Portsmouth Punk Festival

The Portsmouth Punk Festival takes over The Lens Studio inside Portsmouth Guildhall on Saturday 15 August, a full day of punk with nine bands from the DIY scene. It's an all-day affair, starting at 14:00 with doors open from 13:30, so you'll want to get there early if you're planning to catch the whole run.

Wonk Unit headline the bill, described by Art Rocker as "a fresh breath of life on the scene. They’re fun, weird, poetic and utterly compelling all at once, a must-see!" Supporting them is a wide spread across the punk spectrum. Local favourites Uncivilized bring "no-nonsense punk rock you can shout along to", drawing on street punk, skate punk and hardcore. Well‘ard are a melodic punk trio from Canterbury who keep things focused on fun and inclusion, while Why Pinto are a local skate pop-punk trio with over ten years behind them, mixing punk rock with pop and ska.

There's a good bit of the melodic and emo side of things too. eatboys are a melodic emo trio described as "sad songs with big volume", all intricate riffs and urgent hooks. Buds play melodic punk with emo and grunge influences, which they describe as "punk rock for feeling good in spite of your dread". From Leeds, Sunliner bring high-octane melodies, massive choruses and introspective lyrics, having evolved from folk-punk into a mix of punk, indie and hardcore.

Rounding out the bill are Be N!ce, a freak punk band blending punk, post-punk, grunge and alt-metal to tackle social issues with fury and humour, and Pizza Tramp, a thrash-skate-punk outfit known for fast, short, funny songs about daily misery, beer and antisocial behaviour. It's an all-ages event, though under-14s need to be accompanied by an adult over 18. Tickets are £26.50, which includes a 13% booking fee, with a limited number of early bird tickets available for £20. No cameras or tablets are allowed inside, and no outside food or drink except for medical needs. You can pre-book discounted parking online or at the box office, and there are hospitality packages and drink pre-orders available too.