By Laura McCarthy.
Punkfest surpassed their £500 charity goal, hitting a total of over £1700 in aid of Naomi House and Jacksplace.
Hosted by The Peg & Parrot in Totton on Saturday 10 August, Punkfest was a live music event in which local alternative bands from across Southampton and Portsmouth used their musical talents for a worthy cause, raising money for children with life limiting illnesses and their families.
The event was a resounding success, tripling their fundraising target whilst entertaining fans of punk, ska, and rock.
First to perform was Adventure State. Playing a set of mostly original songs, their debut show as a band warmed up the crowd, with a particularly enthusiastic response to their song, Cheating. As a whole, they can be described as a pop punk band creating tunes somewhat reminiscent of Sum 41; their set varied from heartfelt and reflective to animated and bursting with vitality.
Mongo Pusher was next to take the stage, covering a variety of ska songs and skate anthems that “you don’t know that you know”. The trio had originally been part of Napalm Radio but have reformed under the name of Mongo Pusher, now a smaller band than before, but they still pack just as much of a punch. The boys had effortless chemistry and charm as a group, clearly fostered over years of friendship and a shared passion for music. They worked well within the line up, offering something just a little bit different from the punk and pop punk hits of their peers, without being so different that they clashed with the rest of the fest.
Bitter Self Exploitment were to follow, bringing a spirited energy to their set, encouraging the crowd to push in close and get involved. They performed their own songs which felt like classic punk, expressing political frustrations through irony and humour. Bitter Self Exploitment certainly don’t take themselves too seriously, even poking fun at a moustached friend of the band in the audience when performing, Moustache Twat. Having formed 14 years ago, it is clear the group have a strong dynamic and have well established their sense of identity which struck me as a little like that of Pizzatramp.
The Audio Pirates covered alternative hits with great pace and cohesion to a great response from the audience. Groups and couples danced to familiar favourites by Smash Mouth, Soft Cell, McFly, and Busted, among many others. The band has built a strong community over the course of the time they have been together and the sense of love and joy when they performed was truly tangible.
Daniel Goodson, lead singer of The Audio Pirates and one of the key organisers of the event, comments: “I’m delighted with how well the first charity supporting Punk-Fest was received. We had four excellent punk bands all providing their own set lists to generate a varied and energetic evening of music.”
“I decided to organise Punk-Fest as I thought it would be a great opportunity to support a cause dear to our hearts. I also thought it would give the local punk scene an opportunity to put itself at the forefront of music in Southampton and the surrounding areas.
“Our rhythm guitarist, Dan uses Naomi House in support of the care of his daughter, Ava, and I couldn’t think of a better charity to support.
“I want Punk-Fest to grow and I’ll be organising the next event soon. If any bands would like to be involved then I’m happy for them to reach out to me. I’d love to make it bigger and better but we’re off to a fantastic start.'”
Having performed in three of the four bands, Christopher Taylor expresses: “There is a kind of stigma around cover bands and originals bands performing together.
“It’s often thought that cover bands are just in it for the money, or that the original band are pretentious, and so the shows which organisers put on tend to ‘keep to their own’ – when, actually, neither of these assumptions are true.
“I really enjoy playing in both kinds of bands and I think we proved tonight that you can put on a really fun gig where both covers and original songs are performed.”
You can catch this line up again, alongside even more alternative bands as part of Music In The City at The London Brewhouse in September.
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