More Rebellion, Fewer Photos
The rambling man woke me up with a telephone call on Friday morning at about 10am. Not a good start, I’d missed breakfast. He said he was in the pub and I said I wouldn’t be long. A shower later, 
I joined him and the Doncaster punks in Churchills, which I have just found out is a gay bar. One of my nicknames for the rambler is Gay Boy because he likes gay bars. He’s not gay though, although he frequently claims to be.
But I digress. Actually, they were outside Churchills having a drink and it looked very continental to me. They quickly decided to move onto another pub so I didn’t bother buying a drink. We went to the Cedar Tavern, just round the corner and I had a drink of some fizzy, slightly alcoholic beverage. Really, nothing compares to proper cask ale.
I’m actually not really sure of what I did all morning but I know I went to meet my great friend, Sammy the Shark for a coffee; she was concerned about my alcohol consumption and suggested I meet her for a coffee in the afternoon. I obliged and gave my liver some respite. After the coffee, I persuaded Sammy to take me back to my hotel room (a fair walk from where we were) and I gave her two presents – a gecko fridge magnet (she loves geckoes) and a bottle of Skinners Betty Stogs ale. The latter was me trying to educate her in the path of righteousness, she usually drinks Becks.
After that, she kindly took me in the direction of the Winter Gardens, where I was to meet yet another friend, Greg. I found him in the bar and we had a chat. We then went to watch Outlaw, hold on there, Rennie, spell it properly, I mean Outl4w.
I saw Outl4w for the first time last year at Wasted and I was blown away. They’re a group consisting of 3 teenage brothers and a slightly older drummer. Hardened, grizzled old punks have “OUTL4W” written on the backs of their leather jackets and Dave, a member of the Straps, a band dating from the late 70s, appeared almost starstruck when we bumped into them in Blackpool last year. They’re good. They’re also very young. I’m old enough to be the grandmother of the two youngest members. So last year I my emotions were ranging from “Wow! They’re brilliant!” to “Ooooh, they’re soooo cuuuute!!!!” in a cycle of about 2 seconds.
This year, they’re a year older and my grandmotherly feelings were slightly in abeyance. The music was great and I really enjoyed the set.
After Outl4w, I committed a cardinal sin. I missed both Goldblade and Argy Bargy. Now, my readers may have received the impression from earlier blogs that I rather like the two bands. It is not an incorrect impression. I think they’re great. Unfortunately, the organisers of Rebellion had failed to take into account that I like both bands a great deal and had put them on at the same time. My original intention was to see half of Argy Bargy and then move onto Goldblade and hopefully get up on stage with them, like I did last time. I didn’t. I spent the time in the bar drinking fizzy lager. What a waste!
Fortunately, I didn’t miss Chas and Dave, who were excellent. I was so impressed by them I kept texting my Long Suffering Husband and Harry, my eldest, telling them just how good the band were. I was particularly impressed with Chas’s keyboard playing. The man is a genius. They played all the old favourites, Rabbit, The Sideboard Song, Ain’t No Pleasin You, amongst others, and to my delight, Snooker Loopy. I think, with hindsight, that they were the best act I saw that weekend. I know others enjoyed it and it was a surreal sight seeing punks and skinheads dancing, pogoing and moshing to them.
Next we saw Blood or Whiskey, who also played a blinder. I particularly love this band because, much like the Pogues and the Dropkick Murphys, they combine two kinds of music that I particularly love: Punk and Celtic Folk. There’s something about a punk band that has an accordion player and banjo player. The music is fast, raucous and, most importantly to me, obnoxious. I love obnoxious music.
Then we went to watch Slade, who unfortunately, were a disappointment to me. Probably because Noddy Holder wasn’t singing. We stayed for 1½ songs and I then suggested we move on. I’d met up with Greg again to see Chas & Dave and I’d arranged to meet Sammy for a drink. Rather than have her come to the front of the Winter Gardens and brave the punks and skins (not a problem for me but possibly one for my diminutive friend), we went and met her nearby and went back to the Blue Room for a drink.
So I missed The Anti Nowhere League. This was really becoming a shameful day for me. There should be a law against Punky Rennies missing their favourite bands. I should have been sentenced to 3 days non-stop RnB. Fortunately, there isn’t and I wasn’t.
We did get back for the Damned, though. Last year I was struck by how well Dave Vanian looks. He is a little bit padded round the waist but it’s remarkable how much, in his mid to late forties, he looks like his twenty something self. Well, he did from my vantage point, anyway. This year was no different, he still looks great. Captain Sensible looked very fetching in what looked like a Naval Uniform too. He must have been hot.
They played all the old favourites, including: New Rose, Smash It Up, Love Song, Neat, Neat, Neat, Jet Boy, Jet Girl (a Sensible song) and for the encore Eloise. Captain Sensible at first refused to play without his hat for the encore but Dave from the Straps obligingly brought it to the stage. They were brilliant and I had a great time. I even went into the crowd to do one of my strange dances when they played Smash It Up. I don’t normally do that sort of thing when I’m with relatively new friends but I couldn’t help myself. I haven’t known Greg that long so I’m still trying to be relatively normal when he’s around.
Afterwards, I went for a drink with a friend at his hotel (he was wasted and probably didn’t need one). It was like a gathering of the great and good. The Anti Nowhere League were there, as were Blood or Whiskey. I actually held the door open for the banjo player and complimented him on his banjo playing – I always like to give credit where it’s due. After the drink, I made my way, a little unsteadily, back to my B & B, where I crashed out for the night, expecting to be woken at 10am by a bright and breezy rambling man.
Because I enjoyed The Damned so much (okay, I know I shouldn’t start a sentence with the word “because” but this is my blog and I’ll do what I like), here’s a nice video of them singing Love Song, one of my favourite Damned songs.
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