Wednesday 13 April 2022

Manchester Punk Festival 2022 Preview: Part Three


Please read Part One and Part Two of our Manchester Punk Festival 2022 Preview if you haven’t already!

We haven’t listed the specific times for each band as we understand that these are potentially subject to change before the weekend. Please check the official Clashfinder to be certain you don’t miss anyone!

Gurnal Gadafi – Saturday, at The Bread Shed (Emma)
Gurnal Gadafi – what a name! – are a band that I literally only discovered when going through the MPF 2022 line-up and listening to all of the bands I hadn’t heard of before. This was basically to decide whether I might want to see them or not but also to consider which bands I’d write about for this here blog. At the time, Gurnal Gadafi only had one track online but I liked what I heard – passionate, angry spoken word meets hardcore – and immediately marked them as a band to keep an eye/ear on. I can imagine this late night MPF set being a wild and messy one.

Grafteoke – Saturday, at Rebellion (Colin)

Grafteoke were one of the highlights of MPF 2019. The MPF after parties have long been pretty legendary but the addition of Grafteoke took them to a whole new level. If you’re unaware of the concept, Grafteoke are a punk rock cover band featuring the members of Pure Graft. They invite members of the crowd on to the stage to sing their favourite songs and basically live out their dreams as punk rock front people. Last time, there was a nice combination of folk from bands as well as the general crowd taking to the stage and a wonderful time was had by all.

Crazy Arm – Sunday, at The Union (Dan)

Crazy Arm play a fusion of country and punk rock. Their songs hit like thunder, powerful in content and production and watching them live is a magical experience, their voices and playing in perfect sync. Their most recent work "Dark Hands, Thunderbolts" is a masterwork and every single song is unskippable. I have been watching them live for the last 11 years and am still excited when ever I get the chance to see them play.

Pendleton – Sunday, at The Bread Shed (Robyn)
Every festival inevitably has a few difficult scheduling decisions and this year my worst clash is between Pendleton and Signals Midwest (but hey, at least it’s not Fresh this time). I’m sad to miss out on what will surely be a very special set, with the Manchester four-piece reuniting to blast through some of the best skate-punk the UK has to offer. I’m sure this will be a major nostalgia trip for a lot of people at the festival and have everyone happily singing and air-punching along.

Signals Midwest – Sunday, at Gorilla (Robyn)
Signals Midwest are an alternative indie band hailing from the American Midwest. I properly delved into their discography in 2020 during the first lockdown and I’ve really come to love them more and more. Their sound is rich and emotive, incorporating introspective storytelling with dynamic melodies. They’ve become a real source of comfort to me over the past couple of years and the first few notes of songs like ‘Alchemy Hour’ or ‘You’re Gonna Be Golden’ will almost certainly have me tearing up; but I’m also looking forward to hearing some of the band’s more recent singles. It’s disappointing that they’re playing at the same time as Pendleton, but I wouldn’t miss them for anything.

On A Hiding To Nothing – Sunday, at The Bread Shed (Brett)
On A Hiding To Nothing is proof that despite being inevitable and sometimes a bummer, line-up changes can work out beautifully. The late changes forced me to check out some new (to me) bands to replace the ones that could no longer make it. Finding a band like On A Hiding To Nothing is a real treat for someone with my tastes because they play fast to really-fast skate punk with great melodies and vocal harmonies. Their latest album, We’ll Probably Be Fine, might be one of the best 2021 albums discovered by me in 2022 and if you like bands like Frenzal Rhomb, Bigwig or F.O.D, On A Hiding To Nothing is definitely a band you should check out.

Shit Present – Sunday, at Gorilla (Emma)
It’s been almost five years since I last saw the wonderful Exeter-based foursome, Shit Present, play live – and about as long since they released any new music. Admittedly, there has been a worldwide pandemic in that time but, even so, I figured even before the pandemic that the band had decided to call it a day. But no! They will be making a come back at MPF 2022 with their emotional brand of indie punk and I sure won’t be missing it. I hear they’ve been in the studio as well, so it seems like this performance isn’t going to be a one-off. I can’t wait!

Public Serpents – Sunday, at The Union (Colin)
Public Serpents are a skacore/crack rocksteady band from New Jersey, USA. Combining upstrokes, pounding drums and raspy, guttural vocals alongside some powerful political messages, Public Serpents bring something a little different to Manchester Punk Festival. This will be my first opportunity to see them live and I expect a chaotic mess of a show and I can’t wait to see it.

Don Blake – Sunday, at Zombie Shack (Colin)
Bolton’s Don Blake are playing their final ever show at Manchester Punk Festival, that really should be enough reason to go and see them – you’ll never get another chance. Unless they decide that splitting up is a silly idea and keep on going. Don Blake play some of the best pop punk produced by a UK band in the last few years, bringing together catchy melodies, buzzing riffs and soaring harmonies better that almost every other band in the genre. I’m sad to see the band are calling it a day but I’m certain the MPF crowd will give them a great send off.

All Away Lou – Sunday, at Yes (Robyn)
All Away Lou is the latest project to come from Lou Hanman (of Caves and Flamingo50) after moving to Philadelphia from the UK. It’s very much in the same vein as these earlier projects, offering catchy indie-pop jams, although the newly released album, Things Will Change, reminds me most of Worriers (who Lou has also played with). This comes through both in the style of singing and in the strong sense of melody and introspection in the songwriting. It will be great to hear these new songs live and to experience a bit of Lou.

The Chisel – Sunday, at The Bread Shed (Richard)
Hot on the heels of Chubby And The Gang, rising street punk / hardcore crossover act The Chisel will no doubt excite many with their working class anthems and political fuelled polemic. Last year’s Retaliation was an excellent debut and explosive listen that was equal parts Sham 69 and the Clash as it was early Bouncing Souls. Given their formation just before the commencement of the Covid lockdowns, it’s likely this will be the first opportunity for many to see them live and therefore an essential set you’ll want to catch before they blow up big time!

Good Friend – Sunday, at Zombie Shack (Robyn)
I’ve wanted to see Good Friend live ever since 2017, when Colin told me about their phenomenal live performance supporting Nothington and I first listened to their fantastic debut album, Ride The Storm. The band have a raucous energy, with big melodies and awesome singalong moments that should make for an amazing live show. I also can’t wait to hear Adam Carroll’s gorgeously gritty vocals in the flesh.

Incisions – Sunday, at Gorilla (Richard)
Last years ‘Bliss’ was described as a “cracking album that was perfectly balanced and structured full of vitriol and insight like the best hardcore albums” by these very pages (by me in fact). Incisions have built an excellent discography of Black Flag meets Vorhees styled hardcore that demands attention. Surrounded by equally excellent hardcore acts across the weekend and in front of a native crowd, you can expect this to be one of the hottest tickets in town.

Fresh – Sunday, at The Union (Robyn)
I am so incredibly pumped that Fresh is playing MPF again and that I’ll finally have another chance to see them. I’ve been wanting to catch the London four-piece live since our first MPF in 2018 and for one reason or another it just hasn’t happened yet. They play a wonderfully open and bright style of pop-punk that’s both fun and sincere. I can’t wait to dance and sing along to all my faves, so hopefully there will be no schedule changes or last-minute emergencies that see Fresh having to drop out of the festival.

PMX – Sunday, at Gorilla (Dan)
It's a massive crime against skate punk that I haven't seen PMX play any songs off "Ctrl Alt Del" yet so I'm changing that at MPF. They have a talent for creating amazing hooks with the counter melodies to match and an extra layer of excellent harmonies! I recommend a single dose of “Who Are We To Pray” and you will be hooked by this spectacular band!

Jeff Rosenstock – Sunday, at The Union (Emma)
So, I’ve stupidly picked two clashing Sunday night headliners to write about here. Technically I can’t physically watch both (at least not whole sets) but I’m going to write this as if I can! The MPF team have only gone and booked DIY punk rock legend Jeff Rosenstock to headline the closing night of their festival. I’ve seen Rosenstock and his band live a couple of times in the past, although not all that recently, and so I know that they are brilliant live. There’s a chaotic energy to their songs and performance style that will no doubt spread into the crowd. They’ll be playing The Union which is the biggest MPF venue but, given that the festival is sold out, I expect it to be packed. Probably a set that will spoken about in years to come.

Roughneck Riot – Sunday, at The Bread Shed (Emma)
And then we have Roughneck Riot – a completely different sounding band to Jeff Rosenstock but one that I love just the same. Although they’re not from Manchester – they’re from down the road in Warrington – Roughneck do feel like a MPF staple band to me. Perhaps it’s because of their relationship to TNSRecords or perhaps it’s just because they always receive an outstanding reception whenever they play the festival (which they’ve already done twice before) and, I imagine, the city in general. The raucous folk punk troupe have made a recent come back after some years off (extended by the pandemic) and have a brand new album, Burn It To The Ground, to boot. This is going to be one hell of a comeback show.

A Wilhelm Scream – Sunday, at Gorilla (Robyn)
I’ve been fortunate enough to see AWS live a few times in the US and I can tell you that it is every bit as technical, blisteringly energetic, and fun as you’d expect. The five-piece melodic hardcore band from New Bedford, Massachusetts, is fronted by the incomparable Nuno Pereira, who always works hard to engage with the crowd and to get everyone pumped up and singing along. The band’s new album, Lose Your Delusion, also drops right before MPF on 14 April. So, hopefully we’ll also get to hear a few of the new songs live and maybe even pick up a copy of the album.

Plot 32 – Sunday, at Zombie Shack (Colin)
These Leeds ska punks are one of the bands I’m most excited to see at MPF. One of the most fun bands to emerge out of the UK ska punk scene in recent years, I had the pleasure of seeing them in 2021 and had a whale of a time. There’s such a freshness about the band and just a big feeling of fun that surrounds them. I do like fun things. The seven piece will be squeezing onto the stage at Zombie Shack and, I expect, falling into the crowd. It will be the perfect way to start the final night of after parties. Check out my interview with Plot 32 in the official program.

Forever Unclean – Sunday, at The Bread Shed (Emma)
One of CPRW’s most favourite European DIY punk bands – and one Colin has been championing since their 2015 debut EP – Forever Unclean are back this year to play their second Manchester Punk Festival. This time the Danish trio are bringing tracks from their debut album, Best, which was released at the beginning of the year. It will be our, and indeed many people’s, first chance to hear many of these songs live and you can bet they are going to sound incredible. In 2018 Forever Unclean opened The Bread Shed stage on the Sunday, this year the band are playing the same venue and the same day but they’ll be playing a late set as part of one of the infamous MPF after parties. They’ll be just the boost of energy I need to power me through to the end of the festival.

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in Manchester tomorrow/Friday!

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