Chelsea on the Wild Road – 50th Anniversary Tour

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Chelsea with guests Tyburn Ropes: The Prince Alber,t 20 June 2026

Chelsea : Punk is not dead, it’s 50! Punk is their business, LOUD is their language!

Chelsea are an English punk rock band which formed in 1976. Three of the four original band members went on to found Generation X. More than two decades after its release, the band’s debut single, “Right to Work”, was included in the Mojo list of the best punk rock singles of all time!

Chelsea are on tour presently with the “Wild Road – 50th Anniversary Tour”. Two gigs were planned for Brighton, as it was Genes “birthday bash” in Brighton. We were told that these were going to be Genes last gigs with Chelsea following ill health and surgery. It looks as if Chelsea are heading off to Canada next year.

Chelsea – The Band

Gene October is a British singer and songwriter who was a formative figure in London’s punk rock movement in the late 1970s, fronting the band Chelsea.

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Nic Austin: First joined the band back in 1981, returning for his current, long-term stint in 2011. He has also stepped up to share lead vocal duties with Mat while frontman Gene October has been recovering from surgery.

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Mat Sargent is a musician / songwriter born in Sheffield. He is well known as the charismatic bass guitarist and also as a vocalist for Chelsea, and his former bands include Sham 69 and Splodgenessabounds. He is the creator of the Sex Drugs and HIV project ( https://www.sexdrugsandhiv.com/ ).

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Rob Miller re-joined Chelsea in 2021 and has been playing his slung out punk guitars from the side of the stage since then.

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

The present drummer for the punk band Chelsea is Gary Ostell. He joined the band in 2026 to take over percussion duties following the departure of former drummer Steve Grainger. He was a former drummer for UK Subs.

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Chelsea – The Set

The sound is theirs, its unique, gloriously rough-edged: overdriven guitars, a bass that rattles the floorboards and drums played without restraint.

These guys will give you a full on performance. 5 decades, one voice, still punk! It will be full of energy and neither the material or band members showing any sign of slowing down. Chelsea are a unique treasure, full of power and a unique swagger of their own. Chelsea have given the Punk movement more than a fair share of anthems and this includes the magnificent “Right To Work”. Nic and Mat swapped vocal duties for the first session of the gig and great to see Nic and Mat still kicking the air!

Chelsea did not hang about they set it all loose for this epic live experience, the packed in crowd for this second night and the venue itself was buzzing with excitement! 50 Years of no compromise as the opening salvo included Urban Kids and Mission Impossible then it was straight in to Come On! The energy being generated was certainly contagious as the room bounced to the sounds. This was punk at its glorious best! Other songs from the set included How Do You Know, Running Wild, The Loner and Johnny Has No Respect.

Chelsea played a set that impressed the hell out of me… again! And yes I am pretty sure that if they can keep up with such a high standard of playing old and new material backed with supreme performances I would be more than happy to pay, and go see them again, and again, and again. Nic and Mat led the charge for most of the set stepping back when Gene took to the stage.

They stepped it up, and, with their unique powerful stage presence and incredible musicianship, led us through those timeless compositions Johnny Has No Respect, No Flowers, I’m On Fire and the thrilling Evacuate.  They gave us everything, Gritty vocals, blistering guitar riffs, thundering bass lines, some breakneck drumming and all topped off with that wonderful no-frills punk attitude. When Gene joined in, well it all came together, perfection! Noise with a purpose.

Gene October – Happy Birthday!

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Gene has not been well, but he promised Brighton that he would be on stage for both gigs. It was good to see Gene outside, we had a brief chat he had enjoyed the previous nights show and he was looking forward to his slot tonight. It was time!

Gene was helped on stage during a small break for the encore, and greeted with a rendition of Happy Birthday from the crowd, gone was the man I had been with a few minutes earlier, but now we had on stage the punk legend that is Gene October. He was most definitely back in the building! Sitting in his chair under the stage lights, his eyes twinkling and a wide smile on his face. He was sitting in his “throne” for the night looking out into his crowd. I, and the packed in crowd, all felt quite emotional to see him, but Gene turned that into pure joy as he did his songs, his way. Nothing was going to hold him back. It’s Gene October!

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

He did four songs, his voice powering out and engaging with the crowd “Did you like that one?”. His unique gestures and unique way of holding the microphone were not held back, not for a second.

Nic and Rob hitting the riffs with Matt thumping the bass lines as the drums hammered by Gary turned up the heat with some drum and bass thunder as Gene grabbed his mic. He told the band “I know you have played this one before, (How Do You Know) but I want to do it again, so just F’ing play it!” The guys did just that! Gene also sang Evacuate, Urban Kids and the band crashed into Right to Work, with Gene at the helm to close, and suddenly the room is no longer a venue in the present day but a fragment of punk history still refusing to die.

Chelsea: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Those Chelsea choruses are shouted rather than sung by the crowd, and every song ends with raised fists and a roar of approval! War Across The Nation, No Ones Coming Outside, Looks Right and more. The spirit of those early 1977 punk years is still very much alive and kicking, and it feels good to be part of it.

And that was it, all done and the crowd showed their appreciation for Chelsea and the emotional rollercoaster we had experienced with an extended round of applause. It was over an hour of wall-to-wall intensity. Chelsea turn it up until nothing else matters.

A statement from Chelsea:  “At the moment Gene’s focus is on getting stronger, and we are not sure when he may be able to return to the stage. We all hope that day comes, but for now he sends his thanks and appreciation to everyone. We look forward to seeing you on the road.”  We all send our love and best wishes to you Gene!

A Video! Right To Work – LIVE!

Keep in touch with Chelsea online here! https://www.chelseapunkband.com/

Tyburn Ropes

Tyburn Ropes: photo by Ian Bourn for Scene Sussex

Love a new band, and loved these guys! Tyburn Ropes were at the Prince Albert for their first ever live gig.

The term “Tyburn Ropes” most commonly refers to the superstitious historical artefacts from the infamous Tyburn Tree, the triple gallows near London’s Marble Arch where public executions took place from 1196 to 1783. Hangman’s ropes were historically sold as souvenirs for their supposed curative or protective properties. So, there you are, in case you were interested in the bands name and logo! I was!

Tyburn Ropes seem to be a new alternative rock super group. Danny on vocals, harmonica and guitar – from Damn Jammage and The Bloodstreams. On bass is Mickey – from Supergrass and Swerve Driver. On Drums is Marty – from Wingmen and Johnny Moped. On main guitar duties is Robot – from Johnny Moped and Case. That’s some pedigree.

Tyburn Ropes put down a fine set comprising of some 8 songs. They know how to put together a tune, laden with riffs and thumping bass lines. Put that together with a most charismatic frontman and you have the Tyburn Ropes. They had pulled in a sizeable crowd tonight, which is always cool to see.

They opened up with Got The Jones, Stranger In The Mirror and Impress The Dead. Now if you find yourself in front of these guys, you get an overload of style, a face full of high energy and rocking good tunes!

Danny proceeded to deliver a flawless, at times almost gritty vocal performance, whilst fitting in some fine guitar playing, some harmonica playing all the while controlling a large glass of red wine.

Some mighty fine drumming from maestro Marty, pulling it in with some strong bass lines from Mickey and topped off with driving rhythms from Robot. These guys know what they are doing, closing with Unite, they proved that. Go see these guys if they play near you.

With Tyburn Ropes, there is no hanging around just an exhilarating experience. When the guys opened up and took to the Albert stage the room was instantly theirs! From the opening chord to the final tune, this was a blinding set from a new tasty outfit in modern / familiar alternative rock, proving exactly why this band could soon be dominating the scene.

A Video!

Keep up to date with Tyburn Ropes on Facebook

And Finally…

Thanks to Chelsea, Tyburn Ropes and the Prince Albert Team.

Words, Videos and Photos for Scene Sussex by Ian “The Lens” Bourn.
No AI or filters used, its pure and straight down “the lens”!

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