In the final hours before the 2022 festival, there has been a flurry of band substitutions! Covid-19 has got its claws out, but there’s no way Manchester Punk Festival is letting it win. Although some bands have had to pull out, the organisers have substituted them with some equally raucous punk rock talent.
The good news is that a lot of the new additions to the line-up are some of the best, talent from the local punk rock pool. These fresh bands are really putting the ‘Manchester‘ into Manchester Punk Fest 2022. There are some shit hot, current acts that have landed on the bill that you should definitely be adding to your ClashFinder.
Important! There are probably going to be more changes over the weekend! Keep an eye on the ClashFinder – it will be kept fully up to date.
ALSO the MPF App is now out! Search for Manchester Punk Festival in your App Store. If you have the one from 2020, just log in to that one again! Make use of it because it can be a helpful reminder of times and updates.
Here’s a quick blast through the newly added bands!
Going Off
Possibly the hottest hardcore band in Manchester right now. We saw them supporting Incisions and said, “The band conjure a rich black abyss of bass and rhythm guitar, with a current of four-string treble drifting over the top like fleeting chinks of light in the darkness.” In non-music-blog-wanker speak, they’re fuckin’ heavy and I can’t recommend them more.
FFO: Incendiary, Knocked Loose, Terror, Turnstile
Electric Press
Another shit hot band who are super-current right now, this time from Leeds. Electric Press are young and fresh, and have zero respect for the confines of genres – they’re intensely good live. I interviewed them last year and said they have the fiery backbone of 70’s hardcore punk, the lackadaisical British snot of Idles and the unpredictable fuzz, noise and funk of a modern generation.
FFO: Rage Against The Machine, Deftones, Riggots
Brutalligators
Brutalligators are a superb addition to the MPF line-up! Catchy melodic punk rock from North Herts – this is serious earworm material. They play energetic, uplifting songs about heartbreak, failure and the trials of life.
FFO: Weezer, The Menzingers, Decent Criminal, Dollar Signs, Onsind
Clayface
Lovely local Oldham lads Clayface are under the radar, but a delight to watch live. Amusingly known as ‘Archie from Incisions’ other band’, Clayface’s sound overlaps between scruffy 90’s skatepunk and gruff melodic punk. They’re fast, they’ve got a great variety of genres blended in, and they’re a great laugh.
Fun fact: Clayface recently attempted to palm off two t-shirts onto me, that had gotten beer spilt on them at the merch desk. I’ve washed them twice, but the mould had already set in … so I own two mould-stained Clayface t-shirts.
FFO: Dillinger Four, Hot Water Music, Dear Landlord
Dr Nowt
Little bit of folk, little bit of punk rock, whole lot of talent. Clever, honest protest songs and observations. In his own words, “Dr. Nowt explores, from many different points of view and via varying musical stylisms, the futility of existence and the generally underwhelming experiences of life on earth.” Genuinely worth your time.
FFO: F-Minus, Rush, The Frogs
The Latchkey Kids
Latchkey Kids are so brand new they’re still in the shiny plastic packaging. Featuring members of Pendleton, Upstream Colour and Dear Brutus, they play nostalgic pop-punk with a lot of heart and talent.
FFO: The Get Up Kids, Saves The Day, PUP, Tiny Moving Parts
Chloe Hawes
Chloe’s a bloody lovely (mostly) acoustic performer from Essex/Manchester, playing a blend of alt-country, punk, rock and a twist of Americana. Expect sincere, moving storytelling in a warm, soulful tone.
FFO: Jenny Owen Youngs, Sharon Van Etten, Brian Fallon
P.S. Terrorpins aren’t a new addition to the line-up but they’ve been bumped up to the Friday night after party at Rebellion. They haven’t got music online yet, however, I’ve seen them play a couple of times and they are sterling. Solid gold good times. It’s a new project from Tim Loud (Bootscraper), collaborating with members of Roughneck Riot, Bruise Control and Wonk Unit. Ducking Punches have switched slots with them – Dan DP will now be playing a solo set in the afternoon.
Written by Sarah Williams. Cover photo by Cold Front Photography.
Subscribe to the Shout Louder newsletter! We’ll send the latest podcasts, articles and punk rock news straight to your inbox.
SHOUT LOUDER 