Signature Brew Haggerston’s Duck and Dive Festival Returns!
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
Words by Miles Milton Jeffries
Signature Brew Haggerston’s Duck and Dive Festival returns with the future of the punk scene across a three-weekend smash hit, featuring breakout performances from the likes of Cowboy Hunters and Bureau du Change, acting as a warm-up for a weekend full of the likes of Opus Kink and Joe and the Shitboys. Whether you’re here to dance or mosh you’ll come to have a good time – a more intimate indoors Wide Awake festival is exactly what we need right now.
Day one is the warm-up session, and it sees Ignoring Izzy switched out with late replacements coming in the form of Milange; who step up to show their worth in a venue that is rapidly getting busier as the nights go on. Milange are an alt band able to sing songs about Radio 6 and wanting to dance at basement shows in the front-row; with the act wanting to hear the humdrum stories of London as they take it from the top. Like most of the acts here they hail from Scotland and their lead singer is a force of nature; howling pop with a punk, raw edge to it that feels akin to say, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts or early 70s punk – pure, unleashed fun. It’s a catchy chorus and delights in equal measure – they captivated me from the opening energy and really emphasised being front and centre with their magnetic; mythmaking stories that demonstrate a well-created world full of lived in and real experiences. The band comes through as a gifted addition to Scotland’s young music scene and this evening is full of talent in the right place. The best band you’ve never heard of? A strong contender.
Confessional is a brutal taste of honesty – “if to live is to love than why do I only feel alive during the periods when I give my love to nobody but myself and why do I see that look of living in their eyes when they give everything but the love I know I deserve” allows for a touch of raw, almost Jehnny Beth/Savages type energy to it. / “I listened to radio 6 and felt sick knowing I felt I wasn’t doing as much as I should be doing” helps create the mindspace the character in this song is going from. Its catchy lower moments allow for the range of Milange to feel even more energetic and livelier.
Next up on the list is the oddest departure from the rest of the set as we dip into dancehall disco territory with the club vibes of DJs SX2, who are a particular favourite of the bar staff based on the energy that they bring to the table. It’s hyper entertainment and whilst feels like an odd mix here, an anomaly in an evening of pure punk adrenaline; feels ready made to grace the halls of Boomtown at 3am catering for the ravers of the night. I’ve rarely listened to this kind of music this early.
Still two bands to go for day one and Bureau du Change; fresh up from Bath and projected to hit Outer Town in a few months, so you already know they’re going far – it’s Bristol’s tastemaker festival. Their singles, Marriage (I’m nearly 30 – all my friends are getting married – I’m still in so much debt and you’re picking out flowers – all my friends are getting married – and I’m in therapy) is depressingly real – and honest, about how the differences in our lives can vary so wildly when they hit 30; no two people are the same by this point in time – I too, did a test that set I was autistic. It’s a powerful song – raw and tongue in cheek. I loved Resistance, where their lyrics of resistance as the act of joy feels very IDLES-y in an ode to their fellow countymen from neighbouring Bristol.
Headliners of the first night, Cowboy Hunters, are fantastic – the best new band I’ve seen in ages. They’re a Scottish band who love to play up how much they hate London, but that doesn’t stop drummer Desmond Johnston from joining in on a What Do We Think of Tottenham? Shit – What Do We Think of Shit? Tottenham chant. You want audience interaction this duo has it down to a T – able to lead the crowd on a merry dance out of Signature Brew before immediately telling them to go back inside to heat to the pub. The lore behind them catches eyeballs and inspires confidence – 69 years have passed since the cowboys attacked; when the world needed them most, the Cowboy Hunters were in the pub. Their riotous energy rivals Bruise Control and other bands of their ilk – and they look set to tear up 2000 Trees and End of the Road later in the year, with a lot of the lineup across the weekend using this as a warm-up before 2000 Trees and the summer festival run; packing out a house and getting the audience to dance. As to the music themselves – Cowboy Hunters are fantastic – Megan Pollock joins Johnston with a statement: the world is fucked, you might as well have a pint. It’s a good reason as any – and we’re off and flying.
They match the chaotic energy of early Lambrini Girls and they know how to start a riot. Whether it be Perfect (Exceeder) or Mating Calls the band are in full flow, and rarely are they slowing down.
The first all-dayer heads sees us head down to Haggerston for night two. It’s a belter of a lineup – marred by train problems on the way in which meant I only made it down for The Youth Play after having to spend 2 hours commuting in from Watford. It doesn’t take that long normally, I swear. But was treated with a riot of a set from the My Bloody Valentine-Slowdive influenced band of four university friends. It’s a band that refuses to stay true to any one scene in London and their flexibility is evident; no two tracks sound alike – one second there’s the Smiths, the next The Cure – this is a band that lay their influences on their sleeve. Frontman Diego Bracho has a moody atmosphere to the energy that appeals to the old school 80s nostalgia that feels like the perfect vibe to get thrust into. Like Nation of Language, they evoke that feel of harkening back to a different age whilst offering something new.
Next up comes Hotgirl; who seem to be destined for greatness from the moment they set foot on stage. Their set by now is engaging, a riot – dancy and good vibes. Their five songs out so far are terrific; Blast Off goes down a storm – born out of turmoil, heartbreak and bursting into new life – instantly listenable and generates the kind of vibe that you want from an all-day punk festival. Buckle up – it’s only going to get rowdier from here. I also really rate Sterling Press – who capture the 90s vibes of punk grunge to a T.
Dead Air are up next; who I saw supporting Battlesnake at Camden’s iconic Underworld last year in a warm-up for Arctangent. Hopefully it isn’t long before they’re at that festival; or Trees – they’re a great band that know how to get the crowd energised and warmed-up. Teeth Grinder goes a step further than most punk bands in the industry – fantastic act and the change from a Sunday to a Saturday allowed the lineup to get that extra teeth that it needed; a real shot in the arm and a chaotic wake up call for any who were tiring by now. This band continue to delight and entertain – their new EP, Do It For The Pay Out, gets a run through and the raw chaos that Dead Air bring is perfectly suited for the evening.
It's at this point it’s important to recognise that both Cowboy Hunters and Opus Kink have their own alcohol. Cowboy Hunters’ is stronger – 6%-ish (Chunters’ Cherry Brew), Belgian Cherry Beer; and Opus Kink’s Bitter Showboy Nitro Stout, stout keeps the energy flowing, I love the commitment to the night that both bands have put on. If you’re not dancing by now you’ve come to the wrong place; and the mosh pit is a riot that few festivals in an early February evening can generate. Perfect for Yaang, who are among the friendliest bands on a lineup full of friendly bands, to lead the crowd in some dancing that captures the good vibes across the night. The Manchester based synth punkers have an eye-catchingly blunt EP “No” and get the crowd off to a riot with songs like Speed McQueen and Til Morning Light that captures the talent of Davey Moore; blending vocals and electronics for a perfect match.
Joe and the Shitboys come next – by this time the iconic 200-cap railway arch venue is packed and away, it’s instantly the perfect replacement for Wide Awake in terms of intimate vibes – a three day festival of spectacular punk energy. The 2025 edition was sold out so it’s a no brainer that eyeballs are here – Jordan Harris has booked a treat of names, not about “big stages or VIP tents… about sweat, distortion and the next big thing playing two feet in front of you.” It is a festival built to reflect the exciting and sometimes unforgiving side of East London; and the bands that have been booked capture the raw, unpredictable and noisy energy of this scene. Joe and the Shitboys; all the way out from Faroe Islands are the perfect energy of this vibe distilled into one evening. Their track Manspredator is a barnstormer and it’s easy to see why one of their fans is Iggy Pop; chanting riot that captures pure infection.
Then it’s time for the headliners – Opus Kink. They are INCREDIBLE and it’s their last London show for a while; so we’re told. Packing all of their members onto a tiny stage with all of their equipment should get a reward yet they pull it off anyway; having done so on tinier stages before. I’m a Pretty Showboy goes down a riot and the merch they have is designed with the single in mind – an album soon boys please? There’s enough material there for them to earn it. Capable of having the crowd dancing on their strings, they can entertain at every turn. Few bands around can entertain quite like they can; able to navigate between large venue sets like the Electric Ballroom and this small, brewery in East London superbly well. It’s chaos and by the end of the night the revellers leave sweaty and exhausted – but quite possibly having had the time of their lives.
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