huh again at Rebellion Festival in August.
Hung Like Hanratty are cut from the same cloth as The Macc Lads, and have made a name for themselves over recent years. Their humour once again, does not align with mine, but the crowd were enjoying themselves. An inflatable sheep was getting kicked around in the audience and Hung Like Hanratty‘s music almost reminded me of Dirtbox Disco (but minus the lyrics).
Control were on the main stage next, who featured Iain on vocals, who of course, organised this weekend’s festivities. They played their Oi!/streetpunk songs to an appreciative crowd, and the atmosphere was a fun one. Even Iain’s 12 year old son got involved with guitar duties at one point (his own band, The Kickstartz, were all set to rock the 2nd stage on Sunday).This was to be Control‘s first set of the weekend, and they certainly delivered the goods to a packed tent.
Rust have traveled all the way from Australia, and are currently on a UK tour. It seemed quite fitting that they headlined the main stage today, and they definitely did not disappoint. Their music is well played and covers genres such as Oi! and punk, with rock n roll thrown in for good measure. Rust have a heavy sound, and they tore the roof off tonight. Check them out if you get the chance.
Sunday
The sun was well and truly out today, so after a Sunday roast with the Hotwired/Roadkill Drive-Thru crew (veggie bangers and mash for us), we planted ourselves in The Clansman beer garden. Fishbowls were consumed by some (no names mentioned) and off to the festival we went.
Hotwired were our first band of the day, and what fun they were. Before showtime, herding cats sprang to mind. As soon as they launched into their song called ‘Punks United’, smiles erupted across the room (including mine) as Emma wandered through the crowd singing, and meeting the audience as she went. It’s also a song about unity and punk rock family, which nicely sums things up, I think. Hotwired‘s fiddle player was sporting a double mohican made from glued-on tiny ducks (Don’t ask), and surely this was to be our first (and possibly last) “mo’beak’an” of the weekend?
Bullitz 23 features Andy from Excathedra on guitar and vocals. They play melodic punk rock, and Andy delivers the songs with passion. I didn’t realise he was originally from Gourock, so he was essentially a local boy at one time. Bullitz 23 played a brilliant set of songs in the main room today, which included an Excathedra song to end on (‘Something Coming Down‘). A great start to the afternoon.
The Volcanix seemed popular with the crowd, and delivered an abundance of uncouth punk rock songs. Gimme Gimmie Gimmes are a local band, loosely based around the idea of Me First & The Gimme Gimmes from the States. They play covers too, but mainly Scottish ones, mashed-up with other popular (mainly) punk rock tunes. It’s rather entertaining, and the crowd loved it.
Menace headlined the Sunday main stage, and wheeled out all of those familiar singles we all grew up with. A solid old school punk rock set of classics to singalong to. We then, hot-footed it over to Vic’s ‘Oi!ster’ Bar to watch Gary Hodges & Friends blasting through the best known songs by the 4 Skins.
It was a brilliant weekend in such a beautiful setting, and this festival really did feel unique. Punk On The Peninsula has a family feel to it, and the atmosphere is a good one. A big shout-out must go out to Iain Kilgallon for organising the event, and all the volenteers that make this festival happen. You probably won’t just like this festival….You will LOVE it, like we did. The dates have already been announced for next year (28th-30th May), so see you down the front!
Main Photo (Hotwired) Credit /
All Photos and Videos: SONNY TYLER and MEL GORDINE-TYLER
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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