Vive Le Rock Throws Its Biggest Birthday Bash Yet With The Skids Headlining At Islington O2 Academy
Vive Le Rock magazine is marking sixteen years in print with a landmark birthday show at the O2 Academy Islington on Saturday May 30th, and they’ve pulled out all the stops to make it count. The Skids headline a stacked bill that also includes a reformed Chron Gen playing what promises to be their final ever London performance, alongside a clutch of rising and established names from across the punk spectrum.
After last year’s sold-out Cock Sparrer and Ruts DC birthday event, the bar was always going to be high. By the looks of this lineup, editor and founder Eugene Butcher has cleared it with room to spare.
A Night Sixteen Years In The Making
The Skids — one of the most electrifying live acts to emerge from the original punk and post-punk era — will top the bill and bring their characteristically ferocious energy to a room that will almost certainly be packed to the rafters. Richard Jobson and company have lost none of their fire, and a headline slot at an event of this magnitude feels entirely fitting.
Sharing the stage will be UK82 punk stalwarts Chron Gen, who have specifically reformed for the occasion. That this is being billed as their last ever London show adds a weight and significance to proceedings that no serious punk fan will want to miss.
Rounding out the lineup are fast-rising UK duo The Meffs, New Zealand and London punk and rollers Desperate Measures, Oi! street punk upstarts Tear Up, Spain’s incendiary live act Deaf Devils, and folk punk sensations Headsticks. Everyone through the door will receive a free CD featuring all of the bands on the bill — a touch that feels entirely in keeping with the community spirit that has defined the magazine since its launch.
Doors open at 5pm and the night runs through till late.
The Man Behind The Magazine
Butcher, who has steered Vive Le Rock through sixteen years as one of the last great physical champions of street rock and punk, was clearly delighted to land the headline act.
“We launched Vive Le Rock in 2010 and have had many memorable shows and VLR Awards nights before, but I am really proud to have persuaded Richard Jobson and the Skids to headline our 16th Birthday party. And to manage to get Chron Gen to reform along with the packed lineup of new acts really is going to make for a killer night.”
The Lineup
- The Skids
- Chron Gen
- The Meffs
- Desperate Measures
- Tear Up
- Deaf Devils
- Headsticks
The Show
- Saturday 30th May 2026 — O2 Academy Islington, London
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
