Ex-mayor of Blackpool’s big welcome to festival’s punk visitors

A popular Blackpool diner has gone all out to celebrate the return of the annual Rebellion punk festival – even so far as to change its name for the week.

The West Coast Rock Café will be playing host to 21 Californian bands as part of the fringe festival this week, from Wednesday to Sunday, and is happy to welcome fans and musicians alike.

To mark festival week, owner Robert Wynne has put up a new sign which renames the restaurant the West Coast Punk Rock Café.

Rebellion takes place at Blackpool Winter Gardens from Thursday August 7 to Sunday August 10 and features more than 300 bands, but performers will be playing at various other venues in the town too.

Robert, who is still known by many for being the former mayor of Blackpool, from 2008/9, is a successful businessman who opened West Coast in 1987, with wife Gaynor.

He envisaged it as the kind of place young couples and families could enjoy eating at an affordable price, with the added attraction of satellite TV and a range of imaginative burgers and other fairly light offerings.

It is still going strong after nearly 40 years and some of the staff members have been there more than 20 years.

The pair also own the Rose and Crown on Corporation Street and the Brew Room on Church Street.

Robert said: “I would say that the Rebellion Festival is the biggest and best event of the year for Blackpool town centre and the hospitality trade. The cafés, bars and restaurants all benefit.

“I still think local people don’t quite realise how important this event is, globally, for the punk movement. It is arguably the biggest punk rock festival in the world, in term of its international following.

“Every year the festival includes bands and fans from all over the world, from America,  right across Europe and other places too,

“At West Coast I get phone calls from bands in America who want to play here during Rebellion week.

“And, over the past four or five years, the festival has fanned out to include lots of other venues in Blackpool, aside from the Winter Gardens, which is fabulous.

“The bands and the fans are great too – they look fabulous and there’s never any trouble. It’s such a brilliant event for Blackpool, in every sense.

“There’s probably no venue in the world which is better suited to this festival than the Winter Gardens – it can accommodate 3,000 fans for big-name bands like The Stranglers and at the same time accommodate obscure bands playing to 200 people. it’s got so many facets to it.”

For many years Robert was involved in the resort’s local political scenes as a councillor, including his tenure as mayor of Blackpool in 2007/8.

But he says he doesn’t miss it.

Robert, who was the leader of Blackpool’s Liberal Democrats for many years,  said: “Those days are behind me and I’ve no desire to go back. I enjoyed it at the time but I won’t be returning.

“It’s a tough job in Blackpool these days, and I wish them the best of luck with it.”