The punk rockers who love singing Disney hits
Punk Rock Factory was formed in South Wales in 2014
At a glance
A Welsh band is headed for the Scottish Highlands with its spin on Disney tunes
Punk Rock Factory became a viral hit during lockdown with a punk rock cover of I Just Can't Wait To Be King
The band will perform at this summer's Belladrum Tartan Heart festival
- Published
The Highlands' Belladrum Tartan Heart music festival is set for one of its most unusual acts this summer - a Welsh punk rock covers band who sing Disney tunes.
"We started out as a bit of fun back in 2014," says Peej Edwards, singer and guitarist with Cwmbran-based Punk Rock Factory.
"We had all been in bands before in our younger days, which were either punk or heavier rock."
After about a year doing punk rock and punk pop covers, Punk Rock Factory "fizzled out a bit", says Peej.
"We picked things up again in 2019 and put out an album, a mixture of tracks," he says.
"It didn't really do a lot, to be honest with you, but there was one song on it that went kind of wild - I Just Can't Wait To Be King from The Lion King."
The band uploaded the track to TikTok during the first Covid lockdown in 2020.
"It turned out that everyone loves Disney stuff done in a punk rock style," says Peej.
"Everyone was stuck home, couldn't do anything and had kids that needed entertaining. The song was a good source of entertainment."
He adds: "Since then everything has escalated. We're doing UK and European tours."
I Just Can't Wait To Be King, along with other Disney covers including Frozen's Let It Go and Moana's You're Welcome, have helped Punk Rock Factory gain more than five million likes on TikTok and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
Theme tunes
The band's tour dates this summer include Belladrum near Beauly at the end of July.
Held since 2004, it is the Highlands' biggest music festival and this year's headline acts include Travis, Bastille, Sigrid and Sam Ryder.
Peej says festival-goers can expect a fun-filled performance from Punk Rock Factory.
"We have a lot of fun playing and we kind of project that on to our crowds, he says.
"In terms of music, our set list is always very Disney heavy because that is mostly what people want to hear."
He adds: "We have a new album with musicals as well, so we will be playing some of that along with the TV theme tune stuff we do."
- Published31 July 2019
