Gig Review: Manchester Punk Festival 2022: Day One (by Colin and Emma)

(Emma’s parts are in italics.)

We started the first proper day of Manchester Punk Festival 2022 by heading down to the main hub of the festival, The Union, nice and early to get our wristbands and programmes – which included a very helpful map for navigating your way around the different venues that MPF uses. Earlier I’d seen a tweet saying to get there early to avoid queues. It seems I took this far more seriously than most folk as we arrived just after 11am, doors were at midday and there was no-one there! Eventually some of our pals turned up too and it was great to hang out with them whilst we waited.

Photo by Colin Clark

After collecting our wristbands at The Union and filling our tummies at Bundobust (amazing vegan and veggie Indian street food), we headed down to Yes. Yes was a new venue for this year’s MPF and my first impressions were that it was a very cool bar and restaurant space – we didn’t manage to eat there over the weekend but I know some folks that did spoke very highly of it. The live music at Yes would be taking place in the basement – I’m not 100% sure of the capacity but it can’t have held more than 100 people. The space was already packed by the time we got down there but there was room for us to squeeze in at the back – clearly people were keen for their first taste of MPF 2022.

Smoking Gives You Big Tits were the band tasked with opening the festival and, boy, did they do a good job. From the semi-acoustic opening track with Helen’s absolutely incredible vocals – which, by the way, ranged from sweet, clean and pop-like to pure snarling and everything in between – to a more full band sound, complete with kazoo, SMGYBT were captivating. It wasn’t all about their slick musicianship though, the performance was also a whole lot of fun and thoroughly amusing in parts. What a perfect start to the weekend.

Photo by Mark Bartlett

The first band on at The Union were Manchester’s favourite sons, Aerial Salad. There were a lot of people who were clearly very excited to check out the three-piece as, when we arrived back at the venue, the room was packed full of people. They kicked off the set with the classic Habits And Problems before bassist Mike screamed “Aerial Salad in the fucking house” down the microphone. They most certainly were in the house. From then on, they played at set of favourites from their latest full length Dirt Mall as well as some newer songs they have been releasing as singles. The first time I saw Salad live was in 2018 and to see how they’ve grown as a band since then is quite staggering. The songwriting, the stage presence, everything seems to have gone up multiple levels and I’m predicting it won’t be long until they’re headlining one of the stages at MPF.

Photo by Craig Darran

Just Panic were one of the bands playing the festival I was most excited to see. I first saw them at the very first MPF back in 2015 and they haven’t played again since. When they were announced, I would tell anyone who would listen that they need to go and see them. They were given the job of opening Gorilla on the Friday. Emma and arrived nice and early for their set. So early in fact that the doors for Gorilla hadn’t been opened yet. We hung around and had chats with Triple Sundae, who were playing after Just Panic, then we were joined in the queue by the fine folks in Don Blake. When Just Panic took to the stage it looked as if a decent sized crowd had gathered. Playing their fantastic brand of raw folky pop punk, as soon as they started I was mesmerised. If my memory serves me correctly they played the majority of their Stand Up Straight In The Line Of Fire EP and they all sounded great. I enjoyed having a sing-along to bangers such as If The Sea Rolls In, Crime and We Apologise For Any Inconvenience before they finished with a cover of Against Me’s Walking Is Still Honest. This was great! Well worth the seven year wait to see them again. After the set, Emma asked me why she hadn’t seen them before. She was also very impressed.

After a great set from Just Panic it was time for one of our favourite London-based bands to take to the Manchester stage, Triple Sundae. Colin and I were joined at the front by all of our friends from the New Cross scene for what I was sure was going to be one big singalong – at least from our section of the room. I don’t remember which song specifically Triple Sundae opened with but I do know that their performance was energetic and passionate from the outset and I had a wonderful time singing along to favourites from EPs Glow and Peace Of Mind. They also treated us to a new track – which I can’t wait to hear again – and an oldie, Unseen, where long-time friend of the band, Theo, jumped up on stage to sing the chorus. This band is special and I hope this set earned them some new fans – they deserve it.

Photo by Lindsey Cormack

Next, we headed over to The Bread Shed where Bristol-based four piece The Menstrual Cramps were on next. Having recently seen them at Fishstock and being thoroughly impressed by their performance, we were keen for more. Once again The Menstrual Cramps put on an energetic and impassioned show for all in attendance. All four members of the band look like they’re having the time of their lives on stage and lead singer Emilia, in particular, looked to be having so much fun as they stormed about and danced around the stage. The band’s political and feminist anthems are vital listening in today’s punk scene. A friend mentioned that they heard someone saying that The Menstrual Cramps ‘should keep politics out of punk’ and something along the lines of not coming to the festival to be preached to. Well, if you don’t like what this band is singing about then you do not belong at Manchester Punk Festival!

After The Menstrual Cramps I hurried back to The Union to catch a bit of the Popes Of Chillitown. The Popes are one of the bands I’ve seen the most so I know they always deliver a great set. When I arrived they were already deep into their set and had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. I took my place in the crowd with the wonderful Makky Hall and preceded to watch one of the most popular bands in the UK ska scene tear the Union apart. I was pleased that I hadn’t missed the big Popes banger Wisdom Teeth – the reception that that track gets whenever it’s played is always massive. As does set closer Vamos a la Luna, which had the crowd losing their stuff one last time before the Popes had to wrap things up.

As is the way with festivals in the Covid-19 era, there are always going to be last minute changes to the line-up. Unfortunately due to a positive test, Faintest Idea were no longer able to play their slot at MPF. It was, of course, disappointing as the band always put on a great show but those lovely chaps in The Bar Stool Preachers stepped up to the challenge to play two sets in one day. Their pre-planned set was due to be at the end of the Bread Shed after party and we were planning to go to the other after party so a bonus opportunity to see BSP did not go unappreciated. The Preachers are not a band I listen to much at home but the times I have seen them live I’m always so impressed with how slick and charismatic their performance is. The crowd always laps it up and there are singalongs a plenty – this was obviously no exception. Gorilla however was rammed and I began to feel very warm and almost claustrophobic so we didn’t end up staying for the whole set but what we did see was top notch. 

Photo by Paul Smith

Apologies, I Have None or Random Hand was one of the biggest clashes of the weekend for me. I absolutely love both bands and picking between them was tough. I eventually decided to pick Apologies because I’d already seen Random Hand in January and they are playing Level Up Festival in July. Emma and I arrived at Bread Shed as the band were beginning to get ready and took our place in the crowd. Unfortunately for us, a particularly loud gentleman also took his place near us and seemed insistent on talking his way through the entire set. To start with I found him quite distracting but he eventually disappeared so we could enjoy the set properly. Apologies are one of those bands that feel special every time I see them. They create such an atmosphere in any room they play in and have crowds singing along with every word. Of course, this was also the case on this night as the band played through plenty of classics from London and Pharmacie. It seemed as if the sing-alongs got bigger and bigger for every song and it was just beautiful. Shouting along at the top of my voice to songs like Sat In Vicky Park, Concrete Feet and The 26 will never get old for me, even though I’ve been shouting them back at the band for about ten years now. What a set. What a band!

Photo by Paul Smith

Emma and Robyn decided that they would call it a night after that rather than head to the after party. Brett and I however wanted to go check out the bands playing at Rebellion. So after dropping them off at the Air BNB, as we annoyingly only had one key between the four of us, we headed to Rebellion, arriving just as Fair Do’s were about to begin their set.

Fair Do’s are one of only a few bands that have played every edition of MPF. I believe the only other one now is Throwing Stuff? The shredders are local heroes and are very popular throughout the UK skate punk scene. Surprisingly, this was only my second time seeing them and it had certainly been a few years since my first time. What impressed me the most was the strength of lead singer Danny’s vocals throughout the set. I’ve always remembered Fair Do’s as being incredibly tight and technical but I hadn’t really given much thought to what a good voice Danny has in the past. This technical skate punk stuff isn’t usually my go-to but I thoroughly enjoyed Fair Do’s and they were a great way to kick off the first after party.

Photo by Brett Coomer

I knew very little about Terrorpins before their set. What I did know was that they were fronted by Tim Loud and I always enjoy seeing him live. Before the set started, Brett and I speculated about what they would sound like. I had decided they would be a mash up of punk, folk, country and ska. I can’t really say whether or not I was completely right with that prediction but, whatever the sound was, I absolutely loved it. The foursome were a late addition to the after party. They were originally down to play at Yes but switched due to the dreaded c-word appearing in the Ducking Punches camp. I had been looking forward to seeing Ducking Punches but Terrorpins were a great surprise and one I wouldn’t have experienced if it wasn’t for the changes. Unfortunately, the band don’t currently have anything online to listen to but I will keep a close eye on their social pages for when they do.

Photo by Brett Coomer

The last band of the day were another bunch of local heroes in Bruise Control. I believe that Bruise Control formed either just before lockdown or during and are a new band to the scene. Playing some fuzzy garage punk, their set was an absolute riot. Lead singer Jimbob was an incredible front person as he paced around the stage, screaming into his microphone – he looked as if he’d been put on the earth to front a band like this. There were also plenty of moments where he threw himself into the pit and was carried around the room by the crowd. I wish I had been more familiar with the band before catching their set so that I could have a sing-along with the crowd as they are a band that most definitely warranted one. Super tight and an absolute riot to watch. Bruise Control strike me as a band a lot of people are going to be talking about in the near future, as one of the most exciting new bands in UK punk rock, and I’m looking forward to catching them on their first UK tour next month.

MPF after parties are always special affairs, some might argue the best part of the entire festival, and this really backed that argument. It was the perfect way to end the day but now it was time to try and get some kip before another busy day tomorrow.

Buy tickets for MPF2023 here: https://manchesterpunkfestival.co.uk/mpf2023-tickets/

This review was written by Colin Clark and Emma Prew.

Top Tens: Colin's Top Ten Albums Not Pressed On Vinyl

A few weeks ago you might have seen a post on this website where our buddy Chris, who is also an Instagram celebrity known as Vinyl.Systems, told us ten albums he would love to see pressed onto vinyl. This, of course, got me thinking about ten album that I wish were pressed on the wax so this is what you’re about to read.

Like Chris, I figured I could give a brief history of my vinyl collecting story. I’ve always been a big collector of things. When I get an idea in my head, I often get quite locked on and obsessed by it. I used to have a ridiculous collection of DVDs. At one point my tiny box room at my mum’s looked like a tiny Blockbusters. When I started to get into punk music in the early 2000s, I started to buy CDs. At the time vinyl records weren’t anywhere near as popular as they are now and neither of the two music shops in Colchester even stocked vinyl records. After about ten years of seemingly buying every single CD I could get my hands on I amassed a collection of well over 1000. It was a bit silly, particularly because I barely listened to them. It must have been around 2014, when I noticed that more people were beginning to buy vinyl again. Initially I fought against the urge to get involved because I knew what I was like when it came to starting collections. Other than knowing how obsessed I get when starting collections, I was also aware of the space issues, the fact I didn’t own a turntable and I didn’t want to re-buy a load of music once again. Then I met my partner, Emma. She had started her own record collection. I have a distinct memory of the first time I visited her flat and checking out her record collection. I remember loving the extra detail in the artwork and the whole process of putting a record on. It felt like so much more of an event than playing a CD or digital music. This was probably the moment where my resolve and resistance about starting my own collection failed. And, good gosh, it failed in a big way. My collection grew very quickly and it continues to grow at a rate that is probably not smart. At the time of writing this, mine and Emma’s combined collection has 660 items. I’m sure by the time you’re reading this, it will have grown even more though.

This year I set myself a bit of a new year’s resolution/challenge to listen to our collection more and to post a different record each day on my Instagram page. The posting on Instagram is basically a way to hold myself accountable to keep doing it. If you want to follow my progress my Instagram handle is ColinsPRW. While doing this challenge, I’ve really fallen in love with listening to complete albums again and it’s made me listen to some albums that I’ve not listened to in years. I’ve also realised that most albums have a different memory attached to them. I’ll get a record off the shelf, usually picked by using the Discogs app’s shaky shaky feature, and I’ll instantly remember where I brought it, whether it’s from a gig, a record shop, a fair, on a holiday, something I took a punt on – all sorts of great memories. It’s nice to see Colin’s Punk Rock World thanked in the sleeve notes from some of the DIY bands we’ve helped and made friends with. Basically, I really like vinyl records and I love adding to our collection. I also love ordering them properly on the shelves – alphabetically by band and then chronologically in case you were wondering. Anyway, here are ten that I’d love to see pressed so I can add them to my collection.

Disclaimer: These are ten albums that aren’t pressed on vinyl as far as I’m aware. If they are, please let me know so I can track them down and add to the collection.

Disclaimer number two: I could have easily picked ten albums from the late 90s early 2000s era of UK punk rock as not a lot of those albums got vinyl releases. For the sake of variety, I decided to just stick with three from that era though. I’d also love to see King Prawn – Got The Thirst get a vinyl pressing, though. And the entire Captain Everything! discography.

Aerial Salad – Roach

Aerial Salad’s debut album Roach put the Manchester punks on a lot of people’s radars before Dirt Mall began to give them more attention from the entire alternative scene. With Dirt Mall and Salad’s more recent singles, they seem to be stepping further and further away from the Roach sound so I don’t know how likely a vinyl run of the album will ever be. I’d love to see it though.

Allister – Dead Ends And Girlfriends

Allister’s second album, Last Stop Suburbia, is one of my favourite pop punk albums of all time. I’m also very keen on their debut Dead Ends And Girlfriends which came out in 1999. Sixteen tracks in just thirty-two minutes says a lot of what to expect from the album. It’s certainly not as polished as Last Stop Suburbia but it’s got hooks for days as well as a wonderful cover of I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys. Some of the songs from the album got a vinyl release thanks to a best of vinyl that came out a couple of years ago but I’d much prefer the whole album with the original versions.

Chewing On Tinfoil – Get Rich Or Try Dyin’

In the past few years Chewie have released their most recent album and EP, Marrowbone Lane and Moving The Goalposts, on vinyl so here’s hoping they also find the time and – probably more importantly, money – to release their debut, Get Rich Or Try Dyin’, as well. Over the years Chewie have moved away from the ska sounds on this album. I believe the band have been working on a new album so I can’t expect getting this released on wax is anywhere near the top of their band “to do” list, but hopefully one day it’ll happen.

The Exhausts – Leave The Suburbs!

After we published Chris’ list, Tommy from The Exhausts said he would have loved to get Leave The Suburbs released on vinyl. I agreed wholeheartedly. That’s why I put it on this list. The Exhausts were a three piece based in London who played scrappy pop punk. In 2015 they released their final album Leave The Suburbs! and I absolutely fell in love with it. Ten of the catchiest pop tracks about the struggles of being in your twenties you’re ever likely to hear with some superb dual vocals.

Fletcher – My Revenge

London’s Fletcher are the first of my three picks from the early 2000s UK punk rock scene. The band only released one full length album while they were together but what an album – it was amazing. Listening back to My Revenge today, almost twenty years after it was originally released, I can’t help but think it was ten years before it’s time. It features twelve brilliantly crafted melodic gruff punk bangers that if they were released in 2013 would have been huge in the scene.

Jesse James – Punk Soul Brothers

I was absolutely obsessed with Jesse James back in the day. As one of my favourite bands when I first discovered the world of UK punk rock, I listened to Punk Soul Brothers so much that I had to buy a second copy. It was one of those albums where I could sing along to every word and probably still could now twenty years later. The album brilliantly combines punk rock and soul music with a great brass section and ridiculously catchy tunes that will find a home in your brain for absolutely ages. I could have happily picked all three Jesse James albums for this list but chose Punk Soul Brothers because it was the first I heard.

The Johnstones – Word Is Bond

In my essay of an introduction I talked about how music is like a time stamp for memories. You can remember what you were listening to at certain points in your life. This is why The Johnstones – Word Is Bond has a place on this list. The Johnstones were a ska punk band from Canada who released three albums through the brilliant Stomp Records. In the summer of 2010, I broke my leg which meant I spent a lot of time on my own at home. I listened to The Johnstones so much during that summer, I can’t help but feel as if the upbeat, fun, not taking themselves at all seriously nature of their music really helped me not get depressed. I’ll fully admit that a lot of the content on the album probably wouldn’t go down well in the more PC world that we live in today but these songs helped me a lot and I’d love to own it on vinyl.

Just Say Nay – Maximum Effort

Maximum Effort by Just Say Nay is one of the best ska punk albums released anywhere in the world during the past ten years and it’s an absolute catastrophe that it never got released on vinyl. The South London/Kent nine piece released this damn near perfect album in 2019 and it should’ve catapulted them to the very top of the ska punk tree. Combining all things ska, punk, reggae and gypsy-punk and getting stunning results, Maximum Effort is a lot of fun but it’s also full of thoughtful, poignant and smart lyrics and some top notch musicianship. It also features the epic Kuromouri – an eight minute long masterpiece that needs to be heard by everyone. Unfortunately the band decided to call it a day in November of 2021 so the likelihood of a Maximum Effort vinyl release is oh so low but I can dream.

[Spunge] – Too Little Too Late

Of course [Spunge] would be on this list. I’ve spoken about how [Spunge] are my gateway band to punk rock so many times you’re probably bored of it now. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like our vinyl collection is complete until I get the album that started it all for me on vinyl though. The Story So Far was the first [Spunge] album I ever heard and bought and I still absolutely adore it. It’s another where I could easily recite every single word even twenty years later. I do happen to have a Jump On Demand 7” single that the band released in the build up to the album that I found whilst crate digging on holiday in Japan but I NEED Too Little Too late too. Also this year is the album’s twenty year anniversary, so how about an album show at some point too?

Tens – Tens

I would guess that for regular readers of CPRW, Tens are the band you are least familiar with. They are a three piece punk rock band from Chicago. They released their only full length in 2016. I was fortunate enough to be sent an early copy thanks to the fact I do CPRW. Start a music blog folks – sometimes people send you really cool things to listen to! I really enjoyed the album. I’m a big fan of the melodic punk, gruff vocals, a big sing-along style and Tens (also the album title) is packed with it. I was also lucky enough to be able to attend The Fest in Gainesville in 2016 – Tens played and it was one of my favourite sets of the entire weekend. This album would sound great on vinyl.

There’s my list. If you enjoyed it let us know and maybe another member of the team could write their own list and we could make this a series. And, as I said previously, if one of the albums mentioned has been released without me knowing, please send me links so I can buy it!

This top ten was written by Colin Clark.

Gig Review: Fishstock at The Exchange, Bristol 18/9/21

Fishstock is one of the big all dayers/festivals in the DIY punk rock calendar. The annual event is put on by the lovely Chris Fishlock of Fishlock Promotions and takes place at one of the UK’s very best venues, The Exchange in Bristol. Normally Fishstock takes place towards the end of March to celebrate Fishlock’s birthday but due to that pandemic thing we’re still talking about he decided to do it in September instead this year. Emma and I have been saying for years that we need to go to Fishstock but have never managed to find the time. Now we have changed that!

Our day started with an early start which wasn’t overly welcome after a late one in Milton Keynes the night before watching the debut Out Of Love gig (you can read that review here). We boarded our train about 9.30am and arrived in Bristol at lunch time. On our the leg of our journey from Paddington to Bristol we discovered that Leyton Orient were playing Bristol Rovers and that there was also another festival taking place that weekend so the train was packed with geezers and young folk in colourful clothes. I was quite relieved to make it off the train and out of the station. We made our way to our Air BNB, dropped off our bags and then headed out to find some dinner before Fishstock began. We found a place called Oowee Vegan which sells some of the most delicious vegan fast food I’ve ever tasted and I thoroughly recommend checking it out. From there we made our way to The Exchange, said hello to some friends and popped into Specialist Subject Records whilst waiting for the first band of the day.

The band tasked with opening the day was Redeemon. Redeemon are one of the most exciting new bands in the UK ska scene at the moment and feature former members of Beat The Red Light and Smokey Bastard, among others. Playing their own unique brand of skacore and metal, seeing Redeemon always feels like a big deal. The band headlined a Garlic Bread Club show in Manchester the night before so you could forgive them for lacking some energy for their 3pm start but, as you would expect, they put everything they had into the set. I’ve said many times that frontman Pook is one of my favourite people to watch on stage and this was no different. The man is a bundle of energy whether he’s screaming into a microphone or playing his trombone. Redeemon started Fishstock in an explosive way that only they can.

Fishstock was using both of The Exchange’s stages so we made our way downstairs for the first basement stage band of the day, Slug Puppie. Something I always enjoy about going to festivals and all dayers in places we don’t get to visit often is the discovering plenty of new favourite bands so I was pleased as punch to find one here. Slug Puppie are a new band from Bristol. The two piece play indie punk music and I was immediately impressed by how big they sounded and how good the main vocalist’s voice was. They also seemed to be having an absolutely wonderful time on stage which is always nice to see. During the set they played the brilliant single Cycle Home and made a joke about being a new band so they performed a cover. I didn’t have a clue what the cover was so they could have passed it off as their own. (Editor’s note: It was Dancing On My Own by Robyn.) I’m very excited to see more of Slug Puppie in the future.

We made our way back upstairs for the third band, Gimic. Another band I knew absolutely nothing about but did recognise their guitarist and bass player from serving me in Specialist Subject earlier in the day. When we entered the room, the sound system was playing so 90s ska punk music, a sound that couldn’t have been much further away from Gimic’s. The four piece play a straight forward hardcore punk. As you would expect from a hardcore band they were relentless from start to finish and there was very minimal chat between the songs.

Following Gimic we rushed back down the stairs for Lounar. Lounar is the new hip hop project from Triple Sundae frontman Hassan. Hassan has always been a big hip hop fan so used the lockdown to work on this project. This was only the fourth or fifth live set Lounar had performed but you would never have guessed. He paced around the front of the stage working his way through some tracks from his debut EP, Daye3, which you can buy from Make-That-A-Take Records. I’m not much of a hip hop fan myself but it was really cool seeing my friend do something he loves and excels at. Lounar’s songs are heavily influenced by what it’s like to live as a Palestinian man in the UK and seeing all of the atrocities that take place towards his homeland that go unpunished. Between songs Hassan takes time to talk about Palestine in an extremely eloquent way. If you’re unaware of everything going on out there then please take some time to do some reading and consider donating money if you can.

Next on the upstairs stage were Live, Do Nothing, a band that Hassan had just referred to as the best indie punk band in the UK. This was my first time seeing the Cardiff based band and I was extremely surprised when they took to the stage. I was under the impression that the band were a four piece so imagine my shock when we saw the stage had eight people on it and a whole orchestra full of different instruments including two cellos, violin, flute, keytar, keyboards, saxophone, a rainmaker and egg shakers alongside the standard electric guitars, bass and drums. The sound man probably thought the hardest band of the day would be Redeemon, I imagine he was wrong. Before that start of the set, the band announced that this would probably be chaos and they weren’t wrong. It was chaos but it was also a lot of fun. I felt like everything about being in Live, Do Nothing was about having as much fun as possible and this set certainly enforced that view. Hassan was right in his view about how good the band is and I’d love for them to head to London more in the future.

We then returned to the downstairs stage for Acid Claw. This was another band I had never heard of before and was keen to check them out. When we entered the room the band announced that were ready but were awaiting their second guitarist before kicking off their set. He soon arrived and the six piece kicked things off. Playing a hybrid of thrash, punk and ska, I was quickly impressed with Acid Claw. They reminded me a lot of former Manchester band Rising Strike, one of the most underrated bands from their time. It was at this point of the day that the basement stage was becoming quite warm so we decided to duck out early for a bit of a break before the next band.

Babar Luck has a been a part of the underground alternative music scene for as long as I can remember (and probably longer) but this was my first time seeing him perform live, despite him being a former member of one of my favourite bands, King Prawn. Today he was performing with his band East End Trinity playing songs that he dubbed as English rock ’n’ roll. Babar is an extremely watchable performer and I found my eyes locked onto him throughout the entire set. Even between the songs I found myself enamoured by him. He’s one of those people where when they speak you have no choice but to listen. Between songs he spoke about unity, love and staying true to yourself, something I’m sure everyone in the room could relate to. A fantastic, rocking set by Babar Luck And The East End Trinity.

Kiss Me Killer were ready on the basement stage when we arrived back downstairs. This was a band I’ve been aware of for a while but have never had the opportunity to see live. I was very impressed with the four piece’s take on garage punk and particularly enjoyed the song Sports Direct, which is about quitting a job that you hate. However it was still really hot in the basement so we decided to nip out early once again. We took the time to get some refreshments and to try some vegan doughnuts courtesy of Future Doughnuts, a new doughnut place that has just opened up in Bristol. I tried the chocolate and raspberry one and it was delicious!

Our friends Toodles And The Hectic Pity were up next on the main stage. We hadn’t seen Toodles since they played Do It Together at the New Cross Inn back in January 2020 so we were very excited to see them again. We’ve been in love with Callum, Dom and Max since first hearing Call In Sick back in 2017 and it’s been amazing to see them grow since then. It was also great to get the opportunity to see them play a show in front of what’s a home crowd for the band. This meant there were plenty of people down the front for a good sing-along. Each song the band played got great receptions but the highlights for me were Ducks, Spooky Furniture, Call In Sick and Menthol Cigarettes. The band also treated us to a couple of new songs they’ve been working on which I personally hope will be part of a full length in the future. There was also a funny moment where Callum had to explain that Max was wearing a shirt and tie because he had left a wedding to play the set and doesn’t always dress like that. I think he should. We love Toodles, they’re a great band and also the nicest people. If you’ve not checked them out I suggest you do it now.

Back downstairs we ventured for Toodles & The Hectic Pity label mate Erica Freas. When we arrived Erica was propped up on an amp with their acoustic guitar just starting the set. Erica played what was no doubt the softest set of the day but it was in no way less impactful than any of the louder sets of the day. This set really showcased the diverse sounds that were spread throughout Fishstock. How many alldayers would have a band like Redeemon on the same bill as Erica Freas? This was a big part of why I loved Fishstock. Erica’s set was mixed of old RVIVR and Somnia songs as well as some songs from their solo material. Erica has one of my favourite voices in all of punk rock and it’s always such a pleasure to hear them sing in quieter settings. They capture the entire room’s attention and I think it’s fair to say the room was the busiest it had been all day and it was a wonderfully special time. As was becoming tradition, I ducked out of the room early again because of the heat and had a quick catch up with Andy Davies of TNSRecords and Knife Club before the next band.

Falmouth’s Bobby Funk had already started their set by the time I made my way back inside. The trouble with any all dayer is that they are often a friends fest and you can get distracted from the bands. This one was our first since pre-pandemic and we were catching up with a lot of people we hadn’t seen for well over a year and some parts of the day did sadly get missed. Bobby Funk are a band who have been on my radar since they released their avocado shaped vinyl through TNS a few years ago. This was my first time listening to anything by them other than their song I’m A Cat. The four piece play fast hardcore music that is fun as it can be but can also been about some super serious topics. The band do a great job of balancing the fun and the serious and put together a very entertaining stage show. It’s clear to me after watching Bobby Funk why there is so much talk about the band as they are superb. I expect them to be at the front of the UK hardcore scene for years to come.

The penultimate act on the basement stage were Knife Club. The band are a TNS super group of sorts featuring members of Matilda’s Scoundrels, Nosebleed, Casual Nausea, Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man and, normally, Faintest Idea but Dani was currently on paternity leave. This was one of the band’s very first shows and I personally felt a lot of anticipation about what they would be live. A lot of fun is the answer to that. Andy Davies lives out his rap god dreams. Not by rapping, but by running around the venue as far as his XLR will let him. Knife Club played a politically charged set with a trilogy of songs being about how shit the conservative government is. Knife Club, like a lot of new projects that were conceived in the beginning of 2020, were seriously stalled and it was great to see them finally be able to get out and play some shows. Given that Knife Club live all over the UK I imagine that they won’t be able to tour relentlessly so make sure you catch them live when you can!

The penultimate band on the main stage was Aerial Salad. Quite unbelievably this was only my third time seeing Aerial Salad and it was my third time seeing them with a different drummer. On this occasion Mike and Jamie were joined by Jake, formerly the drummer of Fastfade. We’d joked before hand with Jake that Aerial Salad would be a bit slower than he’s normally used to when drumming in Fastfade. When the band took to the stage and started their set Mike screamed into his microphone that ‘Manchester is in the building’ and off the boys went. It’s the opinion of most in the DIY punk scene that Aerial Salad will be the next band to really blow up. This opinion was cemented in the next thirty minutes as Salad played an incredible set. Comprised mostly of songs from their 2020 album Dirt Mall, we get sing-along after sing-along. Jamie mentions between songs that it’s been so frustrating releasing an album and then not being able to tour it. My memory is a little hazy on the exact set list but, as you would expect from Aerial Salad, it’s banger after banger throughout. We were also treated to at least two new songs from whatever they’re working on next. Whatever it is I am excited for it. The set was concluded with the awesome Romance. I believe they were also going to play one last song which I assume was going to be Habits And Problems but unfortunately Jamie’s guitar string broke.

After deciding to skip Atterkop completely to rest up for the final band, it was time for the mighty JB Conspiracy. The long running ska punk band are one of the most beloved in the UK and are out on the road playing shows in support of their brand new album Beginnings. It did not take long for the band to get the crowd moving as they blasted into the set. Playing a mixture of classics and brand new songs, it seemed to me that the crowd were getting rowdier and rowdier with every song. There’s always a worry for me that when a band has such a big gap between albums that a crowd might not be as receptive to newer stuff, this certainly wasn’t the case at The Exchange. JB managed to cram all eight members of the band on to the stage and still managed find room to have a dance. The energy on the stage poured into the crowd who lovingly gave everything they could for the band. It had been a long day and most people’s first all dayer in years so to see so much energy in the room was a joyous thing. I guess the government mandated exercise is really paying off. Even when the band did slow things down to play Drop Your Anchor it did not dampen the crowds spirit as it resulted in a big sing-along. Something that always amazes me whenever I see the JB Conspiracy is that they always seem to be better than the last time I saw them, which is quite something given that the first time I saw them they set the standard very high and I have seen them over ten times since then. I’m very much looking forward to catching them and being blown away again in New Cross for Till The Fest this weekend.

With that Fishstock was ended and what an incredible day it was! The day was packed with so many amazing bands from all areas of the punk rock spectrum. Something I really loved about the day was the diversity that was offered, not just in the music but the people. This is what an all dayer should be about, a variety of sounds and people coming together and enjoying something in unity. All day all I saw was smiling happy people loving being in each other’s company and it was absolutely wholesome. All the love in the world has to go to Fishlock and the fine folk at The Exchange for such a wonderful day out. It really felt like a bit of old times coming back and it filled my heart. We can’t wait for the next Fishstock!

This gig review was written by Colin Clark. Photos by Emma Prew and Colin Clark.

Album Review: Dirt Mall by Aerial Salad

Aerial Salad are without a doubt one of the most exciting young bands, not just in the UK but the whole world of punk rock. The Manchester based three-piece have made huge strides since forming in 2016 and playing what many have said is the worst set in the history of The Fest. Their debut album Roach was extremely well received when it was released in 2017. Since then the band have played shows here, there and everywhere – getting better with each set. Over the past year, they've been working hard on the release of their second album, Dirt Mall, which was released on the 27th of March on Plasterer Records as well as Aerial Salad’s new label Roach Industries. I was excited to hear some new material from the boys.

Dirt Mall kicks off with the song Virtue. After a brief intro with some buzzing guitars, it's not long before Jamie Munro's distinctive vocals make an appearance. Passionate, urgent and containing that thick Northern accent, this is an energetic opening for the album. Virtue gives Aerial Salad a grungier edge to their melodic pop punk style and shows the direction that they're heading on Dirt Mall. The next song, Romance?, was released as a single as a warm up for Dirt Mall. It was the perfect choice. The song starts out pretty slowly and shows much more restraint that I'm perhaps used to from Salad. Munro's vocals carry a certain amount of swagger in that opening verse. When the chorus comes in, it's pretty hard not to find yourself singing along. It's one of those brilliantly simple choruses that will get stuck in your head for days. Romance? is about wanting to have sex with someone that's in a relationship that isn't going anywhere and them also wanting to be with you but they can't because of their current status. How complicated. The third song is titled Fever Dream. Another of Aerial Salad's more restrained and, dare I say more, mature sounding efforts. This really is such a great example of the band’s growth over the past couple of years. When Roach was released I could never imagine the band writing a song like this and it being really good.

Temp sees the band pick the tempo back up for a little while. The track begins in quite a loud and brash fashion before soon shifting into a more regimented style. This switch during the song is a very striking method that keeps you listening to the track throughout. Such A Pity starts with a fun walking bass part from Mike Wimbleton. This bass line really carries the opening portion of the track whilst Jamie sings over the top of it. This is without a doubt one of the poppier songs on Dirt Mall and shows that, even though the band have developed, they haven't forgotten their roots. The way the song builds to its chorus is superb, as soon as Jamie yells "tell me, is this a horror film" I'm itching to sing along. I can't wait to see this song performed live. State O'Yer strikes me as one of those songs that gets better and better each time you listen to it. I think the best way of describing the overall sound of the song is by saying if you take the sound of every Teenage Bottlerocket song and add a whole lot of Northern intensity, this is what you’d get. This is where Aerial Salad really excel. Jamie sounds really pissed off as he storms through the track which seems to take aim at the posers in the music scene.

Track seven is the album's title track, Dirt Mall. I read in another review of Dirt Mall that if the reviewer was going to pick one track to sum up the overall sound of the album they would pick Dirt Mall. I would definitely agree with that statement. It's got a bit of everything you expect from the band – passion, energy, angst, cohesiveness, grungey punk rock and a big chorus. It's clear that, despite their relative youth, Jamie, Mike and drummer Matt Mills have been playing together for a good while and play to each other's strengths brilliantly. The penultimate song is named Lazy. This slower track could serve as a bit of an anthem for the band. It has a massive chorus of "I'm so lazy, I don't even feel like moving at all" that I can see crowds at DIY venues all around the UK shouting loudly back at the band. The final track on Dirt Mall is Stressed. This was a great choice of song to finish the album. It's a powerful plodder of a song. It never really hits any massive heights but is also impossible to ignore. This is in part down to a stabby guitar riff and a simple but effective drum beat. It paints a grim but truthful picture of what life is like for most working class, young twenty something people in the UK and how people try and get through it. I laughed when I first heard the lyric "live your own life, the best you can and love your mam". That is such a Jamie Munro lyric.

Dirt Mall definitely delivers on the promise Aerial Salad have as a band. Of all the bands in the UK's ever growing DIY scene, they seem like the most likely to break out into getting some more mainstream attention. Could Aerial Salad become the voice of their generation? How would I know? But it certainly wouldn't surprise me. I can't wait to see them on Sunday Brunch in the future.

Stream and download Dirt Mall on Bandcamp here.

Like Aerial Salad on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Top Tens: Colin's Top Ten Punk Rock Love Songs

Commercialised love day is tomorrow. Whilst we're not really into the day itself, we do appreciate a great love song. I'm also really struggling to come up with ideas for top ten so it all fits. Following on from Robyn's top ten punk rock love songs from a couple of years ago, Colin has decided to share his own.

Aerial Salad – Romance?
Aerial Salad's brand new single from their upcoming new album, Dirt Mall, asks the question ‘do you want romance?’. It's about wanting to offer a girl something different from the usual way that "lads" would attempt to attract a girl – old school romance and a heavy dose of respect. It's a sweet song with a great message, trying to prove that not all men are dicks.

The Apers – Moonlight Kisses
Dutch punks The Apers wrote the loveliest of love songs on their final album Confetti On The Floor. On the track, Kevin Aper sings about being blown away by the kisses from his loved one. How they make him feel better and how he couldn't do without them. In the world of pop punk, every song seems like it's about getting dumped so this happy and positive song proves to be a breath of fresh air.

Big D & The Kids Table – We Can Live Anywhere
I think that this is one of Big D & The Kids Table's best songs and it makes me sad that I've never seen them play it live. It shows the softer side of the Boston ska punk legends. It opens with a sexy sax riff, before David McWane begins to croon his way through a song about home being anywhere you want it to be as long as you're together. It's so lovely that it's almost sickening but also always puts a massive smile on my face. As someone who has moved towns to live with the person they love, I relate to the song hard.

The Bouncing Souls – Favorite Everything
New Jersey's Bouncing Souls have never shied away from the soppy love song during their long and illustrious career. In 2019 they topped the soppy league table with the song Favorite Everything. On the song, Greg Attonito sings about how his partner is the best and lists plenty of reasons why. I can remember seeing them live last year and singing along with this song and directing it at Emma. Given that we were with our friends and public displays of affection are gross, she wasn't keen on this. She's such a punk.

Descendents – Nothing With You
I think it's every punk rock geek’s dream to hang out with the girl or guy they like and do literally nothing but have the best time. Those times doing nothing are the best times you can have with people. Milo brilliantly describes what we were all yearning for when we were growing up and now it happens I treasure the moment even more.

MakeWar - Tiger Lili
You might not have expected a band with the name MakeWar to write a love song, but they did – and it's bloody good. On Tiger Lili, Jose Prieto has written a love letter to his partner thanking them for helping him through the tough times and just making life better whenever you spend time together. This is a song straight from the ‘Colin & Emma’ playlist. Before I met Emma, I was going through one of the hardest times in my life and Emma came along and things all seemed to get better and fall into place. When I first heard this song, I got a lump in my throat at just how hard I related.

Masked Intruder – Heart Shaped Guitar
The first song on this list that's a duet. Technically it's only half a love song as Intruder Blue sings of his love for Maura Weaver (Mixtapes/Ogikubo Station) while she sings about her repulsion for him. This repulsion really serves as a way to make Blue's lyrics even more sweet and make you almost feel sorry for him and his unrequited love. We've all been there, except without the balaclavas.

New Town Kings – Grabbed My Hand
Colchester ska heroes the New Town Kings wrote this beautiful song back in 2014 about how life really gets started when you meet somebody you love. It shows the band venturing off into a newer style that came after Dabs Bonner joined the band. Another song that's oozing with positivity, I have to imagine it's been a few people’s first dances at their weddings.

The Skints – Lay You Down
Let's be frank, this song is about the s-e-x. The Skints are at their poppy ska finest on this bouncy number where Josh sings a song about wanting to get a girl into bed. It's forward, there's no denying it, but Josh has a cheeky charm that allows him to get away with it. It's also a catchy track that you can't help but sing along with and grin like a fool.

Teenage Bottlerocket – I Found The One
With lyrics such as "the star of all my wet dreams" and "I'm so horny that I don't know what to do, and now my balls are turning blue" Teenage Bottlerocket give a crude and humorous take on what it's like to fall for someone and wanting to ask them out. Despite the rude lyrics (sorry if you're reading this, Mumma C), Teenage Bottlerocket manage to come across as being pretty endearing and sweet on this song. They probably shouldn't, but they do.

This top ten was written by Colin Clark.

Top Tens: Top Ten Bands Emma Is Excited About In 2020

As January comes to an end, I can safely say that it’s been a rather good start to 2020 – at least from a personal and CPRW perspective. Colin launched CPRW Records on New Year’s Day and I had some involvement, designing the logo and the artwork for the first comp of the year (check out the Bandcamp page here). We also welcomed a few new faces to the CPRW team with Dan Kilvert, Marcus Pond and Chris Bishton joining the gang – I will be updating the Meet The Team page at some point! Then, last weekend we had Do It Together Fest which quite simply exceeded all of our expectations. The bands were, of course, great – we helped to pick them – but the atmosphere at the New Cross Inn was just so wonderful for the whole weekend as well. It was very much a pals fest with friends old and new all in one place. So, it’s been a good start to the year and I’m excited to see what the rest of 2020 brings, especially in terms of new music.

Without further ado, here are ten bands I’m particularly excited about in 2020:

Aerial Salad

There is a distinct buzz surrounding this Mancunian threesome ahead their second album, Dirt Mall, which is due for release in the Spring. Earlier this week Aerial Salad released Romance?, the first single from the album which is very, very good. Colin and I saw the band in Hamburg last year at Booze Cruise Festival, having not seen them for a year or so prior, and were very impressed by how they’d progressed as a band. I can definitely see Aerial Salad being much, much bigger by this time next year.

Answering Machine

I’ve only recently got around to checking out Answering Machine, a five-piece power pop band from Brooklyn, New York City. The fact that Craig Shay of Cold Wrecks (who released my favourite album of 2019) also plays in this band is what prompted me to check them out but it was lead vocalist Samantha who hooked me into their sound – what a voice! Now seems like as good a time as any to be getting into Answering Machine as sources (Craig) inform me that there’s a new album on the way this year.

Erica Freas

I’m sure readers of this blog will be very familiar with Erica Freas for being a member of the awesome American punk rock band RVIVR. You may not be quite so familiar with the solo music of Erica Freas however. Fear not, now is the perfect time to get acquainted as Erica is releasing a brand new solo album on Specialist Subject Records – which also happens to be where Erica works (thank you for sending us lots of early releases!) – on 28th February. I’m looking forward to hopefully catching both the Erica Freas and SOMNIA (a group formed of Erica alongside members of Spoonboy and Martha) sets at Manchester Punk Festival this year.

Goodbye Blue Monday

Vocalist and guitarist Graham said, on Saturday night at DITFest during an incredible if a bit silly set, that he has finished writing songs for Goodbye Blue Monday’s debut album. As one of CPRW’s favourite UK DIY punk bands, we are understandably very excited about this. I, for one, just can’t get enough of this miserable yet poppy punk rock. The new songs are sounding great live and, although we don’t know when the songs will actually be recorded, I do hope that something will be released this year.

Katie MF

From one CPRW favourite to another! Katie MF released a brilliantly emotional second EP last year, as well as playing some killer gigs – both full band and solo – and no doubt gaining many new fans along the way. It’s been so wonderful to watch Katie MF’s sound and songwriting evolve over the past year or so and, judging by the three new songs we heard at the weekend, the band just keep getting better and better. I don’t know if they have plans to record the new songs anytime soon so I can’t wait to see Katie MF live soon to hear them again.

Modern Shakes

Gruff punks Modern Shakes are a relatively new band in the South London punk rock scene. Despite technically forming a couple of years ago, they only released their first EP, Murmur, last year – which Colin named his no.1 EP of the year no less (number five in mine). 2020 looks set to be Modern Shakes’ year as, after a line-up change, they are gearing up to release the follow-up to Murmur. The band will be playing Triple Sundae’s big gig on 28th March at the Amersham Arms which will be a lot of fun – not least because it’s my birthday. 

Proper.

Okay, so I probably should have been raving about Proper. last year when they released their album I Spent The Winter Writing Songs About Getting Better on Big Scary Monsters but, as is often the way, I was late to the party. Having been announced as playing MPF this year, I decided to check out this three-piece afro-punk band from New York City. Damn, I’m glad I haven’t slept on this band any longer – they’re so, so good with incredibly powerful and moving lyrics. Proper. are top of my must-see-at-MPF list and April can’t come soon enough.

Sincere Engineer

I feel like I read somewhere that Chicago-based band Sincere Engineer would be releasing a new album in 2020 but, now that it’s come to actually writing about it, I can’t find anything specific about this. It’s been three years since Rhombithian was released so I reckon we’re due another album! I’m also hoping that, much like fellow Red Scare Industries band Ramona, this might be the year that Sincere Engineer make it over to the UK. I’d certainly snap up tickets in no time at all.  

Stöj Snak

There is no release date set in stone, as far as I’m aware, but Danish folk punks Stöj Snak finished recording their new album, after what they described as the longest recording session since Chinese Democracy, in November last year. It’s honestly the album that I am most eagerly anticipating in 2020 and I don’t have much more to say than that. I. Can’t. Wait. 

Sunliner

Formerly known as Jake & The Jellyfish, the band announced earlier this week that they would not only be changing their name but are also joining the Lockjaw Records family. Having been a fan of J&TJ for several years and following their progression from a very much folk punk-sounding band to something a little more akin to Hot Water Music or Red City Radio, I’m very excited to see what Sunliner do next. 

This top ten was written by Emma Prew.