overview

After the success of last year’s tribute to Joe Strummer, Strummercamp returns to Manchester Rugby Club. I know it doesn’t sound much, but you ask anyone who went last year and they would thoroughly recommend it. Small, cheap and very cheerful; the punks may look like the stereotypical type but they are the friendliness bunch you could ever meet. I did not encounter any trouble all weekend (yes the capacity is tiny compared to a larger festival but you would expect the odd scuffle). I also recognised a lot of faces from last year, meaning the festival keeps its fun vibe (like Glade fest aims to do).

Many treats this year, the main one that The Mescaleros will be playing. First there are a lot of great acts to see. The layout of the festival is the same as last year, with a few additions. The large main marquee is present, as is the little acoustic stage (which I did not venture into too often, as nothing seemed to be happening when I approached it). Another large marquee, the second stage, has appeared in the opposite corner of the grounds. Last year the pub and facilities inside the actual Rugby Club building were for use by VIP guests and artists; this year it has been opened up to the public. There is now a smaller third stage for upcoming bands, which turns into a ragaee/ska night, and is your chance to drink inside a normal pub from real glasses, whilst in your muddy shoes.

Yes, we are in the North and the rain does pour down, and down, in fact it rarely stops. A pain if like me your tent has no front door (RIP tent. You have served me well). With everything undercover this does not dampen spirits. The booze is cheap (as well as the new draught pints available outside, lager and cider is a quid a can!) and the food is cheap (though this is my only grip of the festival). There is one stall serving food, mainly burgers, chips, hotdogs and for the vegetarians veggie curry and rice. It did state that there was bacon, eggs, sausages etc, but everytime we visited the stall (not too often after the first batch) they had nothing in. And the stuff we did get was not really cooked. (It’s a good job then that there is a pub next door that sells food all day).

On to the music. Some artists played last year, some are new. After catching the end of Roughneck’s Riot’s folk punk on the second stage, Saturday’s first main band for us is the unmistakeable Ed Tudor Pole. Gaining more laughs than anyone all weekend, the staring looney plays on his battered guitar. There is no ‘Wunderbar’, but there is ‘Who Killed Bambi’, raising many laughs from the crowd. He asks for a band, and a few songs in one appears behind him (“like angels!”). Well done to them for keeping up with him.



We stayed in the main marquee for the next couple of bands. Firstly Westway, a Clash cover band (there are less of these here than last year) and then the legends that are the UK Subs. Charlie Harper and co can give anyone a run for their money in the performance stakes. At 63, the man can belt out hits like ‘I Live In A Car’, ‘C.I.D’ and ‘Stranglehold’ as well as a 25 year old. They dedicate ‘Riot’ to Goldblade, who played for Harper’s birthday previously.

Skabilly Rebel’s cover the Munster’s theme tune as well as The Special’s ‘Rat Race’ (which is ok, as frontman Roddy Radiation is formally of the band). Over on the second stage they are running late so we get to see Kings Of The Delmar, local lads playing melodic punk rock (‘TV Personality’, ‘Silver Medallion’ and ‘Number One Hit This Summer’). This makes us late for Attila The Stockbroker, who has a short set before Goldblade on the main stage. We see him say “Sad To See You Go” for Joe Strummer and then he introduces Manchester’s finest.



After our first (and last) try to the food stall we catch the aforementioned Goldblade, who again prove to be the talk of the festival. The barrier has been removed, as those who have caught these before will know. Utter punk madness ensues, as catchy, sing-a-long punk rock is thrown in our faces. ‘Jukebox Generation’ and ‘Pyshco’ are played before two men are got on stage as it is their fortieth birthdays (it does look a bit set up, as one of them is wearing a t shirt asking to get on stage, but who cares). If you are a kid you can get on stage anyway without reaching that milestone. There ends up being around ten kids onstage holding signs up to the song ‘Riot’ (probably dedicated back to Charlie Harper) and playing along on their instruments to ‘Kiss My Arse’. The usual “Do you believe in the power of rock and roll” act is there, but it still gets you watching. Even Attila gets up to be blessed by John Robb.

I asked Robb last year why he is not headlining the festival. "We like to warm up the crowd" he says. I think the last band tonight are good but Goldblade are the Strummercamp band. ‘The Men They Couldn’t Hang’ are tonight’s headliners, and their Pogue-style music is a great antidote to this soggy Saturday night. The band play ‘Shirt Of Blue’ and ‘Wishing Well’, then we are treated to solos by Phil “Swill” Odgers (a beautiful acoustic version of ‘Redemption Song', which, apart from the Clash cover songs is the most played tune at this festival) and Stefan Cush (who covered Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’). The band regroup for ‘The Colours’ and ‘How Green Was My Valley’, and basically the crowd are pleased with the set. Not as raucous as Goldblade, but for many the booze had been flowing since breakfast and it was a chilled out end to the day.

Sunday is rather wet again, having rained all night. The first band we see today are Los Cylones, a garage punk rock band from Leicester. It’s quite early (before 1pm) so we have a walk to the third stage and catch the end of Death Of A Nation, who appear influenced by Green Day and Bad Religion. Over on the second stage is W.E.E.D. (or Wild Evil Entertainment Department), are first on this stage on the last day. I wouldn’t call them that punk, and only hang about until Punk’d hit the main stage. These are basically a punk cover band, with The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’, The Monkee’s ‘(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone’ (not very punk mind) and ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’ by the Dead Kennedys, as well as songs by The Clash and The Ramones, complete with childhood tales told in a strong Birmingham accent.



Dave Sharp, formally of The Alarm, is billed as appearing with a band this year (as he played an acoustic set last year). The listed Hard Travellers turned into members of Doktor Mandrake, another reappearance at Strummercamp. They really complimented Sharp’s country-tinged style of delivery, though did try to hog the lime light a few times.

The Infidels are up next, playing ‘Get Down Moses’ and ‘Rise Up’, before they are joined onstage by Pablo Cook and Smiley Barnard of The Mescaleros. They play ‘Tony Adams’, ‘Tommy Gun’ ‘Rock The Casbah’ ‘Whiteman in Hammersmith Palais’ and ‘Bankrobber’. Singer Chris Infidel also gets to play Joe’s guitar, valued at 7.8 million dollars. A real treat for the Clash fans here, by which I mean everybody!



When they finished I rushed over to catch The Uplifters, as they had been really good last year. They were playing to a practically empty tent; that is until the rest of the festival could hear their ska music and filled the place up. ‘Rudi Got Soul’, 'Big Shot’ and ‘Night of The Leopardskin Woman’ are all healthy ska tracks, and I wish they did not clash (sorry) with The Infidels, as I would like to have seen both. That’s festival running orders for you!

I happened upon Tymon Dogg by accident; a true multi-instrumentalist. He taught a young Strummer guitar chords as they busked around England, and was a member of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. Not only does he play Spanish guitar, mandolin and violin (which he holds nearer to his belly then his chin), he has also invented the New World Harp, a 3D pyramid-shaped harp. Here he is with his new band The Quickening, playing ‘Quantanamo’ and ‘Oil’, both political songs that Strummer would have been proud of.

My second reason for coming back to Strummercamp, Neck are on next. Like The Pogues or Flogging Molly, but more rowdy and uplifting. Singer and guitarist Leeson O’Keeffe looks like he doesn’t give a sh*t, bounding about like a kid. Unfortunately the whistle could have been a little louder, but again a great set from the penultimate band of the day (especially the comical ‘Mary Poppin’s Knockers’).


Which, sadly, brings me to mention that I think putting Hugh Cornwell (formally of The Stranglers) on last is a bad idea. Yes it does calm the crowd down, but most of us are worst for wear and could not and would not wreck the club. I can only think that Cornwell’s legend status has put him at pole position, but he is a little drab. Yes the lads down front may like the look of his young and attractive bass player, and they man did wite some good songs during his Strangler days, but tonight I just feel it is a little let down. His tracks ‘Nice And Sleazy’, 'Hot Cat On A Tin Roof’ and ‘Black Hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit’ are not a patch on the old hits of ‘Hanging Around’, ‘No More Heroes’ and their cover of Dionne Warwick’s ‘Walk On By’.

The crowd do not share my feelings though and love to watch the legend perform. As thanks go out to the organisers (“The Amigos”), crew and fans, Strummer’s cover of ‘Redemption Song’ is played over the PA, mirror-imaging last year’s Sunday night. Barr the rain and the food, this year’s festival has improved greatly with the extra tent and indoor venue. Let’s just hope we can all get together next year and do this again, as it feels like we are a big family of Strummers, if only for the weekend.

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