Splodgus Maximus

Here is a round up of interesting things that I've been involved with and that are happening over the next few weeks.

After a Covid booster yesterday, I'm completely einsturtzende. Every joint in my body is letting me know it's there, and it's damned if it's going to do any work today.

Luckily, my head is functioning!

Here are some upcoming things:

https://www.docnrollfestival.com/films/punk-brighton/

I remember a really fun day of filming and reminiscing a few years ago and I'm full of delight and admiration for Kevin's fortitude in finishing this. He managed to get a whole lot of us together to slice through the stone of history and show a facet of how the whole scene worked. It's all about that isn't it? Personal recollections and significant moments that build an individual's life story. There are some interesting characters here, but alas no Dick Damage, who was possibly the most universally loved punk musician in Brighton!

You can see more about the scene in general on this site: www.punkbrighton.co.uk (check out the letters about Dick) or even in a chapter of my book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-lost-women-of-rock-music/helen-reddington/9781845539573.

Read on down too- my new music tells the punk story, and specifically the Brighton punk story, from a very different and personal perspective. 

Next up is a screening of Stories from the She-Punks, the documentary me and Gina made in 2016 that coined the phrase that has now entered general circulation as a description for women-with-attitude. 

We'll be doing a Q&A at this event, but if you can't make it, it's on Youtube here, now in HD: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesFromTheShePunks

Tickets for the screening: https://upyourscollective.com/product/stories-from-the-she-punks-screening-qa-djs/

Then, then, then, I'm off to Glasgow for this gig now being co-promoted by the mighty Glasgoespop:

Lorraine Lucas is a song writer runs songwriting retreats all over the UK and originally hails from Glasgow. She puts on the Folkestone Songwriting Festival, which is where we met, and I'm delighted to welcome her to the bill. 

I will be playing my new set of songs about the ups and downs of the Brighton punk scene, and the punk scene in general. It was liberating for women in some ways, and terrifying in others. The hot and cold tap: you mix it the way your memory dictates. This set of songs will strike a chord (ahem!) with anyone who has participated in an underground scene, whether as an audience member, performer, poster or zine maker, whatever. It just happened to happen to me in Brighton. Those spaces (now called meanwhile spaces) where temporary access whether given to or taken from, allowed permanent life-changing events to happen, and were a catalyst for all sorts of things. 

Anyway: come and listen!

Tickets: https://wegottickets.com/f/26674/

The night after, I'll be in Todmorden at the Three Wise Monkeys supported by the wonderful Sunbathers, who will be promoting their new album Answers on a Postcard released on Adrian Goldberg's label. Adrian is a huge supporter of independent music and musicians and it's a marriage made in heaven for their album to be released on his label, Jenny's Feather Factory (read about it here: https://adriangoldberg.substack.com/p/jennys-feather-factory)

Next, I'll be part of a panel on Saturday 14th November at the Louder than Words Festival in Manchester. It's such a busy, vibrant event that's full of ideas and inspirational talks by both authors who write about music, and musicians who have recently written their autobiographies. The panel on Saturday is Molly Tie (Rebel Grrls: https://loudwomen.org/2026/06/08/book-review-molly-tie-uncovers-the-hidden-history-of-women-in-punk-in-rebel-grrrls/), Penny Kiley (Atypical Girl: https://pmpress.org.uk/product/atypical-girl-punk-rock-liverpool-and-trying-to-be-normal/) and me, interviewed by the magnificent John Robb (too many books to mention! But here he is: https://johnrobbofficial.com/). 

On the Sunday, I'll be interviewing Zoe Howe about her re-issued and revised book on The Slits: https://omnibuspress.com/products/typical-girls-the-story-of-the-slits-omnibus-remastered?. It's a  wonderful book, and Zoe is a trusted biographer not only of The Slits but also of Poly Styrene. She co-wrote the script for Paul Sng's documentary about Poly and was also a core member of the team that created this book: https://omnibuspress.com/products/dayglo-the-poly-styrene-story?. She is a very interesting raconteur and I'm very much looking forward to what she has to say.

I'll also be playing some 15-minute mini-sets before some of the interviews with other authors- other songwriters will be doing this too and it makes the whole weekend's event full of surprises and fun.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/louder-than-words-festival-2026-weekend-passes-tickets-1972783266857

There is more to come: gigs playing the new songs in Bristol, Rochester, London and Brighton. 

I will write about those ones closer to the dates!

STOP PRESS: Jane Duffus has just been in touch about her latest zine, Zine Things Happen. As well as all kinds of interesting music stuff, she interviewed me about what she calls my punk embroidery. Oh I love that! Here's the link: https://www.janeduffus.com/shop/zine-things-happen-4