GET TO KNOW: Punks For Palestine 2026
- Lou Viner-Flood
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Real Life have been running the Punks For Palestine event at New Cross Inn, London since 2021 and this year, on 4th May, they are returning with more incredible live music, activism and more information about how you can support Palestinian-run businesses and projects in London.
Since the start of the event, which brings together the underground hardcore, punk and hiphop scenes to support Palestinian charities, Punks For Palestine has raised over £10,000 for groups including The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians), The Palestinian Children's Relief Fund and many more. The proceeds from this year's event will be split between The Sameer Project - a Palestinian-led mutual aid initiative, and Da’m - an organisation set-up to support those who are facing state persecution in the UK as a result of taking direct action in solidarity with Palestinian people.
This year's event has artists from every musical genre imaginable; from Bristolian hardcore band PERP WALK, metalcore from KILA KOSA, queercore band SHOOTING DAGGERS melodic punk rock/emo from BUDS and London based Post-hardcore/noise-rock from RITUAL ERROR. New London hardcore band UNWITNESSED will also be playing their first show.
Powerful, hardcore/chain‑punk band from Bristol, PERP WALK are rising fast in the scene. They are best known for their South West hardcore identity, raw energy and a steady run of releases that have quickly made them a staple of the UK heavy‑music underground, with The Chain Of Infection and Permacrisis being released in 2023.
As an exciting addition to the UK metalcore/nu‑metal scene, KILA KOSA are known for industrial‑leaning riffs, bruising breakdowns, and a South‑London‑meets‑South‑Coast identity that’s quickly pushing them further into the spotlight. Singles Pulse and Bodies showcase their crowd‑igniting breakdowns and aggressive vocal interplay, with new music being teased in recent live shows.
SHOOTING DAGGERS are a London‑based queer‑feminist hardcore/queercore trio who manage to fuse blistering hardcore, riot‑grrrl energy and even shoegaze into intentionally confrontational tracks. Driven by their mission to carve out space for queer and marginalised voices in heavy music, Love & Rage was released in 2024, and was praised by critics for its dynamic songwriting, emotional depth, and ability to dip into multiple punk subgenres.
BUDS hail from Southampton and deliver a melting pot of alternative punk, grunge and emo, through emotionally raw tracks delivered with punk energy. Self described as “a support group for recent divorcees,” they have played Manchester Punk Festival and 2000 Trees Festival, with their most recent release Picking Wounds being one of their most emotionally direct tracks, blending punk urgency with introspective, self‑critical lyricism.
RITUAL ERROR will be bringing their politically charged, noise‑leaning post‑hardcore to the stage, following the release of their debut album Dial In The Ghost, which fuses nostalgic emo punk, with mid‑90s noise‑rock precision. Known for their sound that feels both paranoid and cathartic, as well as their incendiary, tightly controlled live sets, they are a part of a new wave of UK bands making punk feel dangerous and relevant again.
Activism sits at the intersection of human rights, foreign policy, public accountability, and the UK’s own social fabric. The importance of the activism itself is undeniable and events like Punks For Palestine are more relevant now than ever.
Writer: Lou Viner-Flood
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