Skip to main content
The Morning Star Shop
Punk or not, don't miss this
Ben Cowles speaks with IAN ‘TREE’ ROBINSON and ANDY DAVIES, two of the string pullers behind the Manchester Punk Festival, ahead of its 10th year show later this month
The crowd at Manchester Punk Festival 2024 [Gisela Szlatoszlavek]

“I HATE to drop this in, but when we won best small festival at the UK Festival Awards last year,” says Andy. “Everyone, like, people who come, or people who volunteer with us, everyone felt they had won, too.”

“I totally got that vibe as well,” says Ian.

“We were up against some big events,” he continues. “We thought we might have a chance to win the ‘best grassroots festival’ or ‘best metropolitan’. But when we didn’t win those, I thought, ‘never mind. We’ve had a good day. We got a seat at the table. The fucking food’s nice.’

The Manchester Punk Festival organisers receiving the Best Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards 2024. Ian is 3rd from the right, backrow. And Andy is 2nd on the right, in blue jacket and heart-shaped sunglasses
Random Hand playing at the Manchester Punk Festival 2024 [Pic: Kristy]
Johnny Foreigner on stage at the Manchester Punk Festival 2024 [Photo: kristy]
The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
People inspect the damage at the Sheikh Radwan al-Taba UNRWA clinic following an Israeli army bombardment in Gaza City, August 6, 2025
Gaza / 6 August 2025
6 August 2025

Israeli media awash with leaks and rumours of Netanyahu’s plans to seize Gaza. Meanwhile, the unrelenting siege of Gaza continues unabated 

Demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags look on as the Ship to Gaza boat 'Handala' arrives at the port of Malmö, Sweden, May 8, 2024
Middle East / 29 July 2025
29 July 2025

Mr Smalls and 13 other Freedom Flotilla Coalition activists who tried to break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza aboard the Handala ship remain in detention and on hunger strike

Similar stories
RESILIENCE: (Right) Stand Up To Racism protest on October 26
Features / 31 December 2024
31 December 2024
The Morning Star sorts the good eggs from the rotten scoundrels of the year
Aboubakar Traore
Global Routes / 2 December 2024
2 December 2024
Two new releases from Burkina Faso and Niger, one from French-based Afro Latin The Bongo Hop, and rare Mexican bootlegs
A panel from the Palestinian History Tapestry
Exhibition Review / 1 October 2024
1 October 2024
MARJORIE MAYO recommends an exhibition that asserts Palestinian history, culture and creativity in the face of strategies to erase them
COMFORT FOR THE MANY: Our vote (not that we have one) goes t
Opinion / 20 August 2024
20 August 2024
While applauding the emphasis on re-use, ROBERT GROVER examines the elitist bias of the prize towards south-east England