The Leicester Punk counterculture festival is taking place this weekend from 18 – 20 August and includes bands, DJs, exhibitions, talks, films, dance, street food vendors, a record fair and more.
The festival is organised by the team behind the successful Punk: Rage and Revolution exhibition, which attracted over 25,000 visitors.
It unravels the narrative of the UK Punk scene through the voices of its participants, coupled with contemporary perspectives from young individuals about the essence of Punk in today’s context. It showcases work by the late Jamie Reid and Dame Vivienne Westwood, alongside shedding light on the contributions of Leicester’s own creatives to the Punk movement.
Friday 18th August
At 5:30 pm, Leicester Museum and Art Gallery screens “I am a Cliché,” where Celeste Bell embarks on a global journey to reconcile with her late mother, Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex’s frontwoman. The documentary delves into their intricate relationship.
The screening is followed by a talk led by Dr. Emma Parker, featuring Celeste Bell, Cindy Sherman, and Ruth Miller, the driving force behind Leicester’s Unglamorous Women’s Punk band project. The discussion explores punk’s impact on female artists.
The evening climaxes with music. Lora Logic and her band Essential Logic perform at Leicester’s Firebug bar from 8 pm. This is complemented by more punk artists at Duffy’s, making for an unforgettable night. Lora Logic, saxophonist of the iconic Punk group X-Ray Spex, adds a special touch to the event.
Saturday 19th August
Saturday the 19th sees an exciting Scooterama v Punkorama free music event at Jubilee Square from 12-8 pm. This will feature a display of fabulous retro scooters led by Leicestershire Alliance Scooter Club.
There will also be live band Last Edition, followed by Punk bands and DJs with Firebug’s pop-up cocktail bar, street food stalls, a record fair, family fun face painting and other activities. The music will continue into the night at Duffy’s bar from 8pm. Other attractions on Saturday 19th include: Punk Fiction Talk with acclaimed Leicester author Nicholas Hogg, 3 pm at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery. Screening of Derek Jarmon’s iconic 1978 film Jubilee at the Phoenix Cinema with an after-screening Q&A featuring star of the film Jenny Runacre and University of Leicester’s Dr Emma Parker.
Sunday 20th August
On Sunday 20th August, to top off the weekend, there’s a huge punk gig at O2 Academy Leicester featuring Buzzcocks, UK Subs, Chelsea, 999, Ed Tudor Pole and Gestalt. The second stage plays host to The Verinos, First Wave, Hex Poseur, The Wonky Portraits and Glitch Magnet.
The weekend will also see Leicester turn punk with John Lewis and city Centre shops taking on a rebellious aesthetic in their shop window displays.
For full listings, visit rageandrevolution.co.uk
