It’s that time of year again, well it’s the Easter double bank holiday weekend, which seems to wander around the calendar at random, which for some means an overdose of chocolate, for others it’s of religious significance, for The Punk Site, and many others across the UK, Europe and beyond, it means that Manchester Punk Festival is once more upon us. This year the completely independent and 100% DIY festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary with around 140 bands from across the punk spectrum appearing at seven city centre venues. Of course there are inevitable changes, the Zombie Shack, which has been a fixture of Manchester Punk Festival since the beginning, is no more, but in its place a second space in Yes has been procured that joins The Union, Rebellion, Gorilla, The Bread Shed, The Salutation and Sandbar for a weekend that (usually) heralds the start of Spring in earnest and the end of Manchester’s second Winter and false Spring.

Last year Easter arrived in March, which gave things a chillier feel than usual, this year we are well into April which means we can (hopefully) leave our big coats at home. However, this is Manchester on a Bank Holiday so warm and wet is as good as we’re going to get. After the minor hurdles of negotiating Manchester traffic and parking and collecting our wristbands, we are once more good to go and head into the city for a weekend of bands, booze, friends and occasional food. Apologies to Sheffield’s Skint Knees, we always try to catch the opening band each year but the queue into the basement prevented this tradition, so we head upstairs at Yes instead and kicked off our weekend with a hit of GLU, which is about as punk as it gets if you are of a certain vintage. This hit of GLU is not even remotely related to the Ramones, this is 2025 they are a fusion of riot grrrrl and punk all the way from London that kicks off our weekend in fine style, ranging from dark and furious to grungy moments of introspection, this was a unpredictable and welcome start to our weekend.

We then head over to The Union to catch Northern Ireland’s Good Friend, a conversation with our correspondent in Northern Ireland ensued via text where he bemoaned a lack of venues and support in that neck of the world, this probably explains why they are signed to US imprint Red Scare Industries. They arrive on stage in priestly attire to the somewhat unexpected introduction of Madonna’s Like A Prayer. Any concerns this might have raised are swiftly dispelled by their discordant set that follows in footsteps of their countrymen that blends attack and melody in equal measure. Their recent Ramones fuelled single, Bonzo Goes to Belfast, gets an outing in an energetic set that was a late addition to today’s line up and was an early highlight of Manchester Punk Festival. Good Friend on Good Friday was a welcome surprise, the dedicate their last song Erin Rose Drinks On Shift to the bar staff, possibly the hardest working people over the weekend. 

From Northern Ireland we head to Minneapolis without skipping a beat for The Slow Death. They heat the crowd with a friendly “how the fuck are ya” and launch into a crushing set of heavyweight punk rock that provides a distinct counterpoint to the brash and energetic Good Friend. Their furious recent single Last One To Know brings the fury along with a touch of rock n’ fucking roll to mid afternoon, which begs the question of how is it only mid afternoon? Manchester Punk Festival seeks to have simultaneously been in effect for ten minutes and ten hours, it’s only mid afternoon and the time dilation effect of the festival has kicked in into gear, I think I need something to eat. 

On the way down to Gorilla we pause to see what’s happened to our old haunts of The Thirsty Scholar and The Zombie Shack, after seeing it we swiftly move onto our (possibly) oldest haunt of The Salisbury where thankfully little has changed. Then it’s onto Gorilla for our second Red Scare Industries alumni of the day in Broadway Calls who are bringing their melodic punk pop, an important difference from pop punk, to a packed Gorilla as the afternoon heads into the evening. Despite the relentless Manchester rain Broadway Calls being a few rays of sunshine from their home state of Oregon to their Manchester Punk Festival debut. We then retreat to a local watering hole for the now compulsory pick me up of espresso martinis, the most punk rock of cocktails, to revive ourselves ahead of Millie Manders & The Shutup. 

What can I say about Millie Manders And The Shutup that I haven’t said before in reviews of headline shows and previous festival appearances, the answer is probably not much but I’m going to say it regardless. For me they have been one of the best live bands on the UK circuit for a number of years, always committed and, like the band’s Ted mascot, always fucking fierce but inherently lovable. Recent government legislation has of course lit a fuse under the band’s powder keg and Millie’s anger at this is palpable, but that’s doesn’t mean that the party stops, if anything this fuels a band that has become a staple of the UK’s festival and live scene. 

Technical issues delayed the start of their set which if anything builds on the band’s frustration, before they launch into The One That Got Away and the party is swiftly in full swing. Fan favourites and album cuts are received with equal fervour and an enthusiastic chorus of backing singers on tracks such as Rebound and Shut Your Mouth. Millie Manders is a perpetual powerhouse that is fuelled by injustice, more than amply demonstrated by heartfelt Me Too, a furious I’m Bitter and of course a berserk Angry Side. This was a rawer and angrier set from Millie Manders And The Shutup, and in the circumstances who can blame them, a definite highlight of the weekend and the first day isn’t done yet, or so we thought as our plans are unsurprisingly derailed. 

Our well intentioned plans to see Dillinger Four are scuppered by the venue reaching capacity and a hefty queue hoping to get in. But this means we catch up with old friends and make plans for Saturday, the drinks flow and we head towards the end of Friday and the beginning of Saturday in a blur. We’ll be back tomorrow, with a commitment to try and get into venues earlier. Although it must be said that Manchester Punk Festival isn’t just about the music, although no one’s denying that’s a big part of it, it’s also about the people. This weekend reminds you that there are like minded souls out there, and for a few short days this feels like one big dysfunctional family. 

The Manchester Punk Festival will return between the 3rd and 5th April 2026 and early bird tickets are now on sale here.

Live photography courtesy of Gary Hough from Shot From Both Sides

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