What do you get when you mix The Little Mermaid with Blink-182? Four men from South Wales who call themselves Punk Rock Factory.
Performing last night at the O2 Ritz Manchester, Punk Rock Factory offered fans and new converts a mixture of guilty-pleasure songs – with a pop punk twist.
Peej, Benj, Ryan and Kob make up the fourpiece pop punk band currently bringing Disney’s greatest hits, and TV’s best-loved theme tunes, to venues across Europe.
Supported by DJ Matt Stocks, the audience were warmed up with classic pop-punk hits like Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ and Tenacious D’s ‘Tribute’.
Next up on stage was Adam & The Metal Hawks to kick things up a notch with the stage presence of Jack Black and the vocal ability of Steven Tyler.
Playing classics such as ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ and Donna Summer’s ‘Hot Stuff’, alongside tracks from their 2023 album Hurry Up and Wait, the atmosphere in the crowd was electric.
Then it was time for the main event, starting with the Lion King’s ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ the room was alive with energy, from every corner of the ground floor to the balconies overhead.
Punk Rock Factory had arrived.
Frontman Peej jumped off stage as soon as he arrived and made his way through the front row, high-fiving fans as he gave his rendition of the classic Disney tune.
What followed was everything from the Power Rangers theme tune to hits from The Little Mermaid.
There was a well received tribute to the late Matthew Perry in the form of the Friends theme tune, other theme tunes included PAW Patrol, Pokemon and Thundercats.
Midway through the set, Peej donned a sparkly jacket and asked the audience to vote online for the song they wanted to hear next, with a lucky fan picked at random to receive over £100 worth of PRF merchandise.
The song chosen by the audience? The theme to Disney’s Gummi Bears, and the crowd was thrilled.
With no mosh pits in sight and a room full of families, some with very young children, this wasn’t what you’d typically expect from a punk band and yet, it was exactly what Punk Rock Factory planned for.
Speaking in previous interviews, the band have commented on their desire to bring young people into the punk scene, and the piercing guitar solos and the roar of rock anthems sung in harmony definitely did that.
Towards the end of the set, just before Moana’s ‘How Far I’ll Go’, they announced they will be back in Manchester for another tour next year.
While grown men belting out Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’ isn’t typical for the punk scene, the sense of community, joy, and appreciation from the next generation of rockers, made for a high-energy evening that will be hard to forget.
