Team Punktuation! are at the world's largest Punk festival in Blackpool, catching as many bands as they can!
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Rebellion Festival, the world’s largest annual Punk event, returns on August 6th to 9th to its long-standing home, the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Initially known as Holidays In The Sun, the Winter Gardens first opened its doors to mark the then 20th anniversary of Punk, hosting headliners X-Ray Spex, The Damned and Buzzcocks for the landmark three-day event back in 1996. Another thirty years on, and Rebellion Festival is going stronger than ever, as Punk rock celebrates its 50th anniversary! Interest in the music and culture show no sign of dissipating, and the last two years have seen the festival completely sell out across the four-day gathering.
For the fifth year running, our intrepid Punktuation! team of writers and photographers – in 2026: Ruth, Florian, Herman, Per-Åke and Phil – bring you daily reports (and look out for our Introducing Stage Special Review next week!) from Rebellion Festival 2026:
Friday – Florian Reith’s Report
After what was, of course, far too short a night, it was straight back to the Winter Gardens after breakfast. I decided to take the second day of the festival a little easier at first, so my first stop was the Almost Acoustic Stage to see Cryssis, and the catchy power-pop-punk proved to be the perfect way to ease myself into another long day at Rebellion.
To my surprise, the Almost Acoustic Stage looked slightly different this year. The stage had been turned sideways, which immediately gave the whole room a different feel from previous years. Musically, Cryssis deliver wonderfully catchy and easy-going power-pop-punk, but at least as entertaining as the songs themselves is the constant banter between frontman Dick York and drummer – or, on this occasion, cajón player – Vom Ritchie of Die Toten Hosen. The pair continuously threw jokes at each other between songs, creating so many laughs that at times it was difficult to tell whether I was watching a punk show or a comedy act!
Cryssis have played Rebellion before, but there were noticeably plenty of Germans in the audience. That probably had something to do with Vom Ritchie, who is obviously extremely well known as the drummer of Die Toten Hosen – especially with the Hosen themselves due to appear at the festival on Saturday. Amongst the songs Cryssis played was ‘Keep Drinking’, a title which, in hindsight, turned out to be the perfect introduction to what came next.. Because, after such a relaxed and amusing start to the day, things suddenly became considerably louder in the Empress Ballroom.
Waiting there were Rumkicks – and for anyone who still wasn’t completely awake after the previous night, the three women from South Korea provided a serious blast of energy. Rumkicks are one of those bands where, within seconds, you realise that taking things easy is no longer an option. One of the first songs they played was, appropriately enough, ‘Drinking Every Day’. From ‘Keep Drinking’ to ‘Drinking Every Day’ – apparently Day Two had already developed a fairly clear theme..
The atmosphere inside the Empress Ballroom quickly became wild. Vocalist Yeawon Jeong explained that smoking in Korea is extremely expensive while alcohol is relatively cheap, which apparently results in people drinking rather a lot of it. A pretty appropriate introduction to the song! After the relaxed power-pop-punk and comedy of Cryssis, the contrast could hardly have been greater. It took Rumkicks only a few minutes to completely destroy my plans for a slow start and properly kick Day Two of Rebellion into life!
Next it was over to the Introducing Stage, and this was where something happened that perfectly demonstrates why I love this stage so much. I discovered a band that I hadn’t had on my radar at all. 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.
This is exactly what the Introducing Stage is all about for me. You walk into the room knowing little or sometimes absolutely nothing about a band, and half an hour later you walk back out with another name added to your list. 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?
I stayed at the RIS for the next band, because Critical Candy were one of the acts I had particularly been looking forward to seeing. 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.
From there it was back upstairs to the Almost Acoustic Stage for a band that has long since become part of my personal Rebellion tradition: The Outcasts. I seem to watch them here every year, usually twice – once for the short acoustic performance and again for a longer, full-power electric set. Interestingly, though, it’s often the acoustic shows that stay with me the longest. Perhaps it’s simply because the songs feel more immediate in this setting? Less volume, fewer distractions and more focus on the melodies and lyrics. This year’s acoustic set lasted barely 30 minutes, but once again it left a lasting impression. And, just as in previous years, The Outcasts finished with ‘The Cops Are Comin’, my absolute favourite Outcasts song. Sometimes you don’t need a huge stage or an hour-long set to create one of the memorable moments of a festival day.
Next came The Boys, and this was one I had been extremely curious about. The obvious question was how the band would feel without Duncan Reid, who is now enjoying his retirement, and without the sadly missed Honest John Plain, who passed away far too soon. I’ve always had a special connection with The Boys. Their friendship with Die Toten Hosen meant they regularly played in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area, giving me plenty of opportunities to see them over the years. But incredibly, my last Boys show had been more than a decade ago. Of course, Duncan and Honest John were missed. Pretending otherwise would be ridiculous. Both were hugely important parts of this band’s identity for decades. But something else quickly became obvious. The magic of those songs is still there. ‘First Time’, ‘Brickfield Nights’, ‘Sick on You’ – classic after classic was delivered with an enormous amount of enthusiasm. This didn’t feel like a band simply going through the motions or living off its past.
In particular, Casino Steel and Matt Dangerfield still seemed to take genuine joy in playing these songs, and that feeling quickly spread through the audience. Some people may disagree with me, but bands change. People retire, people sadly pass away and new musicians arrive. That’s simply part of the passage of time. Of course The Boys are different without Duncan Reid and Honest John Plain. How could they not be? But different doesn’t automatically mean that the story of a band has to end. Standing there, I mainly felt grateful. Grateful to hear all these songs live again after so many years. Grateful to see Casino Steel and Matt Dangerfield back on stage. And grateful to discover that, despite everything that has changed, the spirit and magic of The Boys are still very much alive.
My final band of the night was Bite Me Bambi on the Arena Stage – a band I’d never seen live before. I’d first been properly pointed in their direction a few weeks earlier at a Die Toten Hosen show in Stuttgart, when TJ McFaull of Bar Stool Preachers told me that I absolutely had to see Bite Me Bambi at Rebellion. The fact that their frontwoman Tahlena is his wife may have given him a slight personal bias, but after watching this performance, I have to admit he was absolutely right. Bite Me Bambi were fantastic!
From the first moments, everything clicked. The band’s personality, their stage presence and, above all, their infectious energy immediately made it impossible to stand there feeling tired. And at that point in the evening, that was quite an achievement.. At Rebellion, I often find myself looking through the schedule after the main headliners have finished, trying to find one last band to watch while slowly winding down for the night. One more beer, a little more music, then back to the hotel. Bite Me Bambi destroyed that plan within minutes. Instead of winding down, I suddenly had energy again. What was supposed to be a relaxed final show turned into another hour of using up absolutely everything that was left in the tank. And perhaps that was the perfect way to finish Day Two.
Friday – Herman De Tollenaere’s Report
The earliest band of today was R.P.C. on the Introducing Stage in the Pavilion. They call themselves; “A dance and thrash infused hardcore/skate punk band based in 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!
The next band in the Pavilion were Thronk! We loved their recent EP ‘Kick Me While I’m Down’ here at Punktuation! and it’s good to see Andrew Lee Davies – Vocals and bass, Matt Bartlett – Guitar and vocals and Rich Brown – Drums and backing vocals live! The hall was half empty at the beginning of Thronk!‘s firstsong, but was crowded by the end of that song. Andrew wore a Vandals T-shirt, Rich wore a party hat. It was his birthday, so his bandmates sang ‘Happy Birthday‘ to him. Their second song was about Super Mario. There was much dancing and applauding.
On the Literary stage, The Kids were interviewed by Guy Shankland of Vive Le Rock. Founded in 1976 by Antwerp, Belgium dock workers, they featured in my fanzine Pin in 1979. In 2004 and 2023, they played in the USA. In 2025, the Trump regime refused to let them play there again. Maybe because their 1970s song ‘Fascist Cops’ sounds too reminiscent of Trump’s 2020s ICE? Two days earlier, The Kids had played their first gig ever in England, in London. After Rebellion, they will play in Sheffield. Why had a band, founded in 1976, which had played in so many European countries, not played in the UK before? “Money. Our London concert went well”.
“The promoter had already paid $5000 for a visa to get us to play in the USA. But at first, the Trump administration authorities did not reply to the application. Then, much later, they wrote that it was denied, without an official reason”. Guy: “Maybe they did not like a band with song titles like ‘Fascist Cops‘ and ‘Jesus Christ did not exist‘ and ‘No Monarchy‘”? Ludo: “We just go on! A big middle finger to the bourgeoisie!”
How did The Kids like Rebellion? “Great! There are punk festivals in Belgium too, but there the average age is much younger. Here, it is more mixed. When we started, punk bands in Belgium helped each other. Very often, the police stopped us or other punks. Not for anything we had done, just because we looked punky. In 1986, we disbanded. In 1996, a fan in Paris asked us to reunite. The original members, the De Haes brothers, could not rejoin, as they had jobs with shifts during different times of the day. So, we reunited with different members.”
Next, interviewer Cherry B introduced Marco Pirroni with a poem called ‘Ants Prayer’. It was Marco’s first time at Rebellion. In 1976 he was the first Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist. Later, he played in the Models, then in Adam and the Ants. Marco Pirroni has recently written his long overdue autobiography, called ‘Your Money or your Life‘. He said that when Adam and the Ants had big chart hits, his lifestyle had not been healthy. “You tended to look at how many singles did we sell today, was that more or less than Haircut 100? That is not good.” “I never wanted another job than in music. I went to art school, not because I wanted to be an artist, but because that deferred having to get a job. Before I joined Adam and the Ants, I imagined a band with two drummers. Miraculously, that was Adam and the Ants when I joined.”
“The great thing about punk was that you could start a band and be on stage the next day. My first band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, had no experience at all. But the 100 Club audience liked us. After that gig, I founded the Models, with two art school colleagues and one friend. The problem with new bands was that often the member with no experience at all became the bass player. But playing bass is not easy; I am a guitarist; I can’t play bass!”
Finally, Cockney Rejects took their turn on the Literary stage. Their present line-up is: Jeff Geggus (‘Stinky’ Turner) – vocals (1978–present), with Michael Algar (aka Olga of the Toy Dolls) – guitar, JJ Pearce – bass, and Ray Bussey – drums (all 2024 – present). Founded in 1978, their first record came out on Small Wonder, like Crass. Following the frontman’s decision to contine performing after previously planning 2023 to be their final full tour year, Cockney Rejects members Mick Geggus, Vince Riordan, and Joe Adams chose to step away rather than continue touring.
Why did Olga join the new Rejects? “It became too hard for me to be guitarist and lead singer at the same time at the Toy Dolls.” Jeff: “With the new line-up, we sound better than ever before” (like Cherry B said about the new Au Pairs line-up). “Now, we are more like a democracy. I know nothing about booking hotels, or about amps. So, we complement one another.” Which music weekly do you prefer, Sounds or NME? “Sounds. I hate the NME.”
What is the best Rejects song? Jeff, and also the others: ‘Bad Man’. What do you think about Rebellion? Jeff: “Blackpool is one of the most deprived places in England. The punks at Rebellion bring colour and money to it.” Will you write new songs? “Yes, if they are as good as the songs on the first two Cockney Rejects albums. How will we record them? Probably DIY, I don’t really trust big record labels.” How about the Rejects’ 50 year jubilee in 2029? Jeff: “You never can tell what will happen. Maybe we will play then?”
After an enlightening interview earlier, it was time to see The Kids live on the Casbah stage! The Kids are: Ludo Mariman on guitar and vocals, Luc Van De Poel on guitar, Danny de Haes on bass. and Tim Jult on drums. Their first song was ‘No Work’, the second one ‘Bloody Belgium’. The audience, from pre-teens to over 70s, pogoed very enthusiastically. Of course, they played ‘Fascist Cops‘ as well. Their last song was ‘Do You Love The Nazis?‘ (Oh no, oh no, oh no!). Like with the Au Pairs gig yesterday, my last event of my second day became the highlight.
Friday – Ruth Rae’s Report
Opening the main Empress stage today are London-based punk rock band The Whops, formed by two young Italian brothers, Freddie (age 12) and Frankie (age 15). They gained massive online attention and street cred through their energetic busking performances, covering classic punk anthems, and jamming with legendary musicians like Paul Simonon of The Clash. So, when they begin their set with Vince Taylor‘s ‘Brand New Cadillac’ there’s a considerable crowd welcoming them. Mixing both covers and originals they win everybody’s hearts with their charm and determination, and when they’re joined on stage by Danny Sapko on bass, the cheering raises another level. A nice start to the day, instilling hope for Punk’s growth into future generations.
First up on the cavernous Casbah stage are Brazilian / London band Fantazmaz, who unleashed their self-titled debut album just over a year ago, after a lineup change which included recruiting Jamie Oliver on drums. Thami on lead vocals gives it her usual 100%, showing off her muscles and moves, as Fantazmaz easily fill the huge space with sound. Unsurprisingly, it’s packed – and with a lot of people from other bands! Thami is a ball of energy, high kicking her way across the stage, shouting out to many friends in the crowd. There’s a lot of really great guitar playing, while Jamie thumps the drums as if he’s going to break them! Thami asks if anyone’s from Clacton? Nobody admits to it. She’s rooting for Count Binface in the by-election, saying – rightly! – that politics is just nonsense in Britain now. The bassist makes his instrument sing before (all too soon) their last song ‘Warheads’ goes thundering through our ears and through the walls into the streets outside. Thami takes one final jump from the drum riser, and’s it’s over, to huge cheers and applause!
Set to release their stomping new album ‘Nice ‘N’ Rough’ next month, this Bristol, UK band Split Dogs have long been favoutites of ours! Equally as fierce live as on their records, vocalist Harry seizes the Empress crowd the instant she sets foot on the stage, pirouetting and belly dancing almost canstantly, shaking her silver sequins and tassels. Putting the Punk firmly into Rock’n’Roll, Mil (guitar), Chris (drums) & Suez (bass) around her pump out tunes you can’t help dancing to. The mosh pit goes wild for ‘Monster Truck’. If attitude was a competitive sport, Harry would have a gold medal! Organisers take note – Split Dogs are deserving of a later slot on the main stage next year, in our opinion!
Next I’m off to the suitably theatrical Opera House for Gypsy Pistoleros. The UK Midlands is known for producing great rockers, and this band are no exception. Their latest album ‘Dark Faerie Tales: A Fairytale for the Damned‘ delighted our ears back in April, and of course Gypsy Pistoleros treat us to several numbers from this release, plus some older songs, and the best cover version of ‘Come On Eileen’ I’ve ever heard. Frontman Gypsy Lee is a hilarious, fur-clad frontman. He jokes about wearing a fur hat in the summer heat, and is a master of self-deprecating humour. To sum them up in a word – they’re FUN!! Catch Gypsy Pistoleros on tour across the UK next month – you know you want to!
Remaining in the Opera House, there’s a huge amount of anticipation for Radical Architects – a one-off tribute band put together by Peter Jones and Molly Vulpyne – to pay homage to the pioneering anarcho-punk group Poison Girls. Playing songs from Poison Girls‘ debut album ‘Hex‘, marking the 10th anniversary of the passing of the band’s iconic frontwoman Vi Subversa, the curious gather in the Opera House to witness this emotional event. Introduced with a new poem by Andy T, they kick off with ‘Jump Mama Jump‘, Molly brings out her rockier Vulpynes side to do justice to the vocals, also putting her own personality into them as is right; she has that versatility. There are some tech issues as Radical Architects are using backing tapes, but for an untested band, they do a fantastic job of playing the album songs. There’s no talk, just a straight run-through, then they’re off as the final notes fade.
I’m back in the Empress for the ever-popular TV Smith & The Bored Teenagers. It’s good to see them on this larger stage, as they always draw a massive crowd. Tim announces that this will be a set entirely composed of The Adverts songs, and then proceeds to throw himself around the stage like he’s still a teenager! The Ballroom is indeed packed, everyone rocking to a powerful and whopping set of almost countless songs, including a few rarities. The band are tight, allowing Tim to take full reign with his voice – incredible as it’s been a while since they have played as a unit. Of course, the crowd went craziest for the big ones: ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’, ‘One Chord Wonders’ and ‘Bored Teenagers’. A passionate set which ranks as one of the best today! Make sure you catch TV Smith & The Bored Teenagers out on the road in the UK from September.
The Bar Stool Preachers acoustic set is so popular, it’s always held in the Opera House these days, as the last time they played in the Spanish Hall a few years ago, we in the crowd went so wild we almost broke through the floor! It’s genuinely more acoustic than previous years, with Tom Gibbs on acoustic guitar and Ebonnie Greene ditching her guitar to give us superb backing vocals. Starting with ‘Call Me On The Way Home‘, the set may be (mostly!) acoustic, but the atmoshphere is electric as TJ and Ebs duet ‘Choose My Friends‘ at the front of the stage. Bar Stool Preachers even give a nod to TJ’s dad (Cock Sparrer‘s Colin McFaull, in case any of you didn’t know!) when they set the floor bouncing with their tremendous cover of ‘Suicide Girls‘.
Bassist Bungle and Gibbs perch on the plinths on opposite sides of the pillars at the start of ‘Love To Love‘, then we’re all singing along as Alex on keys and TJ perfrom ‘Lighthouse Keeper‘, an obvious essential in acoustic set. We continue to sing to ‘One Fool Down‘, and end with a jolly ‘Bar Stool Preacher‘ to keep the party atmosphere going.
The only band to be thrown out of Rebellion Festival for being too Punk, Deaf Devils have somehow earned a reprieve after setting their set list alight in the middle of the crowd in 2024, to return to the scene of the crime on the Pavillion stage. I knew they had something planned for this year to commemorate the occasion, and when I saw what it was, I couldn’t stop grinning! Their usually pristine white shirts and jeans have all been torched, with holes burned through in multiple places – genius! Led by she-devil Lucyfer, Deaf Devils take the stage by storm (again!) and have plenty of fans supporting them. Once again they take the crown as the most Punk band at Rebellion – they live and breathe it in everything the do!
Need more Punk In Your Life?
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I’m Florian “Flo” Reith, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Since 2009, I’ve been living for live music – over 1000 shows, 200+ cities, 30+ countries. The camera was there from the very beginning: I tried to capture every gig I went to. Over time, things became more professional and more structured and somewhere along the way, I discovered writing too. I love supporting new and unknown bands. Whether it’s behind the merch stand, working as a roadie, helping organize shows, or sometimes co-promoting them myself – I’m always down to jump in where I’m needed. But let’s be honest: my favourite place will always be the pit – front row, dust, sweat, and pure mosh pit chaos!
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