We are delighted to share this write-up of the recent Punk Rock Benefit event, written by organiser James Koppert of band Jenkem Revolt. The event took place on Saturday 2nd November at Scarborough’s Crescent Lounge, with Captain South America, Serial Killer Glasses, Orchard and Active Minds on the bill. The event was organised to raise awareness and funds for Survive, a North Yorkshire charity that delivers specialist trauma-informed services and trauma-informed interventions to adult survivors of sexual violence and abuse across North Yorkshire.
Punk rock has been around for several decades. In that time its sound has morphed and evolved as much as it has stayed the same. It has borrowed and blended with other genres, slowed down, sped up, experimented and stayed pure. But underneath all of this, its ethos has been its solid foundation; that of protest and community. One reviewer recently described my band as being “anger but behind a place of love” – which encapsulates the movement. It is protest at what it sees as being wrong and it is the coming together as creatives, to provide a solution. Leaving egos at the door and making it happen.
There has been a rise in sexual violence and domestic abuse in England and Wales in recent years. Survive are a charity that exists to lift the survivors out of the effects of these crimes; crimes the effects of which remain hidden inside survivors, fermenting like a poison. Survive help open them up, expose them to light, liberating the survivor, placing them into a more peaceful place. An important charity. So when punk bands get a rally call to play, for no fee, they come together to put on a show, raise some money, raise awareness and have a damn good time doing so.
The event at The Crescent initially seemed like it could have been a disappointment. Jenkem Revolt had to pull out due to a difficult blend of work commitments, grief and sickness, and ska punk headliners Deadbeat at Dawn amicably lost one of their vocalists, meaning they too had to step aside. This made way for newcomers Serial Killer Glasses to enter the fray, with no one really knowing what to expect of them.
The show kicked off with expert compere and poet Graham Rhodes warming up the crowd with his energetic blend of scathing sharpness and comedy, before introducing each band throughout the evening. First up, all the way from Bradford; Captain South America. CSA feature members from Bradford, Scotland and Argentina, playing folk versions in English of anarchist protest songs from around the world. Blending guitar, one drum, a flute, three vocalists and – best of all – a kazoo, CSA brought a bounce and vibrance to their songs of discontent. Mixing harmonies with jagged raw shouts, they wore scowls and smiles together. They played with joy and started the night as it was meant to go on, with the message, “we are are angry about some serious things and we are going to tell you about it but we are going to have great fun doing so and so are you!”. The trio left the stage while shouts of “more” rumbled from the smiling and cheering audience.
Scarborough Unity were also at the event giving out fliers in the crowd, letting people know our community is for everyone. In the same spirit, so many kind business and individuals donated prizes for a raffle to raise even more money for Survive. There was no sound engineer or time for a soundcheck and instead all the bands just chipped in and helped each other out. Serial Killer Glasses had stepped up last minute and loaned their amps for the event. No one knew what to expect when these young people walked onstage. Vocalist and bass player Theo looked like a seasoned veteran, stating proudly, “we are going to be the noisiest thing The Crescent has ever heard”. The bandmates looked a little more apprehensive at first; that was, until they started playing. The audience had their jaws on the floor and were wide-eyed at this incredible explosion of noise. When they finished an audience member stated, “I feel like I just watched Nirvana play for the first time” and the comparison was fair. This was big fuzz punk rock influenced by Swans with some sounds similar to Fugazi, Big Black and Shellac, except, if we are honest, with even better musicianship. It was difficult to believe this was being played so skilfully by people so young and I do not think they realise the impact they had made on the audience. The next time SKG play I imagine everyone in attendance will be in attendance again and then some. They are about to release an album and if they can replicate their live experience onto record, then this could genuinely be the start of something quite special.
Third on stage was Scarborough-based duo Orchard. This is a band that has a charm that has already won affection and followers from the community. I have tried to describe them before and found it hard, often only by using comparisons to bands you won’t have heard of, so I just resort to saying they are brilliant. There are potential comparisons to bands like Fugazi and at the same time there are not, as Orchard play by their own rules. It is low-fi garage punk with indie rock sensibilities and still, it is not. What it most definitely is, is social and political songs delivered with a warmth. Despite having fast paced beats the music is also filled with space and it is joyful to listen to. There are instrumentals that seem like they are going to go somewhere and then just stop – and it’s perfect. Their dual vocals add a rather mesmerising dynamic to the songs and the breaks are interspersed with humour and frank wisdom, whereby tonight the band also gave a beautiful honest and meaningful speech in support of the charity. There is a crossover appeal where Orchard fit perfectly on this bill, but they could fit on an indie night, or any night. Anytime you watch them you feel like you have been rewarded. When good people play good music you can’t help but feel a little bit healed. This is another local band who should be making waves globally soon.
What can be said about headliners Active Minds that hasn’t already been said? One year shy of their fortieth year of existence, they have visited every corner of the planet. If you speak to anyone on the DIY punk scene and mention their name you will get an affirming nod. The word legend is over-used but that can’t be said for Active Minds. Their quality control in their songwriting and delivery has never faltered and neither have their strong morals and ethics, still putting out music for cost alone. The third band to have no bass player, the duo took to the stage and blasted out their punk rock classics. The second they started playing the dance floor filled with people jumping around with smiles on their faces. Active Minds deliver socio-political, no-nonsense songs, full throttle with lots of melody and anthems. The band themselves sometimes talk themselves down, saying they are ‘no frills punk rock’ – but isn’t that the charm? Many bands do it but not many do it so well, with songs that have parts you want to sing along to, and passion and sincerity in their delivery. Active Minds, despite not having a bass player, have such a good rhythm to them. Even though they are fast-paced they have a solid groove woven into the fabric of all their songs; which is why people danced throughout their entire set. Some people here had seen the band play fifty times or more, some here saw them for the first time. All of them will very likely watch them again.
It is important to acknowledge that all the bands gave their time for free. The Crescent not only donated to the raffle and paid transport costs to the Bradford band, but each staff member also donated out of their own pocket for the charity. Other people who kindly donated to the raffle were poet Graham Rhodes, Jayne Shipley, Queen Arthur Adornment, artist Nathan Wackett, Abbie the Hairdresser from Poppy’s Collective and Rosie from Orchard.
This was about community coming together to raise money for people in need and you all were that community.
A gig, a protest, a movement, a scene, a fundraiser, a community.
If you want to find out more about the support Survive can provide, or to make a donation to support their work, please click this link to visit their website.
Catch Serial Killer Glasses this Friday (Nov 15th) at the Westover Club, Scarborough, where they have recently been added to the line up joining the bands Shindig and Graham Watson, alongside solo performer Philip Bull, performance poet Graham Rhodes and Dan Radics of Rebel Radics Soundsystem, for a Scene Not Herd DIY gig from 8pm, free entry.
You can next see Jenkem Revolt at Indigo Alley, Scarborough, Friday 13th December, where they are on the bill with Shindig, Calm and Morbid Bigfoot. 7.30pm, free entry.
