Upstarts still Angelic after all these years

Punk legends the Angelic Upstarts are a late addition to this year's Blackpool-based Rebellion punk festival.
The Angelic Upstarts, singer Mensi, centreThe Angelic Upstarts, singer Mensi, centre
The Angelic Upstarts, singer Mensi, centre

Originating from the North East, the Upstarts have been together on and off since 1977.

The band – who scored UK hits in the late 70s with Teenage Warning and I’m an Upstart – are late replacements for US hardcore band Fear.

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Fear were forced to withdraw after singer, and only original member, Lee Ving had to undergo spinal surgery.

A spokesman for Rebellion said: “It’s not always possible to replace bands ‘like for like’ (and there’s not a lot of bands like Fear!).

“It’s also not easy to get another US band at this late stage, so we’d like to thank UK Punk legends Angelic Upstarts for stepping in.

“Can’t wait to see them back at Rebellion– an addition that we know many people have been asking for.”

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The Upstarts launched their punk crusade with the independently released single The Murder of Liddle Towers and Police Oppression double A-side single in 1978.

The band paid for the recording and pressing of 500 singles which they released themselves and sold at gigs and local record shops.

The single was then picked up by Small Wonder Records who released it nationally.

Its attack on police brutality earned them an early patron in Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey.

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The band then signed to Warner Brothers, Pursey producing the debut album Teenage Warning, released in 1979.

The band went on to release a number of successful albums and minor hit singles before splitting in 1983.

Since then, the band has reformed and split a few times over the years and have proved popular at previous Rebellions.

The Angelic Upstarts perform on August 6 at the three-day punk festival at the Winter Gardens.

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