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

(Emma’s parts are in italics.)

Our Saturday started in a busy fashion. Firstly with a CPRW meet up where all of the team who were attending the festival got together for breakfast. It was a lovely time. Then we made our way over to Sandbar for the Sober Social. This was a new event for MPF put together by Sarah Shout Louder, Helen from Smoking Gives You Big Tits and Chloë Glover to bring together people who either don’t drink, were trying to stop or cut down on their alcohol consumption or for people who were just interested in alcohol-free booze. The point was to show people that there are plenty of other like-minded people in the punk community. I feel like the event was a success and I hope they bring it back for MPF 2023.

Whereas a lot of our friends headed to The Union to see Darko (I’ve heard from everyone how good they were), we decided to go and see Daves at Zombie Shack. I first heard of Daves at the end of 2019 and had been keen to see them live ever since. They play this loud, shouty style of pop punk that I adore. It was nice to see a decent crowd had gathered at the Zombie Shack to see the three-piece. In my head, I’d given them a big build up and I was so happy to see that not only did they meet all of my expectations, they blew them away. Playing songs such as I Drank The Beer, Get Out Of My City and Change, Daves got the Saturday off to the perfect start for me. I’m very keen to see Daves live again, hopefully it will be soon.

Photo by Emma Prew

As we left Zombie Shack and headed around the corner, we soon become aware that a lengthy queue was forming for the first band of the day at Gorilla. We joined the end in hope that we would be able to get in and see Onsind at some point but the queue continued to grow behind us – we later found out that the queue was caused by a delay in opening the doors due to something that needed fixing inside the venue, safety first and all that. Anyway, I did make it into the venue part way through Onsind’s set and found the room full of eager music fans dancing and singing along to the Durham band. Over the years, Onsind have transformed from acoustic duo Daniel and Nathan to a six piece band with the addition of keys, drums, bass and another vocalist. It was a shame to miss the beginning but what I did experience was a wonderfully, joyful and wholesome set of songs. I’ll never get bored of a room of punks singing ‘never trust a Tory’.

Photo by Emma Prew

One of my most anticipated bands of the weekend were up next and I was excited. As Colin headed off to watch Hell’s Ditch, I managed to meet up with Robyn as the crowd thinned a little between bands. We moved into a prime position near the front as we waited for Brooklyn-based emo band Proper. to take to the stage. It was our first time seeing the band live but I was aware that they had a slightly different line-up for their UK tour, however that did not seem to hinder them in the slightest. Tearing through a set that mostly consisted of tracks from their excellent new album, The Great American Novel, as well as a couple of older tunes, Proper. instantly lived up to all of my hopes and expectations. The performance was slick and precise without being over the top. I loved how the band members seemed genuinely stoked to be there and told us about their antics on tour throughout the UK – including learning about ‘oggy oggy’, of all things. Great stuff. Would recommend. Would watch again.  

Photo by Louise Buckler

Hell’s Ditch are a band you might be familiar with as their members have been in plenty of other UK DIY punk bands over the years. For me, the most familiar is their frontman Nicholas Davis who was formerly the singer in River Jumpers. I was very pleased to finally get the opportunity to see Hell’s Ditch at The Bread Shed at MPF. It was nice to see a few pals from the NXI scene had also gathered at The Bread Shed to check them out. My pal Chris of Warrington Ska Punk had been helping out at The Bread Shed all weekend and had been introducing the bands on to the stage, I’m still not sure if that was something he’d been asked to do or something he just decided he would do but before Hell’s Ditch began their set he joked about them having only seven songs and a forty minute set to fill. I also had wondered about how this would work. I can give you the answer to that question now, by saying they filled it by playing some banging pop punk songs. Nicholas has one of my favourite vocals in pop punk and the rest of the band played their roles perfectly. I felt a lot of positivity ooze from the stage as they played and it felt great to be in that environment at that exact moment. They also filled the time by playing (reluctantly by some members of the band) a great cover of The Clash’s Train In Vain which went down a storm. I had to leave the set a little early to make sure I could get to Yes to see the next band.

As I arrived at Yes, I bumped into the legend that is Chris Fishlock outside and then we made our way to the basement for Beng Beng Cocktail. Beng Beng Cocktail are a three-piece acoustic ska act from France who recently released their new album with the help of TNSRecords. I’ve been a fan of the band for a couple of years, after discovering them on a big ska compilation. Because they’re based in Europe, and a lot of silly billies in the UK voted to leave the EU making it very difficult and expensive for bands from the mainland to tour the UK, I didn’t expect I’d get the chance to see them. To my absolute surprise and delight they were announced for MPF so I would get to see them. Chris and I took a place right at the front of the stage for them and it seemed as if Yes quickly filled up with a lot of other likeminded people to see them. Despite being a largely acoustic act I was very impressed with how full their sound was, filling the room brilliantly. All around me people were skanking along with the band and having a great time. There was a rawness to the sound that is something I always enjoy and I was very pleased that the high hopes I had for the set were not let down. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

After The Beng Beng Cocktail set I met up with Emma outside of the venue. I thought the plan was to have a bit of a break and some food before continuing our day. She then asked me when I was seeing Holiday. It turned out I’d got my timings confused and the answer was right now. So I hurried to back to Gorilla and, after a thorough searching from the over-zealous security guard, I made my way into the venue where Holiday’s set was well underway. Holiday were a late addition to the festival but, for me and many others, it was a very welcome one. The four-piece are clearly one I’ve been sleeping on for years as I absolutely loved their set. The band play an upbeat melodic pop punk style and were obviously loved by everyone in attendance. Holiday are one of those bands that are equally as enjoyable to watch between songs as they are when they are playing, with some entertaining banter between the members and the crowd. I was very pleased to have taken the opportunity to finally see Holiday as who knows when they will play again but I really suggest that if they do play again you also take the opportunity to see them. One of the best pop punk bands the country has produced in the last ten years. Today’s task is to find a copy of their excellent LP California Steamin’ on vinyl.

Slow Science were next on my agenda. I’d last seen Slow Science at their last ever show in 2014. Unfortunately, I’d only get to see about half of their set here as I wanted to also catch some of The JB Conspiracy who were playing at The Union at the same time. The plan was to catch the first 15 minutes of Slow Science at Zombie Shack before rushing to see JB. Sadly some technical issues seemed to delay the start of their set so I only got to see about three songs in the end but goodness it was nice to see Slow Science back. They are one of the most underrated bands from their era, combining indie punk with dreamy emo riffs fantastically. They’ve also just released a brand new EP named Sham Laws which is really, really good.

Photo by Emma Prew

The JB Conspiracy are ska punk legends and I always try to see them live whenever I get the chance. Due to the Slow Science clash I only got to see about four songs, but as you can probably imagine it was four of the best songs of the day. As we entered The Union it was great to see such a full room for the band. JB have proudly flown the UK ska punk flag for years now and deserve all the respect and love that they receive wherever they play. I was very pleased that we arrived to see them play The Long Road To Zurich which is my favourite song from their latest album, Beginnings. It was during this track I noticed that the band had Evelyn Crabb from Lead Shot Hazard and Filthy Militia filling in for them and doing a superb job. Before the set finished they also played classics Drop Your Anchor (which got a huge sing-along) and closer Time To Leave to finish the set in real style.

Photo by Lindsey Cormack

I’m not sure there’s another band that’s more beloved by myself and my New Cross Inn going companions than Dublin’s Chewie. At the after party of MPF 2018 we all had a lovely time singing our hearts out to this band and we would do it again at The Union on a Saturday afternoon. I know some people have said that a big venue like The Union is a bit soulless compared to the more DIY MPF venues of the past (RIP Sound Control) but there was something magical about seeing Chewie up on the big stage, playing their hearts out and having, at least what felt like, the whole room singing along to every word like their lives depended on it. I don’t quite know what it is about Chewie but they seem to bring out a raw emotion in all of us – I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if their set brought some folks in the audience to tears. Probably the highlight of the day.

Photo by Paul Smith

Leaving The Union behind, we quickly made our way back to Zombie Shack where The Netherlands based  Coral Springs were already playing an energetic set to a full room of people. Vocalist Jo seemed to have the audience hooked on their every word as their enthusiasm bled into the crowd, particularly those down the front. Coral Springs play fast paced and catchy pop punk music which soon proved to be a lot of fun live. And what a voice Jo has! The band were also joined by Tom from Darko for one track which went down a treat. I’m definitely keen to see these guys again – hopefully for a whole set next time. 

We stuck around in Zombie Shack for Irish punks Bar Tape. I’d only heard of Bar Tape because they were on the MPF line-up and what a great find they turned out to be! As they set up, I noticed that one of the band members was sporting a Dopamines T-shirt. I have a bit of a theory that if I see someone in a band wearing a Dopamines T-shirt then there is a high chance I’m going to love their band. The theory works as they played a storming set. Playing fast and raw melodic pop punk, this is exactly my can of coke. Despite being very new to the band I was pleased to hear some songs I recognised such as Guts & Skin and David and the others I wasn’t as familiar with had me itching to check out the band further. Moments like this are why I love going to festivals – the chance to discover new favourite bands you probably wouldn’t have even heard of if you hadn’t have attended.

Photo by Emma Prew

After a quick catch up with Sarah Shout Louder I popped back to our Air BNB before returning to The Union for this evening’s headliners, UK ska and reggae legends The Skints. After my short break, I arrived at The Union to find the venue absolutely packed for the band. It was nice to see The Skints make a return to a DIY festival, showing despite all of their well deserved success they haven’t forgotten their roots. It was also incredible to see a band that features a woman of colour headline the festival, proving MPF is one of the most diverse festivals in the country. Now, to be completely honest, I wasn’t originally planning on seeing The Skints. I’d planned to see first Shai Hulud and then Svalbard headline at Gorilla but because of my earlier interactions with the security at Gorilla I decided I didn’t fancy going back to that venue. I also haven’t listened to anything new from The Skints in a long time so was pretty unfamiliar with the majority of the set. I had a nice time though, there were plenty of friends there and everyone was in high spirits. The room swayed along with the band and showed them so much love which was very pleasing to see. Like I said, I didn’t plan on seeing The Skints but I did leave with a smile on my face so all’s well that ends well.

Photo by George Elcombe

Next it was time for the Saturday after party and the now legendary yearly appearance of Grafteoke. After The Skints, a group of us met up outside The Union and convoyed down to Rebellion, getting there with plenty of time to spare and before the venue hit capacity. If you don’t know, Grafteoke is basically the members of Pure Graft being a backing band that invites members of the audience on stage to fulfil their punk rock front person dreams. At the last MPF, this was many people’s big highlight of the weekend and it promised to deliver again. To start the set, the band played their own version of the Andrew WK smash Party Hard before inviting members of the crowd to the stage. Bands that got covered throughout the set included Limp Bizkit, Bad Brains, Green Day, Descendents, Jimmy Eat World and Smash Mouth to various degrees of quality. A lot of fun was had all around though, by the folk on stage and the massive crowd. Grafteoke have proven to be such an excellent addition to the festival.

Photo by Emma Prew

The next legendary cover set had been a long time in the making, since MPF organiser Tree and a collection of Manchester based musicians (from various bands in the scene) attempted and failed to play a set of Oasis songs back in 2018. We couldn’t get into the venue at that time but heard afterwards that there were technical difficulties and the whole thing was a bit of a disaster. As such, you could forgive us for thinking that this 2022 edition of an Oasis cover set might also be a shambles. It was not. I don’t consider myself to be a hardcore Oasis fan but nor do I hate them, as many – punk fans or otherwise – seem to. Even so, I did not expect to enjoy this set as much as I did. Tree proved to be an excellent front person and had his Liam Gallagher impersonation down to a T. The rest of the band, which featured members of Bruise Control, Fair Do’s and ROTPM, were also brilliant. I had a lovely time singing along to hits such as Wonderwall and She’s Electric and would love to see this incarnation of Oasis (I believe they’re using the name ‘Chunderwall’) again. 

Photo by Paul Smith

Day two had been an excellent but exhausting day. I’d sacrificed dinner for seeing a lot of excellent bands. I think the only thing I ate after breakfast was a malt loaf bar which was very naughty of me. I’ve been hanging around Paul Smith too much. The day had been jam packed with special moments and I was on such a high. Day three had a lot to live up to!

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.