Hailing from Manchester, Dirty Blonde are a brilliant choice of opener for tonight.
Frontwoman Ailis Mckay set the tone by starting the show in the crowd, breaking the barrier between the band and fans. As the opening track, ‘Come Over’ kicked off, she appeared in the photo pit, tambourine in hand, fully immersed in the music. Her energy was contagious, and it was clear this was going to be a brilliant set.
After a quick shoutout to Frank Carter & The Sex Pistols, the band launched into ‘Checkmate’, keeping the momentum going. Dirty Blonde’s groove was brilliant throughout, with every member bringing a tight rhythm that kept the audience moving for their set.
Ailis’s stage presence was magnetic — whether singing, dancing, or even adding to the percussion. For the final song, she brought out a mini drum kit, showcasing her versatility as she pounded out the beats alongside the band. The set finished in dramatic fashion, with Issy lying on the stage as the last note echoed through the venue.
Up next: headliners Frank Carter & The Sex Pistols.
The lights dropped and the pounding drum intro for ‘Holidays In The Sun’ started, along with the iconic “here we, here we, here we fucking go” chant from the full room. Frank encouraged the crowd to do it louder, feeding off their energy with his usual devilish grin.
Frank, full of snarling charisma, prowled the stage from the very start, commanding attention with every step. During a raucous performance of ‘Pretty Vacant’, he took things to another level by straddling the front of the crowd before launching himself into the sea of bodies. Not satisfied with just one dive, he ended up standing on top of the crowd, balancing triumphantly before flinging himself back over again. By the time he returned to the stage, he jokingly demanded a new pair of trousers from the audience, who had ripped them.
One of the evening’s many brilliant moments came during ‘Liar’ when Frank hung the mic over the crowd. A fan in the front row grabbed it and delivered spot-on vocals, earning a round of applause from Frank when the mic was handed back.
The set’s highlight, though, was the blistering rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’ which had the entire venue going wild. After ‘Submission’ Frank ordered the lights to be turned on and dove back into the crowd, yelling: “Stop rubbing my head, I’m not a leprechaun – I know I look like one,” before instigating a giant circle pit for ‘Satellite’.
Climbing back on stage, Frank tells us that “this is what the Pistols are all about”.
As the set neared its end, Frank took time to introduce the band during ‘No Fun’. We got a brilliant solo from Steve Jones, pounding drums from Paul Cook, and grooving bass from Glen Matlock, before Steve Jones cheekily introduced Frank himself. They closed the main set with a blistering take on ‘E.M.I.’ but the chaos didn’t stop there.
For the encore, the crowd was treated to a perfect pairing of classics, ‘My Way’ and ‘Anarchy In The UK’, sending everyone home with a final taste of punk rebellion. It was a night of pure, unfiltered energy, and hopefully not the last time these giants join forces for a run of shows!
- Neck Deep / The Wonder Years / One Step Closer - 29 January 2025
- The Script - 27 November 2024
- Black Stone Cherry - 21 November 2024