Hello and welcome to the awaited (by me at least) recap of a fun monster weekend in this year’s Manchester Punk Festival!

This bad boy boasts over 100 acts across seven venues, including a comedy and poetry stage that I should really visit sometime (planned to this year but got sidetracked, woops). Indeed, MPF has authentically grown to among the biggest events of its kind in Europe since it began solely within Sound Control in 2015.

Having now attended this for five years on the bounce, I can attest to the long-standing impact MPF has had on the general UK punk scene, and beyond. Along with attracting the biggest DIY names, the fest consistently showcases less established bands and artists to a wider audience.

It’s great to be recapping such a massive part of my gig calendar, and so let’s get stuck into MPF 2026, starting with the Friday, and ponder whether this particular instalment lives up to its enormous reputation in my mind…

R.U.B | YES! Pink Room

Once I collected my wristband for the weekend from The Union, I headed to see the first bands kick off the fest at YES!, starting with R.U.B from Melbourne, Australia. I’m unclear on what their abbreviated name stands for, and am drawing a blank when researching the group online – my guess is ‘Right U Bogans’.

The three-guitared four-piece brought a rapid and rage-fuelled set to the Pink Room, hitting out against the ongoing patriarchy with shabby, minor scale riffs. “I don’t want your opinion” declared the lead vocalist early on, before the group decried the notion of having to “be nice” in order to be treated with respect as an individual.

R.U.B certainly made the best of their first MPF performance, and set the tone of the weekend nicely.

Joseph Hooligan | YES! Basement

Up next on my schedule was some more angsty tunes from Joseph Hooligan and his musician mates. Prominently featured were tracks from Mr Hooligan’s latest EP ‘Bedroom Punk’.

The act from Burton on Trent – affiliated with electronic project The Satellite Frequency Program – appeared to take inspiration from late 70’s and 80’s UK punk brought by the likes of the Buzzcocks.

Lyrics, delivered with a decent vocal range, discussed romance and mental battles.

Grail Guard | Bread Shed

Now was the time to make my first visit to the larger Bread Shed, and despite the increase in venue size, it felt more positively packed due to the crowd that greeted hardcore punkers Grail Guard.

The Guard, from the West Midlands, were coming off a dynamite release of their album ‘Still No Future’, and their momentum drove up an utter frenzy. Tracks about personal battles against bigotry and algorithmically driven hysteria, among other systematic flaws, were delivered with appropriate anger.

Refusing to be restrained to the stage, the highly anticipated set made it into the pit where frontman Riaz, dressed in traditional Muslim garb, further accentuated sentiments of rebellion (not the after party venue).

Chips | YES!

Truffle and parmesan ones. Very truffly. Very cheesy.

Toodles & The Hectic Pity | YES! Pink Room

Taking the intensity down just a tad was Bristolian folk punk band Toodles & The Hectic Pity, another musical discovery that impressed me in the lead-up to the weekend.

More poetic in their lyricism, the three-piece brought a lightly toned, acoustically tinged set that explored themes of romance, heartbreak and introspective sorrow. Inspired by the likes of AJJ and Mountain Goats, the vocals were full of earnest passion, underpinned by quickly driving drum rhythms.

This was another act that seemed to have an established following turn up for their set, which is always lovely to see.

Joe & the Shitboys | Gorilla

Ok, now these were a band I was curious about purely from the name, because I refuse to stop being attracted to names with provocative swear words in them, apparently.

My first visit to Gorilla of the weekend involved taking in a show put on by the Faroe Islands’ own Joe & the Shitboys. Ultra-fast renditions hit out at toxic masculinity and bigotry, the no-nonsense messages as bare as the lead singer’s chest.

The set also featured a vocal exercise that involved mimicking gorilla sounds, which is apt for the venue, as well as a delightful cover of ‘The World May Not Like Me’ by Mike Angelo & The Idols.

The Click Clacks | YES! Basement

Blimey, YES! is getting some luuurve in this review. I went back there for an act that sounds like a band, but is in fact one Irish bloke with a guitar depicting mental battles and decrying wars, for now at least – and I did not feel duped.

I actually came across a short from Horn and Hoof Records recommending this guy, and I happily took that tip up. Inspired by the likes of Stiff Little Fingers, he blazed through his acoustic set with reckless abandon.

Though The Click Clacks appears to be a relatively new project to the scene, with documented recordings dating back to late 2024, he also performed at MPF last year, and has been active more generally around the Manchester area.

Harijan | The Union

It was now time to gear up for some heavy hitters at the largest of the MPF venues, The Union. This closing section of the Friday evening featured three ska-influenced bands, the first being local legends Harijan.

The peeps were standing in for DC ska punkers Kill Lincoln, who unfortunately could not make it across the pond this time round. Alas, Mike and co did a cracking job getting the crowd skanking through some fatigue that may have set in late on.

Foreboding lyrics discussing austerity and the cost of living, including the largely agreeable “I had a bad day, and so did you” came with a bespoke backdrop of low-pitched bass and horns that are easy enough to distinguish from their peers. It was also lovely to briefly catch up with Mike during the evening between bands!

Slow Gherkin | The Union

The second of the trombony trifecta playing The Union on this night was Slow Gherkin, all the way from California on their first UK tour since 2004 (ooh, that rhymes).

Full of coordinated energy, infectious excitement and horn lines underpinned some cracking sing-a-long hooks. Complete with a keyboard – always a bonus for me – the Gherkin’s set proved skankable throughout.

I do feel like I have missed out on the stylings of Slow Gherkin all these years, somehow missing them compared to other bands on the Asian Man Records roster. However, with them recently bringing out a split EP with this next band (ooh the suspense), I’m sure to keep them in mind going forward!

Lightyear | The Union

Where Slow Gherkin’s set was mostly measured musicianship, The Union’s Friday headliner was complete chaos – in the best way, I hasten to add.

A ‘Household Name’ in terms of former label and their standing among long-time ska punkers in this country, Lightyear appeared keen to put on a proper headline show full of manic antics with some decent offbeat tunes on the side. Bringing along Redeemon’s Pook, fancy dress and the Roots Morris dance troupe, their set also featured a human tombola wonderfully facilitated by Shadow Promotions’s Guy Mitchell.

True to ska show form, the Slow Gherkin lads joined in on the musical goodness towards the end, and their encore songs were a half-and-half of Uri Geller Bent My Heart and Pack of Dogs. But who cares about that, really? There were Morris dancers and a human fucking tombola!! If that doesn’t sell you on Chas and co, I don’t know what will.

In all seriousness, bloody awesome to hear them live again.

Closing Remarks

Day one of MPF alone, a great mix of hardcore, acoustic and ska punk, probably tired me out more than I realised in the moment. However, I always like to visit all the venues at least once where I can, while I still have the stamina 😅

Coverage of the Saturday can be found here!

Thanks so much for reading/watching. Up the Posh, and up the Punx 🤘