Part Time Punks 05: Wharf Chambers, Leeds

Part Time Punks 05
Wharf Chambers, Leeds
6th June 2026

Louder Than War’s Andy Brown heads to the fifth annual Part Time Punks all-dayer at Wharf Chambers in Leeds.

Part Time Punks is an all-dayer curated and arranged by Erin Rumble and Jay Churchley of new wave/garage punk legends Nervous Twitch. It’s the kind of event where the DIY ethos runs to its very core, with Rumble crossing attendees’ hands on the door 20 minutes before she’s due on stage. That DIY spirit is there in the home-cooked vegan chilli, the homemade pin badges and Wharf Chambers as a venue. If you wanted a hideaway from the increasingly corporate tech bro hellscape that we live in, then this is it.

“Thanks for coming,” begins Rumble as Nervous Twitch prepare to kick things into gear, “Can’t believe we’ve done it for 5 years, think my bass strings might have been on for that long.” Don’t Get in Touch and Alright Lads provide the perfect one-two punch; a raw and fantastically fizzy hit of punk pop know-how. With their regular drummer away, the band are joined by Forming’s Mike Evans, and it must be said that he absolutely nails it. As I’ve come to expect, it’s an impressively tight set bursting with hooks, hummable solos and catchy tunes. In a beautifully ironic twist, they finish with a song called Bad Reputation.

One of the best things about these all-dayers is the element of surprise and Indignation Meeting certainly bring something unexpected. The Damaged Goods-signings are comprised of a singing teenage drummer, his dad on guitar and a ragtag band of family members and punk-loving train enthusiasts. In fact, nearly every single song is about trains. There’s one about the Middleton railway and another specifically about 41241 IVATT 2MT locomotives. “A belter” I hear someone say when it’s announced.

Other topics include ChatGPT teachers and the plight of unloved teddy bears. The latter song finds the band encouraging the crowd to join in with some communal shouts of Oi! It’s a fast, ragged sound that feels like it might derail at any moment – yet it never does. It’s the most fun I’ve had in an age. What’s more, the drummer also manages to play a little trumpet and melodica… while continuing to hold down a beat. Oh, and they even throw in a train-themed Christmas song for good measure. In all honesty, it’s the kind of set that makes most bands feel a tad unoriginal. All aboard the Indignation express…

The ideal band on a day like today, Litterbug play punk rock with brilliant basslines, anarcho crunch and catchy chorus-loving sensibilities. The Blackpool-based trio deliver an assured and meaty set of songs that go straight for the proverbial jugular. It’s one of those sets that seems to get better with each and every song. No Means No and Petrol Situation provide some undeniable highlights with the latter featuring some markedly raw vocals from the band’s sweat-soaked frontman Stuart Diggle. It’s intense work, this punk rock lark. Songs like the surprisingly upbeat Prozac Zombie feel like they’ve beamed in from ’77. Nicely done.

There’s a considerable gear-shift with the arrival of the next act, Ceiling Demons. Consisting of twin brothers, a drummer, a guitarist and a shirtless masked artist, this Yorkshire-based project blurs and blends genres with an anthemic and experimental mix of rap, folk and pop. One-minute there’s a Joanna Newsom sample weaved into a hip hop beat and the next there’s an atmospheric, acoustic-led slow burn. All the while, an abstract painting is created on a canvas behind them by the aptly named Art Demon.

The brothers are fired-up from the start, hugging between bars and pouring themselves into every moment. Their performance is an undeniably energetic focal point, but the samples, bass and drums are consistently hypnotic. To be clear, this isn’t an act going through the motions, but a full-on evangelical happening. It’s a lot to take in, but you really can’t deny this kind of passion and creativity. Music infused with resilience, unity and ever-persistent hope.

With a selection of knitted toys and a hobby horse at the front of the stage, it’s fair to say that I’m already intrigued as Japanese singer Seiko Nemoto and her band I-Nichi take to the stage. Combing new wave kicks and avant-garde hijinks, the band give us everything from a poem about David Shrigley to a song about being stranded in Helsinki. One particularly joyous art rock banger asks the urgent question, Is 20kg heavy? Well, is it?

“She’s 88 but she’s got all her teeth,” sings Nemoto during a song that also happens to feature a toy cat playing a chaotic keyboard solo. I mean, it just isn’t the kind of thing you see every day. When she finally picks up the hobby horse to accompany her on a ballad, I think my soul ascends and finds some newfound level of happiness. So glad I’ve found this band.

Quick Romance specialise in sassy, shouty and highly energetic punk with the spirit of X-Ray Spex running through their veins. Entangled in the microphone wire and wearing a I’m Gay for Gaye t-shirt – in tribute to The Adverts – Matilda Scotland gleefully gives it her all. Hair in her face and Wombles backpack clinging on for dear life as she throws herself headfirst into a set of punk ‘n’ roll party starters. Well, it is Saturday after all.

The band ooze an electrifying – well deserved – sense of confidence and cool as they give us a set that feels fresh, raw and thoroughly classic, all at the same time. If You Wanna Talk Punk (Let’s Go in The Kitchen) struts and snarls in style while debut single Brian Jones’s Hair crams as much frisky fun as humanly possible into a breathless two and a half minutes. From the Marty McFly-worthy solos to the sweat-drenched swagger, Quick Romance utterly own the stage and win over a whole host of new fans in the process.

Featuring two former members of The Wedding Present – and various other acts – RRRapid-Kool know their apples when it comes to noisy guitars and indie rock greatness. Aligning themselves with the Mark E. Smith rulebook – and the three R’s in their name – each song is built around hypnotic repetition. Heavy, head-nodding riffs, chunky bass and tight, hard-hitting drums are the order of the day. It’s all incredibly satisfying.

The riffs are stellar and the synchronised handclaps impeccable. I reckon a recording session with the much-missed Steve Albini would have been a particularly apt pairing. “I had a bottle explode in my face earlier today” the singer tells us as he describes the band practice for Part Time Punks, “So don’t say we don’t commit.” It all ends with the very first solo I’ve seen played with a shovel and a drumstick. Wonderful.

With the guitarist quickly donning his shiny aviator hat, Silver Biplanes are soon ready for take-off. “Nothing’s really changed/ It’s no better and no worse,” sings vocalist Vanessa Vass over the most gorgeous, indie psych-pop you’ve ever heard. This is music for daydreaming on a warm day; perfect pop for bringing in the summer months. I’m unfamiliar yet these songs are easy to fall in love with. Parallel World puts me under a Sixties-inspired spell while Before Yesterday delivers woozy indie pop bliss. As if it couldn’t get any more joyful, the band’s final song morphs into a euphoric cover of Virginia Plain.

With their most eclectic all-dayer to date, Part Time Punks is going from strength to strength. A friendly, fun and genuinely DIY event. That vegan chilli really was nice too. I’m looking forward to next year already.

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You can find a Part Time Punks Facebook group HERE.

Nervous Twitch, Indignation Meeting, Litterbug, Ceiling Demons, I-Nichi, Quick Romance, RRRapid-Kool and Silver Biplanes can be found on Bandcamp.

All photos by AndiChrist | You can find them on Instagram.

All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War HERE.