LADY RAGE FIRST

Concert ReviewRebellionRebellion Band SpotlightWOMEN TO THE FRONT AT REBELLION PART 1

Aug 26

Rebellion Festivals has always been about more than nostalgia—it’s about discovery, energy, family, and giving space to voices that demand to be heard. Year after year, some of the most unforgettable sets come from women pushing punk forward with raw intensity and unapologetic presence. Part one of this series begins with Lady Rage, who stormed the Arena with a show that proved exactly why women belong at the very front of the stage.

***Siren Sycho*** of ***Lady Rage***—*All Photos ©dickslaughter.com*

Every year at Rebellion Festivals, you see that bands have evolved or leveled up right before your eyes. Lady Rage is one of those bands. London-based and formed in 2019, they’ve been a fixture at Rebellion since that first year. Their sound—or more, I think, their attitude—has been compared to Riot Grrrl. They do serve up a fierce cocktail of punk grit but have a thick metal edge—like if Lunachicks met Motörhead and they had a baby, that baby would be Lady Rage.

***Siren Sycho*** ***and*** ***Nika*** of ***Lady Rage****— photo ©dickslaughter.com*

There have been plenty of changes over the years, but one thing that’s remained constant is frontwoman Siren Sycho: her total dedication to the band and her art is undeniable—delivered through confrontational, in-your-face performances (sometimes you get wet). She stalks the stage, pacing with intensity, completely consumed by the sound. In a recent email she asked, “Did you get photos of us at Rebellion? I didn’t see you.” As you can see, I was right up close. But it’s not unusual for a performer like Siren to be so immersed in the moment that everything else disappears.

When I told her yes—and that I planned to finally do a feature (I had planned to last year but arrived too late to their set to get on-stage photos)—her next question caught me off guard in a charming way. She wanted to know if I’d gotten photos of the whole band, not just her. She said most of the pictures she’d seen from Rebellion were of her alone, but Lady Rage is a band. I told her I did my best, but drummers are elusive.

***TPG and*** ***Siren Sycho*** of Lady Rage—Photo ©*dickslaughter.com*

Lady Rage is very much a band. That comes through not only in their live show and stage presence but also in the short videos that capture their rock ’n’ roll hijinks on social media—the same platforms where they first connected as friends. On and off stage, they come across as both friends and bandmates, looking out for one another and keeping that bond front and center.

I decided to kick off my Rebellion Band Spotlights with Lady Rage—over the likes of headliners Peter Hook and the Light, The Damned, or Mr. Irish Bastard—because they’re a band worth checking out, and I like what they stand for. They proudly identify as a threat to the heteronormative order and take zero shit. And honestly? I’m a little scared of Siren, so I’d rather stay on her good side. and not keep her waiting another year.

A **Lady Rage** **Blockade of Drummer Extraordinair Dee Chi Manic***—Photo ©dickslaughter.com*

But all joking aside, the ladies packed out the Arena and delivered a nonstop, knock-down-drag-out rock ’n’ roll show. Each of them did an incredible job completely wowed the audience, moving in unison so tightly it almost felt like they were conspiring to keep me from getting a clean shot of drummer Dee Chi Manic.

***Almost all of*** ***Lady Rage*** *—Photo ©dickslaughter.com*

Eventually I gave up trying for the perfect shot—because the real moment was happening on stage. Luckily, I managed to grab a lovely off-stage shot of Dee, as you can see in the photo above.