Up Yer Tower! Rebellion 2023 - Day 1

 

August soon comes around and with it the initial disappointment of a number of high profile bands pulling out of the world's biggest punk rock festival. The Decendents, D.O.A. and then The Damned. Big hitters in the line-up one and all! It is fair to say that this year's line-up, even before the cancellations was somewhat weaker than last year. A notable absence (certainly for me) was 999. Nick Cash and his merryband of men are the only act to have played every festival since the inception of 'Holidays In The Sun' back in Morecombe in 1996. That is every year for a remarkable 27 years! Various reasons for their unexpected omission from the programme were discussed but that isn't a topic for the site.

Day One

Arriving in a sunny Blackpool in the early afternoon, I collected my wristband (in double quick time this year!) before making my way to the Brew Room where I had arranged to meet Mo, who had travelled up from Manchester for the day to meet the old man. Fish and chips and a bit of beachcombing followed in search of potential things that could be incorporated into art. Success was not forthcoming unless you count a partially skeletonised dogfish (I think that Damien Hirst got there first Mo!).

Family reunion over, my first foray into the Winter Gardens was for Menace. Never a favourite of mine I freely admit, but they did invite my mate, 'six-string for hire', Leigh Heggarty to the stage for the four songs that closed their set.

Menace

Next up for me were Sloppy Seconds, a delightfully named combo hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana. It was their first visit to these shores for 25 years, which just happened to be the last and only time that I had seen them. If you do not know of them, look them up, they are a great band of the Ramones mold. Their set was filled with classics such as 'Blackmail', 'Come Back Traci', 'Janie Is A Nazi' and 'You've Got A Great Body But Your Record Collection Sucks'.

Sloppy Seconds

Following them onto the Club Casbah stage were another band from my earlier punk years, the mighty Culture Shock, Dick Lucas's second band of three, and all three were putting in an appearance over the weekend. Just loved it!

Culture Shock

A few beers followed back in HQ (The Brew Room!) and notes exchanged concerning the bands seen thus far. 

As mentioned earlier, The Damned were a no show, Dave Vanian having hurt his back earlier in the week having got out of his coffin awkwardly at sundown. Luckily, their eleventh hour replacements were worthy '77 originals Penetration. Pauling announced from the stage that this was their first gig in a year and that they had put the show together with four days notice/rehearsals. Well Pauling I can say hand on heart that I couldn't tell, the band were great and the set was classic Penetration. Not surprisingly, this was my first encounter of the weekend with Drew and Gill.

Penetration

Tired now, but the evening wasn't over by some margin. It was over to the Opera House for the second part of The Members set..... 'Working Girl', 'Solitary Confinement' and 'Sound Of The Suburbs' I recall. Thankfully, I missed 'The Model'. I love The Members, but a reggae version of such an electronic classic by Dusseldorf's Robotic Fab Four borders on the sacrilegious!

The Members

Last up for the day were Big Country. Again no disrespect to the late, great Stuart Adamson and his band, but whilst beloved of many Scottish friends, Big Country never drew my attention. Good band and all of that but just not for me. The fatigue that was kicking in at this point in the evening helped none either!

Big Country

Culture Shock Portland Arms Cambridge 31st January 2020

A strange day for many, B-Day, so an evening in Cambridge in the company of Back to the Planet, Radical Dance Faction and Culture Shock was a pretty good escape. I was aware of the scene that existed in the mid to late '80's that combined punk, ska and dub styles in material that was very political in nature. I came to Culture Shock early on through Dick Lucas's former band, The Subhumans. Radical Dance Faction I had seen once before at Fountain's Mill in Uxbridge in July 1990. The event then was an AIDS benefit, for that was the issue of the day and Cheap played on the bill too that afternoon.

I have seen Culture Shock on just one previous occasion when they played T-Chances in Tottenham with The Mob a few years ago. Prior to that all my efforts to see the band were thwarted.

I traveled across town to Fulham, on 2nd December 1989, with my mate Stuart in the hope of seeing the band's final gig at the Greyhound, but rather than showing up at a run of the mill gig we walked into a riot. Needless to say that the gig did not go ahead. Attempts to get tickets for their gig the following month at Queen Mary's College were unsuccessful and so I had to wait 24 years to finally see them.

Riot report in Sounds

December 1989

Now a full 30 years on from the Fulham fiasco I was seeing Culture Shock in far more pleasant and relaxed circumstances..... i.e. no trace of the Met!

First on the bill were 'Back to the Planet'. The name I was familiar with me from back in the day, but I was unacquainted with their music. And what fine music it was, I was very impressed I have to say!

Back to the Planet

Portland Arms, Cambridge

31st January 2020

Next up were 'Radical Dance Faction' who as mentioned above I had seen many years ago. I thought that they were good but I preferred 'Back to the Planet'.... but I am indebted to their frontman Chris Bowsher for reasons that I will relate shortly.

Radical Dance Faction

Portland Arms, Cambridge

31st January 2020

Finally, at 11pm!..... a very late gig for this little old man! Dick and Co. took to the stage. Mr Lucas was very vocal about the day's events. The band's stage time in fact tallied with the official time of the UK's departure from the EU.

'Mindwash' and '10 percent off'

Culture Shock at the Portland Arms, Cambridge

31st January 2020.

Halfway through Culture Shock's set, I let myself down. As the video makes clear, the venue was heaving and it is small. So, for the second half of the band's set I found myself a niche by a side door of the venue. With a new pint in hand I relaxed and leaned back.... all was well for 15 or so minutes.... until the doors that I was propped up against burst open allowing me to exit the venue much like one of 1st Airborne over Arnhem...... backwards. Down I went in a scene that must have been reminiscent of Del Boy going through that bar hatch. Worse still, as I mentioned I had a full pint which I managed to tip over my own head once a descent angle of 50 degrees had been attained! Worserer yet, the floor of the venue was about six inches higher than the external road surface so my fall from grace was even more painful than it could have been. I landed on my left buttock which is still aching as I write these words.

At this point RDF's Chris came to the rescue and helped this beer soaked and very embarrassed punter back to his feet... thanks Chris!

But overall, what a positive night.... it's great to know that despite hearing bad news on the TV night after night there is something of a united resistance against the bollocks.

Culture Shock And The Mob T-Chances. Tottenham 19th October 2013

As indicated in an earlier post this was something that I was really looking forward to having missed the blighters first time around.

Strange venue (especially for a London comeback gig), but what the hell, this social club or what ever it was suited the occasion perfectly. On entering and making my was to the usual first stop, the bar (although increasingly these days it's the gents!), I noticed that vegan beer was being advertised, whilst out of the corner of my eye I could see a banner of The Hunt Saboteurs Association...... this was like stepping back in time 25 years - the only discernible difference was that now there were no Metropolitan Police vans parked up outside the venue full to bursting with constables eager to nick a few of those troublesome anarcheest types.

Another upside to the gig was that, whilst the vegan bitter did not appeal, cans of Tyskie lager were on offer for £2.40... a sharp contrast to the £4.80 charged in Koko five days earlier! I've paid less in hotel minibars!

First up were AOS3, with the ex- P.A.I.N. frontman on vocals, who played an excellent set of ska punk. Next up, and as keenly anticipated as Culture Shock themselves, were The Mob. I had their seminal album 'Let The Tribe Increase' in the '80s (now I have it on CD of course), but never got to see them as they called it a day in 1983 at around the time that I was cottoning onto this punk thing.

The Mob, with their original line up played an excellent set, two songs of which I videoed, incidentally the two opening tracks on the 'Tribe' album.

'Cry Of A Morning' and 'Another Day, Another Death' by The Mob

T-Chances, Tottenham 19th October 2013

With The Mob still ringing in my ears, it was time for a quick circuit of loo, bar (for another cheap one) and then stage front as Culture Shock took to the stage without drummer (who sauntered on about 10 minutes later). The set that followed threw me right back to student digs in the late '80's when Culture Shock's albums were rarely off the turntable.... they being one of the few bands where all residents found some common ground.

'Pressure' And 'Colour TV' by Culture Shock

T-Chances, Tottenham 19th October 2013

The heat was intense as Dick and Co. ploughed through a brilliant set of material as evidenced by the set list.

So there you have it, one of the gigs of the year, three excellent bands, cheap beer and all for the princely sum of £7. They were onto something these anarcho punks!

Culture Shock On Tour In 2013!

 

Following on from a recent Subhumans post, I was very exited to hear the news that Dick Lucas's post Subhumans band, Culture Shock have reformed for gigs. Details can be found here.

Somehow I missed Culture Shock the first time around. It was only at the point when they announced that they were splitting and playing their final gig at the Fulham Greyhound on 2nd December 1989 that I became determined to see them, but alas it just wasn't meant to be!

Such was the interest in seeing the band at this final gig that the crowd control outside the venue broke down and a riot ensued. The police pulled the plug at hundreds of disappointed punks drifted away, not so quietly. I saw no band that evening, as I didn't even make it inside the venue, although RDF did make it to the stage for a few minutes before the doors were stormed and the gig cancelled.

Report of the Culture Shock Riot Gig

Sounds December 1989

 

Sadly, attempts to get to their actual last gig were also fruitless (St Mary's College it was in the end if I recall correctly). Hopefully, there will be no repeat problems when they play in London with The Mob on 19th October.