Everybody thought that the Wasted Blackpool 2006 festival was going to be the last ever. I always knew it wouldn't be and I was proved right as I predicted months ago click here .
The only reason that the 2006 Wasted Blackpool festival was advertised as the "Last Ever" was because it would help to sell more tickets, it worked and lots of people were suckered into buying tickets solely on this basis. Only weeks after this years festival I found out that Wasted is changing it's name to Rebellion and putting on a Festival at Blackpool next year. Everything will be the same but just the name change. After this Darren Russell still has the nerve to put on a Wasted farewell party. After all the money he has made from Wasted he has the unbelievable cheek to say about the farewell party "Tickets are free (donations towards bands expenses will be greatly appreciated as usual)". He should pay the bands expenses himself. It is take, take, take with nothing going back in.
Here are some of the reasons that I believe Wasted/Rebellion is solely run as a profit making organisation. Why did Wasted have to leave Morecambe? Was it because the venues were shit, the pies are better in Blackpool or some other reason? No, it was moved to Blackpool because Blackpool attracts more visitors than any other seaside resort in the UK. More visitors equals more money. Also every year the festival will probably get a grant from whichever council is hosting it. This grant is given on the basis that the festival brings in more tourists to the resort. Basically this grant goes directly into the Wasted/Rebellion bank account. Also the bands who have stalls selling merchandise at the festival have to pay Wasted/Rebellion an extortionate amount of money for the privilege. I think all the bands should have a free stall to sell their stuff but that isn't the way a businessman will think. It's just another example of why Wasted/Rebellion is a licence to print money. I actually think if Wasted/Rebellion could do a festival for X-factor contestants and make money from it they would. Because it is a business and nothing else.
Why do the lesser known bands feel it is essential to play at Wasted/Rebellion? Have any of them gained anything from playing there? For me the only thing they get is a free pass to watch the other bands and a few beers if they are lucky but they have to pay all their own expenses. Sadly they won't get much of a crowd watching them either because most get a shit time slot when a lot of people are in the pub or their slot clashes with a known band and most people are watching the known band. All this whilst bands like Cocksparrer allegedly got paid £20,000. Wasted/Rebellion don't give a shit about the lesser known bands, the bands that are the future of punk. These bands don't make them money and basically they are just time fillers that help them to spread the festival over a longer time span. The longer the festival is the more money is made. It is people like myself and other like minded people that put on gigs and help to promote the lesser known bands. All this without any financial rewards. We do it because we love the music and nothing else. We aren't businessmen like Darren Russell and we don't want to be. I'm not saying there is anything wrong in being a businessman but leave punk in the hands of a businessman and when there is no more money to be made they will pull out and punk will be on it's arse. It is already heading that way. Punk was always supposed to be about the music but how can some well known bands take the fees they do and claim to be punk? They just want their piece of the pie and a very big slice at that.
Wasted/Rebellion is if anything contributing to the death of punk. The fees paid to the well known bands by them makes most of these bands out of reach of smaller promotors/venues. Because of this you will probably never see some of these bands at a small venue again. Wasted/Rebellion is just a notalgia circus and most of the people who go there hardly attend any other gigs throughout the year. There is also a clique of sycophants there every year who go because they feel they have to be seen there.
Wasted Blackpool 2006 was the biggest scam since "The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle' simply because it was advertised as the last one and it isn't. The prices for next years festival have increased without justification and this will just help to swell Wasted/Rebellion's already swollen bank account further. I'm not saying don't go to Rebellion next year but just think about it. This is only my opinion but sadly not the opinion of the masses.

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