Held in London each year, Decolonise Festival has become known as the UK's first – and best – festival for celebrating underground, alternative music made by musicians of colour. Celebrating all walks of punk, heavy and alternative music, it's one of very few independent and DIY festivals championing marginalised voices in those scenes.
Launched in 2017, Decolonise is also a warm and inviting space for those who dare question the status quo – a place where rage and resistance are welcome, or, even, encouraged. It’s a safe space for artists to be their truest, most authentic selves, while also lifting and celebrating one another.
The proof is in the name. At its core, Decolonise Festival wants to start again. Stripping away barriers which have typically served to gatekeep alternative music scenes – "Straight white boys don't own punk", to quote Grunt, one of this year's performing artists – the festival's aim is to replace them with robust paths for emerging POC, non-binary, queer and disabled artists to thrive.
“Decolonise caught people’s attention because it should already have existed," organiser Stephanie Phillips told us in 2020. "Especially when you consider the UK punk scene in general and how many bands have come out of the country. We should be recognising our musicians of colour, but we don’t, and why is that?”
Spread across three days, this year's event took over Hackney’s Signature Brew venue for a weekend of live music and workshops. Here, we round up eight of the best acts we saw over the weekend.
Grunt
The concept behind Grunt is simple: raw, self-righteous feminist punk. On stage, their style is commanding and honest, and at times, completely goosebump-inducing. Their set is reminiscent of the burgeoning 70s punk scene, when bands emerged on the scene with exactly zero fucks to give. Organised? No. Chaotic? Yes. Inspiring? Absolutely.
Lip Stain
Relative newbies Lip Stain – formed during 2023's First Timer's festival – give an energetic and entertaining performance, but it's clear their live shows could still do with some work. But it's the messages in their songs that most caught my attention, their final song Token Girl was a punchy, tongue-in-cheek clap back to tokenism. Playing to a room mostly full of POC, the message of this song seems to resonate, as the crowd cheer and dance vigorously.
Tripsun
“Thank you, Decolonise Fest. It’s so nice not playing to a room full of white people,” says vocalist Hass. He's pitching this joke to the right crowd – his comment receives a ripple of laughter.
Tripsun play a set peppered with energised pop-punk bangers, while Hass shares his sincere thanks to the festival organisers and attending crowd. Often sharing incisive, emotional thoughts on the importance of diversity and equal opportunities in the alternative scene, it quickly becomes obvious during this set that Decolonise Festival is more than just a festival; it's a movement.
Buds.
Buds. light up Signature Brew with their crossover of punk, metal, emo and pop-punk. At moments, their sound feels hard to place and even harder to follow, as doom screamo adlibs often follow indie-infused chord progressions. But from the moment they walk on stage, their show is electric and their energy is hard to match.
Maya Lakhani
Creating a dark, ethereal atmosphere with her enchanting vocals, Maya Lakhani draws in a large crowd. Between her melancholic lyrics and post-rock riffs, the artist creates a moving and affecting show. Completing her set with a song she recorded and produced in her bedroom, Maya rounds up the evening with a stunning rendition of her 2020 release The Line.
Restless Taxis
Nailing the nostalgic 90s underground grunge rock revival, Restless Taxis are an easy festival highlight. Accompanied by an experimental dancer on stage, if you weren't already mesmerised by the dissonant haze of their distorted guitars, you're at least hooked by the liberated movements of their backup dancer.
Shoefig
Another shoegaze favourite of the weekend, Shoefig deliver throwback 90s vibes with their whimsical and nostalgic sound. Despite being a small two-piece of vocals, electric guitar and drums, the duo fill the room effortlessly and nail their angelic harmonies.
Sunday Best
“If you’re looking for a place to belong, come to Decolonise Festival,” Sunday Best vocalist Alex tells the crowd.
Delivering blistering emo-metalcore realness, Sunday Best feature Decolonise Festival co-organiser and host Alex, who when given the stage, transforms into an entirely different beast. Thrashing guitars, rolling drum solos and hellish screams: Sunday Best steal the show as one of the first bands to command a gnarly circle pit.
Playing alongside distorted backing tracks with spoken word about their ethos, the band put on a compelling show with sincere messages about the importance of diversity and exclusivity in the alt scene.
