Silence, Then the Storm
2020-21
2020-21: the years the pit became the sofa, and livestreams replaced sticky floors and tinnitus. Gigs were rarer than toilet roll, but punk wasn’t dead — just socially distanced. When the amps crackled back to life, they did it with fury: Glower brought menace, Discharge brought mayhem, and the UK Subs reminded us the apocalypse had nothing on Charlie Harper. Fewer photos, more gratitude. And maybe a little weeping near the monitors.
The Adicts
Concorde 2, Brighton – 28th February 2020
Total chaos in technocolour — seeing The Adicts again after all these years… raining streamers, confetti, beach balls and even a hatful of Stella. I got just as wet as I had walking through that afternoon’s deluge. Viva La Revolution!
Support from Watford’s hard-hitting trio, Knock Off.
Setlist from C2
The Adicts
- Let’s Go
- Joker in the Pack
- Horrorshow
- And It Was So
- Tango
- Just Like Me
- Rockin’ Wrecker
- Numbers
- Troubadour
- You’re All Fools
- Daydreamers Night
- Fuck It Up
- Talking Shit
- My Baby Got Run Over by a Steamroller
- Crazy
- Who Spilt My Beer?
- Chinese Takeaway
- Bad Boy
- Viva la revolution
- You’ll Never Walk Alone
- Bring Me Sunshine
From Mosh Pit to Mute
What I didn’t know at the time was that The Adicts would be my last gig for almost a year and a half. Within weeks, the world would fall silent — shutters down, stages dark, and the chaos traded for lockdowns.The pit was replaced by quiet streets and awkward Zoom quizzes, and my boots gathered more dust than stories.
Dave The Punk
The lights went out, and the silence took centre stage.
Xanadu Parkrun: Lockdown Legs & Lunacy
Spring 2020. The world shut down, but we cranked things up.
Dave The Punk
While most were baking banana bread or trying to remember what day it was, we spent 13 weeks filming our own DIY Parkrun parodies — lo-fi, low-budget, and occasionally low-brow. Each week, a new theme. Each week, a fresh excuse to wear something ridiculous and run around the garden like escaped circus acts.
There was Forrest Gump week, where we just kept running (and quoting). Wacky Races had us channelling our inner Dick Dastardly with homemade props and very little dignity. And Superhero week featured Lycra, questionable flying poses, and the local postie giving us a very wide berth.
It was absurd. It was joyful. It was just what we needed.
watch now on YouTube
Xanadu Parkrun: The Sequel Nobody Asked For
We thought we were done. The lockdowns had eased, the costumes were packed away, and our weekly dose of weird had shuffled off into legend. But then autumn rolled in, bringing a second wave of lockdowns.
Dave The Punk
Over four more episodes, we saddled up for Spaghetti Westerns, rewound the clocks for a Time Travel special, and wrapped it all up with an Outtakes finale that was equal parts chaos and catharsis. It was stranger, sillier, and somehow even more DIY than the first run. Turns out you can’t keep a punk and his brilliantly game co-star down for long.
watch now on YouTube
Glower
Bar Blue, Eastbourne – 31st July 2021
After well over a year without live music, we were finally allowed to step back into the noise — and what better way to return than watching Glower, my son’s hardcore band, tear it up at their very first live show? They’d had gigs lined up just before the pandemic hit, all of them wiped off the map in one frustrating swoop. But when they finally hit the stage, it was worth the wait — raw, loud, and bursting with pent-up energy. A proud, sweaty, beautiful return to the pit.
Discharge
The Con Club, Lewes – 29th August 2021
Discharge, stormed through a relentless 24-song set in just 60 minutes. No chatter, no filler — just pure, uncompromising hardcore fury. From The Blood Runs Red to The Possibility of Life’s Destruction, they hit like a riot in a thunderstorm. My ears are still ringing and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Setlist from The Con Club
Discharge
- The Blood Runs Red
- Fight Back
- Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing
- The Nightmare Continues
- A Look at Tomorrow
- The End
- A Hell on Earth
- Cries of Help
- Ain’t No Feeble Bastard
- Protest and Survive
- Hype Overload
- New World Order
- Corpse of Decadence
- Hatebomb
- Never Again
- State Violence/State Control
- Realities of War
- Decontrol
- Accessories by Molotov
- War Is Hell
- You Take Part in Creating the System
- War’s No Fairytale
- You Deserve Me
- The Possibility of Life’s Destruction
UK Subs
The Con Club, Lewes – 21st November 2021
UK Subs, finally hit the stage on their much-delayed Brand New Age 40th anniversary tour — a year late thanks to the pandemic, but absolutely worth the wait. Charlie Harper and the gang tore through the album and followed up with the classics with all the fire and snarl you’d expect. Punk rock defiance, seasoned to perfection.
Setlist from The Con Club
UK Subs
- You Can’t Take It Anymore
- Brand New Age
- Public Servant
- Warhead
- Barbie’s Dead
- Organized Crime
- Rat Race
- Emotional Blackmail
- Kicks
- Teenage
- You Don’t Belong
- Limo Life
- Down on the Farm
- Rockers
- Tomorrows Girls
- New York State Police
- Riot
- Disease
- Keep on Running (Til You Burn)
- Stranglehold
- Party in Paris
Anti-Nowhere League
The Con Club, Lewes – 4th December 2021
Anti-Nowhere League — same venue as the last two (which was fast becoming my second home). First time seeing them since the ’80s, and they’ve lost none of their filth, fury, or ferocity. A chaotic, snarling end to a stacked lineup — and one hell of a welcome back to live punk after the long silence.
Setlist from The Con Club
Anti-Nowhere League
- Can’t Stand Rock ‘n’ Roll
- At the End of the Day
- I Hate… People
- Let’s Break the Law
- Branded
- Runaway
- The Last Cowboys
- Uncle Charlie
- Good as It Gets
- So What
- Snowman
- Medication
- My God’s Bigger Than Yours
- (We Will Not) Remember You
- Woman
- Streets of London
- For You
- Pig Iron
- God Bless Alcohol
- Fucked Up & Wasted
- We Are the League
Glower
The Water Bear, Brighton – 10th December 2021
Wrapped up 2021 the loudest way possible — watching Glower, my son’s hardcore outfit from Brighton, unleash chaos in a tiny, dark venue under the arches on the seafront. Low light, high energy, and noise levels absolutely off the scale.
Dave The Punk 