The KIDS (BE)

If you go to places like Los Angeles, they know 3 things about Belgium: beer, chocolates and The Kids. Formed by three angry dock workers, they are one of the first groups in Belgium to really tap into the power of the international punk scene which was erupting in 1976-77. In retrospect, it is a bit foolish to call the Kids a "punk" group, since they were much too R&B for that, but they certainly communicated the "punk" feeling. Bloody Belgium", "Fascist cops", "No Monarchy" and "Rock over Belgium" were the songs which got them started and made them one of the most respected punk rock bands from that era. After becoming a normal rock band - as they described it - in the eighties, they split up after being around for 9 years. 1996 sees a surprise comeback for the Kids and a now hard to get cd version of their first two albums. Both albums have reached collector item status nowadays. 10 years later The Kids still tour in Belgium and Europe and do a show that can't leave you untouched. Luc Mariman sings better than ever before, but more important: they still have enough energy not to make it sound like just a bunch of boring old guys on a stage, and that is why younger generations keep discovering and following them. The Kids now play
on Beat Expo for another reason: noticing how well accepted The Undertones were on Purple Weekend last year, it is clear that '76 punk rock can have a place among other more garage punk and '60s inspired bands. The Kids are our Sex Pistols, our Undertones, so it was a very obvious choice, because live, The Kids never disappoint! Check out www.youtube.com for that

The cannibals (UK)

The first thing you realize about The Cannibals is that, even though they have been keeping a pretty low profile over the last few years, they were actually one of the first of the UK garage / trash-style groups to come out and play... and what may be surprising to many is that they are still here, doing it, after first setting up shop at the dawn of the punk movement way back in 1976. Lead singer / guitar player Mike Spenser came over to London from New York, hooked up with some pub-punks, named them The Count Bishops after a tuff NY street gang, but left them soon after to get his own band together reflecting a truer inspiration. Mike carries the can for all things Cannibals and it’s his love for 60s teen punk USA, Chuck Berry, rock-a-billy and vintage R&B that drives the group’s wild sound, as heard on their numerous singles and LPs with such titles as ‘The Rest Of The Cannibals’, ‘Trash For Cash’, ‘Please Don’t Feed The Cannibals’ and ‘Bone To Pick’ – their ultra-rare debut LP from 1982. Most of these appeared on Spenser’s own Hit records, the label also responsible for the ‘Best Of Pebbles’ series!
The premise of The Cannibals has always revolved around a dangerous, chaotic edge, that sometimes threatens to spin completely out of control. An aural barrage of vintage fuzz attack and wailing vocals dominates much of their chosen repertoire; garage covers like ‘Action Woman’, ‘Good Times’, ‘Come See Me’ and ‘We’re Pretty Sick’ – really The Chob’s ‘We’re Pretty Quick’ as if ya needed to know. While an early single containing a tremendous rendition of Berry’s ‘Nadine’ and a Spenser original ‘You Can’t’ shows them to be equally adept at something approaching restraint. It has come to light in recent times that everyone’s favourite DJ John Peel was an early champion of the group too, keeping a copy of their debut single ‘Good Guys’ (a cover of The Standells nugget ‘Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White’) in his “essential” box of 45s. So as Mike and the longest-serving Cannibals group prepare to unleash a brand new LP on an unsuspecting planet, get ready for what will hopefully be a crazy and wild night of out-there Cannibal chaos.

The discords (UK)

From the UK’s Medway delta towns, this bunch first hit it off around early 1986 before falling apart less than a couple of years later. The group didn’t get their LPs released until some years after-the-event, appearing on vinyl through Billy Childish’s Hangman imprint, and on CD through Vinyl Japan in the early 90s. But their recordings like ‘So Happy’ and their stripped-to-the-bare-bones cover of ‘Leavin’ Here’ have always been a highlight of the ‘Medway Powerhouse’ series of compilation LPs that Hangman put out in the late 80s. It was lucky for us then that just a few years ago Guitarist/singer Pete Dodds and drummer Russ Baxter decided that The Discords should get themselves back together again, roping in Kas Lee on bass duties, in place of original Discord bassist McDregg and playing out at events such as the infamous Wild Weekend. It would be extremely difficult and pretty damn stupid not to mention The Discords having some kind of affinity to groups like The Milkshakes, The Mindreaders, The Masonics, The Gruffmen etc. as they imbue the same spirit as the afore-mentioned groups, and were also produced by The Prisoners frontman Graham Day, and Allan Crockford of The Prisoners was also a Discords member somewhere along the road. But theirs was a briefly glimpsed, noisy snapshot of times gone by, when gritty 3 chord arrangements that recalled the energy and spikiness of early ‘77 Buzzcocks, Moped and Damned were all the rage. Listening again now the power has not diminished and we are reminded that The Discords have some really great songs in their canon, especially the likes of ‘Little Miss Misfit’, the ebullient ‘So Happy’ and their ultimate anthem of sorts ‘Second To No-one’ (both versions) with part 2, especially, being a complete beat-up, unholy punk-rock racket - and all the better for it too. Let’s hope The Discords remain just so, a raggedy, ultra-upbeat punk-rock trio at its finest, and second to no-one, yeah!

The kickbacks (BE)

Contains members of 50ft Combo (RIP by the end of this year) and Los Putas.
It will be their first concert and the group will play a set of cowpunkabilly. They'll open the first night!