Swarming unceremoniously behind them like a herd of cattle in a China shop are the punk rockers. Lambrini Girls. Blaring with blistering bass fuzz, fearless crowd intrusions and wall-to-wall punk rock thrills, this three-piece delivers an exhilarating, politically charged performance, covering gay pride, sexual violence, Palestine, the police, the general election and more, delivering a rousing call to action and a whole lot of batshit fun.
The trip to the Smokehouse, a small 70-capacity venue on the outskirts of the centre, is one of the real highlights of the festival and where London's rising stars meet. Ebbb presents the most astounding and surprising spectacle of the weekend. In the most intimate of spaces, at ear-splitting volumes, the trio expertly fuses sweet vocal melodies with glitchy electronics, while the drums are as intense and relentless as Thor's hammer. Their name is on the lineups of many festivals this summer, but as the dedicated dancers in the audience will attest, if their performance is worth seeing, go see it.
“Are you on the cusp of joy in life? If not, there's still time,” Charlie Steen offered in a humorous pep talk, a fitting prelude to the weekend's final climax. Playing their first Ipswich show, Shame played a career-spanning set, from perennial favourites “Concrete” and “One Rizla” to cuts from last year's Food for Worms and hints at a fourth album. With a stage dive or three and a mad, forward-rolling bass player, it was an hour of brilliantly rebellious indie rock at which Shame remain undisputed masters.