A loud, brash, and unapologetically political coming-of-age tale set to a killer soundtrack of working-class anthems, Oasis, Reverend and the Makers, the Manics, Springsteen. Anthem for Dissatisfaction bursts with energy and heart, but in Summerhall’s small Red Lecture Theatre it sometimes plays like it’s still aiming too big. Big performances, big music, big feelings, and just a bit too much of all three.
It starts strong, with Jamie talking about his big sister, Sarah, his “own personal NME”, and their shared love of music and the first record they owned from 2008: The State of Things by Reverend and the Makers. From there, we’re into austerity Britain (and Northern Ireland), and a 12-year-old’s question: “What the hell are we spending our money on?” When there’s no lavish lifestyle to cut back on, sometimes the only thing they had was music.
Oasis is the shared soundtrack of their teens, and more importantly, a band that their parents hated! The show is packed with music nostalgia and references that anyone who grew up in the eighties will instantly recognise. Despite being raised on benefits in Northern Ireland on a housing estate, both siblings are driven to improve their situation and his sister insists that “my drive for intelligence is not a betrayal of class” as she fights to be the first in the family to go to university. They stumble onto the Manic Street Preachers’ Journal for Plague Lovers (2009) and make their gig debut at the Ulster Hall seeing the Manics live. Later, they ponder why they don’t feel as much, care as much or hurt as much now as they did when they were 14.
Once university finally happens, there’s a moment of swagger: “We have transcended class.” But also a realisation: “Only poor people write real anthems.” The Springsteen discovery comes later, “Oasis was our band, but Springsteen was our whole families.” It’s part musical autobiography, part social commentary, with plenty of political undercurrent about austerity, class, and working-class culture.
The acting from Simon Sweeney and Emily Lamey is excellent, full of conviction, emotional punch, and quick-fire chemistry that sells the sibling dynamic of love and rivalry. Gina Donnelly’s writing is sharp, funny, and politically charged, giving both actors plenty to work with. But the problem here isn’t the talent, it’s the fit between show and space. In a larger auditorium, this scale of performance would soar, in the close confines of the Red Lecture Theatre, the volume and intensity can feel overwhelming. The architecture works against the production, creating a clash between the intimacy of the room and the size of the delivery. One way or another, that mismatch needs resolving.
By the last stretch, the delivery starts to lag, the rhythm slips, and the impact softens. That said, it’s not a bad gig. The energy is infectious, the script has some razor-sharp lines, and the soundtrack is a belter if your taste runs to working-class anthems. It’s loud, brash, heartfelt, and often funny, it just needs more tonal variation and space to breathe.
19:35 Daily (except 11th and 18th) Till 25th August
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/anthem-for-dissatisfaction
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 12th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Running time – 1hr 5mins
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