Push to Fire Review: Mutiny Festival 2009
16th May 2009, Bridlington Spa
Review and photos by Suzy Witts

On Saturday Bridlington's Spa saw the first Mutiny Festival. A one dayer, this punk festival brought some of the biggest names in the punk scene to the town and a range of fans showed up to witness their musical heroes. The event supported The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and S.O.P.H.I.E. campaign. Sophie's mum was at the festival and money was raised for the charity through the event.
The night was headlined by Stiff Little Fingers, who in case you don't know, are a Northern Irish punk band who started out in the 1970s and are still going strong. The fourpiece played for a phenominal 90mins and were a big hit with the crowd - many people showing up later in the day just to see them.

Also on the bill were Anti-Nowhere League who took the slot before SLF. Definitely one of the highlights of the festival, this band put on a great show. They were so enthusiastic they even attempted to play longer than their allocated time slot. Their sound was cut and after a few gestures to the stage hands they reluctantly left the stage. Looking at their history, it's no surprise that this band's first gig was at a carnival back in 1980 where they apparently got arrested. True punk spirit for sure.

One of the best performances of the day came from Manchester's Goldblade. Fantastic songs, amazing performance and definitely a set not to miss. The singer was the only performer who made it down into the crowd and clearly enjoying the attention. There was also non-stop dancing and some of the female members of the audience were invited onto the stage to join in.

The UK Subs and lead singer Charlie Harper were also in attendance at the festival and had a number of committed fans in the crowd. In fact, one fan actually was found leaning against a wall once they'd played, having a nap. Their wonderful energy must have been a bit too much for him.

Also on the bill were a number of younger bands who represented the current punk scene.Middle Finger Salute played a good set and are sure to go down well at Warped Tour this summer in America. Sonic Boom Six provided a bit of a different kind of punk and although they put a lot of effort into winning over the crowd, unfortunately I came away thinking that they might not have quite managed it. They are definitely an acquired taste and their mix of punk, ska and drum and bass might have been slightly too upbeat for the crowd at Mutiny. Random Hand seemed to do better, going down well and having a few more people at the front who appeared to know their material. They didn't stick around though after the show as being close to home they took the opportunity to spend a night in their own beds.

Strawberry Blondes always put on a good performance, but I'm always left thinking that they want to be like another band rather than making their own identity in the punk scene. The guitarists wandered about the stage and had a box to stand which was a bit excessive in such a large venue. But their songs were good and despite the 'show' they put on I did enjoy listening to them.

York punks Comply or Die also did very well. Their sound much better than when I saw them the weekend prior. To be honest I had my worries that they might not be able to fill such a large venue with a strong sound, but they proved me wrong and went down very well. Lead singer Smell looking very punk and not out of place amongst the older more established punk bands, managed to break a mic stand during the set - just an everyday occurance in a Comply or Die set.

Play Daisy opened the show and I'm sorry to say that I wasn't overly impressed by them. The sound wasn't too good in the venue, however this may have been more down to being the first on stage and the lack of people who'd made it to the front of the room. And also they appeared to be a relatively new band so it's possible that they just need some more experience. Definitely room for improvement.

It was a day filled with great punk music and lots of beer! The festival was attended by a real mix of ages - giving the young fans a chance to taste a range of new and old punk music and the older crowd members a chance see members of the genre's 'hall of fame'. Thanks go to Fisher for letting us cover Mutiny. We think he did a brilliant job organising the festival and hope he decides to do it again next year.
 
All photos are copyright Suzy Witts 2009: top image of Stiff Little Fingers, middle image of Goldblade and bottom image of Anti-Nowhere League. For more photos from the day head over to the Mutiny photo album.