Category: Festival

Back to Brak 2024 | Part 2: New to Me (Love Equals Death, Comeback Kid, The Queers & Cancer Bats)

With extreme giddy anticipation I’ve been looking forward to the 2025 edition of Brakrock on August 1st and 2nd. In true downsideup tradition, the two week lead up to this year’s Brakrock is for reminiscing about the previous edition. And what a year it was! 

In part two, I take you with me along some new discoveries. Part one, about the Bridge City Sinners (also known as part 5 in the Clyde McGee and Lightnin’ Luke touralong saga) can be read here!

LOVE EQUALS DEATH (August 2nd 2024)

After strolling around the site and taking in the sights, I venture over to the River stage to take my spot centre stage for the Bridge City Sinners well in advance. I hadn’t put them on the planning, but I am pleasantly surprised by getting to see Love Equals Death.

First off, a little preface of the news that broke nine days after their show at Brakrock.Chon Travis, the band’s lead vocalist sadly passed away in his hotel room, just prior to their show in Stafford. Heartbreaking having just discovered them, along with so many other people who got enamored and hearing about this so soon after.

Chon seems to have been an incredibly beautiful person if the outpour of messages of fellow artists can be believed. I want to honour him and his band with the real excitement of discovering them, so I leave the melancholy and sadness here, and describe the vibrance of their incredible set.

Love Equals Death starts my Brakrock 2024 experience off with a BANG! They’re loud, fast and in your fucking face with boundless energy pouring off the stage, even in this bloody heat! Feeling that drum vibrate through my body is heaven. I’m instantly a fan and thank the purple thread of music guiding me to this moment. I’m certainly not the only one to think so, because little by little, the crowd is growing nicely.

COMEBACK KID (August 2nd 2024)

Comback Kid ringsa bell from my early nillies punk days. I never really looked into them, (I am not always great at discovering music by myself.) but here’s me saying I should well have. Sadly my body has betrayed me from all the stomping around all day, so I take a seat on the side bleachers of the river stage. I wish I had more energy and less aches so I could follow from the pit especially since the vibe there seems lit as fuck.

Well, whatever, it already sounds amazing from afar, one day I will catch up with them on the first row. Another addition to the punk filled playlist, this is! My pen is dying and I can barely see what I’ve written down after this. Suffice it to say I was thoroughly impressed with the energy and sound. It sounds so incredibly nostalgic and I am here for it! I’ll just let the music speak for itself for now and will get back to them next time I see them pass through!

QUEERS (August 3nd 2024)

Kicking off day two a little later than planned since it took me a long while to get my broken body into gear. Made it just in time for the second band I had on my planning for the day. The atmosphere already feels amazing, everyone is as stoked as I am for this new day of festivities!

I’m loving their old skool punk style and bob along to the music happily. It’s a great and pure no nonsense sound, no breaks, just fucking rocking it. Their stamina and intensity rolls over an exhilarated audience.

The guitarist is obviously as amped (ha!) as the crowd and tears over his strings with dedication. Speaking of, at the end of the show he threw some guitar picks in the audience and I only noticed afterwards that my cup had accidentally caught one. SCORE.

After the show, a little drizzle cools us all off before we hit the next landmark gig!

CANCER BATS (August 3nd 2024)

So far so good, aside from missing the start of my day, I am currently still on schedule! Another name that was somewhere stored in the back of my brain from way back when, without any music attached to it. But just LOOK AT THEM GO! They are definitely excited to be here, as are we all!

The wave of sound is intense and so very soothing to my sore muscles. The near wave of sweat dripping off the stage is also a sight to see.

I’m finding it hard to find synonyms for describing the energy of all the Brakrock bands. I don’t think there’s enough words in the English language to describe all of it.

This band doesn’t play around! The bassist is circling like a madman, throwing his bass every which way. He slides all over the neck of the thing at lightning speed. The guitarist shreds his 6 string flying V, the singer pours his heart out and the drumls provide a searing tempo to rile them all up even more.

I’m getting tired from just watching them jump around the stage. Good thing I have a bit of rest before I regale you on the rest of my Brakrock adventure where I get hit hard with a throwback to Punk in Drublic thanks to Ignite and Talco!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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On the road with Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy, a trilogy in one part | Live in Aarschot, Turnhout and Herselt.

She can write short form like a one part series too? Absolutely, I do whatever I damn well please! Though I must admit that this band most definitely deserves more parts than I can give them at this time. Envisioning a few hefty series in the near future, I swore to take off my journalist hat and just enjoy the music. Fat chance when the music is THIS GOOD. So I danced and didn’t write anything down. But the memory is enough to sustain at least one blog, with a solemn promise to do better the next time they wind up on our shores again.

It all started with a recommendation, as all good things tend to do these days. Since meeting Ann and Dev last year during the WhiskeyDick/James Hunnicutt tour (and many more thereafter), I’ve learned we are kindred spirits in our love of music. So when either of them tells me I NEED TO see X or Y, I know to listen. (Re: Shawn James!!!) So, no ifs or buts, I tentatively circled two possible dates in my calendar for this band I had yet to discover. 

SPOILER ALERT: One minute into show one and ‘tentatively’ became definitely and I added another in between.  

That fateful first performance was in the city of Aarschot, which had left me with a bad taste in the mouth after some regrettable life choices as a teen. (Read: awful techno parties where I felt so out of place, I turned to alcohol to get me through them. Which led to MORE regrettable choices, but I digress.) Aarschot however proved its worth, it turns out to have another side to it, full of dazzling music and wonderful people. 

  • Foto’s met dank aan Ronny Van Casteren


On a nice summer evening with just a sprinkling of rain, I arrive at the barn where over the course of the night, a lot of sweat was shed. A little bit of a bummer that the promised showers had made the actual circle outside a risky bet, after which the organisers decided to choose certainty in a roof over our heads. No matter, on with the show!

Foto met dank aan Ronny Van Casteren

With the first sounds emanating from the stage, my body starts involuntarily dancing. Limbs go this way and that and I lose myself completely in the music and barely notice the world around. Except for that band, their impossibly magnetic tunes that put some sort of spell over me. It had been a at least a year since my limbs had done their wacky waving inflatable arm flaily tube man thing but fuck me if the adrenaline from it didn’t render me incredibly ecstatic. 

Smiling and sweaty I start to stumble outside, but not before yelling at (and probably alarming) drummer Bryce who’s calmly gathering his things on stage. “HOLY FUCK MAN. I mean… HOLYYYYYY FUCK!’ I later catch up with him outside to let him know I am not a madwoman, I just get really REALLY excited sometimes.

Shiny happy Julie with the wonderful drummer man Bryce

Sometime after that, I regain my composure and connect with a few of the lovely people in the audience, new and old friends alike. I meet Carine and Gerrit, who’ve apparently unknowingly crossed my path a few times in the past already. I’m intensely moved by their story that led them to be here. Their son Jens was in a horrible motorcycle accident and passed away years earlier. To keep his memory alive, Carine and Gerrit decided to follow the music along the venues and artists their son had loved. 

Carine’s patched up vest, with a lot of names that ring a bell!

Much later, after most people have filed out, with the last hangers-on we set off into the night, for a good time that will lead us into the early hours.

Last ones standing!

Sidenote: Thanks to my unexpected and erratically uncoordinated dance moves, I managed to damage my body so badly, I could hardly get out of bed for two days after. This unfortunately meant I had to miss Angry Zeta who I’d enthusiastically planned to see the day after at Lou’s bar in Liege. Fortunately for me, I would get another chance, a night not easily forgotten, which will be immortalised after these ones here!

After having just gained back control over my limbs, I endanger my body some more by risking the dance inducing sorcery that is Carrie Nation once more. Hey, I’ll live while I’m alive and dance as long as I can stand up, right? This time I roll up in Turnhout, at the scenic site of Barzoen. 

In the middle of the terrace, wrapped around a huge tree, the striking (though apparently impractical) stage in the warm outside air, the location lends a distinctly different vibe to the show. Again I am completely enamoured and enraptured by that fun, frantic and full sound. 

Lastly I end up at Café Pallieter in Herselt for the first time ever, exactly a week before my Clyde & Luke tour-along would set off there. 

Another sidenote: I’ll find out later that these two had met Carrie Nation in the interval between the two Pallieter shows. Aside from that Kiel Grove (yet another one of Ann’s recommendations) sends me a message to say hi to his mates in Carrie Nation for him, much like James Hunnicutt & Joey Henry commented the same when I saw Kiel in Mechelen. And even though it’s my first time at the Pallieter, I already spot more than a few familiar faces here. The kindred spirits in music weave themselves into an ever growing net of kinship. Everything is interconnected, the purple string of music intertwining through my life and soul. Anyway, philosophical ruminations aside, back to the band at hand.

For the third and final time I see them, and I am again wholly bewildered by the way the instruments sing alongside the vocals in a harmony of their own. How seemingly effortlessly they all play off of each other, blending into a true feast for the senses. The force of that hoarse voice, the comfortable ease of Bryce’s drumming meshing with that deep bouncing bass and exhilarating brass. It’s a true speakeasy spectacular!

Special shout out to Tyler who not only switches seamlessly between his trombone and that divine mandolin, but plays them both so well and with so much soul and fervour you can not help but float away in mesmerised delight. The emphatic way the newest addition to the ranks, Eric McMyermick on harmonica completely loses himself in the music is truly captivating to behold.

So yeah, all of this to say I feel an instant love for this band with their killer instruments and overwhelming passion for playing them. The combination of the trombone, trumpet, harmonica, the essential standing bass and most alluring mandolin, topped by a guitarist with an unparalleled voice, makes it a ridiculously pleasurable performance. All of these instruments and vocal cords, attacked by musicians with ferocious fire fuelling through their veins. Sparks shooting from their eyes, while basking in the moment of their music. All of this of course mirrored by the crowd in front of the stage who’re left gobsmacked and delirious from the ride.

Next time they’re in my part of the world, I’ll be there for another tour-along and subsequent superlative filled series. You can bet on that!

CARRIE NATION & THE SPEAKEASY LIVE, JUNE 2024

  • Circle of Strings – Aarschot – June 22nd 2024
  • Barzoen – Turnhout – June 26th 2024
  • Palieter – Herselt – June 27th 2024

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Luke, me and Mister McGee. Tour-along journal, a trilogy in five parts. | Part 5: Apotheosis at Brakrock /AND/ Back to Brak: A continued love song to my favourite festival | Part 1: Bridge City Sinners

Tying up one series and starting on the next, this post is a double whammy! After seeing the guys solo four times, I get to see them in action with the incomparable Bridge City Sinners at my beloved Brakrock. The purple thread of music keeps stringing me along and tying up all the threads into a glorious amalgamation of sound, people and places. Prepare for the final instalment of my tour-along journal which is also part 1 of the 2024 edition of my love song to Brakrock. 

I have been counting the months, weeks, days and minutes in eager anticipation to this moment in time! My first Brakrock day starts off at the River stage where I am anxiously awaiting Bridge City Sinners to take the stage. During their soundcheck I can already feel my heart rate spiking (144 bpm and counting!) for the show I’ve been looking forward to the most on day one of the 2024 edition of Brakrock. The best festival in all of Flanders, shaded by foliage, filled to the brim with beautiful people and with a picturesque ruin as a backdrop. I AM HERE FOR IT. 

  • Photo courtesy of Peter Verstraeten of Event Photography Peter
  • Photo courtesy of Peter Verstraeten of Event Photography Peter

Time to fawn over those magnificent musical instruments as they get tuned up to perfection. Strang’s gorgeous guitar (HEARTS!) Libby’s cute pocket banjolele & Clyde’s big black one and that stand out stand up bass, plus the fiddle and its stick that’s been played so hard it’s hanging on by a thread! Meanwhile, tour manager Joey is looking all serious and focused as fuck, making sure every little detail is put into place to perfection for his band, as is his modus operandi. 

When the soundcheck already has the crowd all riled up, you just know this promises to be a GOOD time! I might just be a little biased, but I note down that I truly don’t understand why they’re playing so early. I can confidently say this is going to be one of the best bits of Brakrock, before even having seen the rest of the bands. In hindsight too, I was totally fucking right in that assumption. Bridge City Sinners immediately take the crowd by storm! In saying that, I get the sudden realisation that programming them early on does get everyone fired up for the day and sets a high bar for all the bands to follow! Smart move Brakrock!

Having seen them just under a year ago at Trefpunt in Ghent I was at least a tiny bit better prepared for what I was about to witness. Still, memories are one thing, reality is another and I let out a shrill FUUUUUCK YES and a lot of WOOOOOO’s. (Apologies to the eardrums around me, I seriously cannot help myself.) I am in AWE and LOVE (exactly like last time) with Libby’s absolutely electric stage presence! One HELL of a voice too, which lends itself amazingly to the Sinners’ unique style. 

  • Photo courtesy of Peter Verstraeten of Event Photography Peter
  • Photo courtesy of Peter Verstraeten of Event Photography Peter
  • Photo courtesy of Peter Verstraeten of Event Photography Peter

It’s impossible to box them into one or even several genres of music, since nearly every song and album they bring out has a feel of its own. It’s what I adore most about them, the limitlessness of what they bring, from jazzy speakeasy sounds, to punk with hints of bluegrass, dark folk and much much more. 

My notes are again insufferably insufficient and damn near useless in describing in any way, shape or form how fucking fantastic I feel living in this moment, up close to this stage. The band is just such a well attuned entity, with one of a kind harmonious strengths that directly amplify each other. These five people radiating talent and passion for what they do, the sum of their individual skills heightening the whole. Their energies feed off of each other and flow into the crowd that just spews it right back at them, which makes Bridge City Sinners one of the best live bands you’ll ever experience. 

Bridge City Sinners’ new album ‘In the Age of Doubt’ has been out for a little over a month now and the response to it is phenomenal. They hit the Billboard charts full force and already amassed over 3 million streams on Spotify alone. No doubt a bunch of those can be attributed to me because I’ve been playing this record front to back ever since it came out. I vehemently recommend you to do the same.

Check out the first video for one of the most heart wrenching songs on the album. 

After unexpectedly acquiring a spiffy second hand record player at the end of July, I saw it as a sure sign that this album should be the first vinyl I’ve ever bought. No doubt starting a very expensive hobby my wallet, though never myself, might come to regret. 

As evidenced above, I might have yet again gone a little overboard at the merch table, but hey, at least it’s not another black band shirt, amirite? Plus it’s always worth it to support artists and get something tangible to catapult you back into those memories every time you come across it. 

In conclusion, whenever Clyde, Luke and any or all of the other Sinners cross the pond again, I will never not be front stage and centre. And you dear reader, will not be disappointed if you follow me there.

THE BRIDGE CITY SINNERS LIVE AT BRAKROCK,
August 2nd 2024

And so falls the curtain on this tour-along series which will from now on hold a special place in my core memories. However, it is just the start of the Brakrock 2024 series, which will be continued after I tie up a few loose ends of some events that transpired in July. Stay tuned!

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A love song to Brakrock 2023 | Part 6: Ode to the wondrous women of Brakrock! (The Venomous Pinks, Jen Razavi and Bad Cop / Bad Cop.)

With extreme giddy anticipation I’ve been looking forward to the 2024 edition of Brakrock on August 2nd and 3rd. Perfect time to look back on the previous year and get you guys equally excited with my tribute to the best festival in the world. The best bands, most idyllic location and greatest organisation made for two days that won’t easily be forgotten!

In this final post I look back on the inspiring performances by some of the mighty women that took the stage at Brakrock in 2023. Where are my female role models? HERE THEY FUCKING ARE!

THE VENOMOUS PINKS

In carefully planning which bands I wanted to see at Brakrock 2023, I got really excited when I came across The Venomous Pinks. Marked and highlighted with several exclamation marks, I decided this was a MUST SEE on day two. And booooy, was I in for a treat! 

I had almost missed the mark waiting for Sidekick to kick off, so I had to run like hell from the Ruin to the River stage and made it in the nick of time. I glide through the crowd, already slick from the pouring rain and set up shop in the front row. I can barely keep up with the energy that’s thrown at me from on stage. Their savage set leaves me so breathless and wordless, I can hardly make out the few bits I managed to write down.

Suffice it to say I was very impressed with their enthusiastic spirit and their bad ass stage presence. If I loved their recordings already, it is nothing compared to the live version. With a fierce and passionate intensity they attack their instruments and put on quite a true punk rock powered party. With their fast paced songs, empowering lyrics and rebellious attitude they made a fan for life here!

It’s only mid afternoon and I’m already fired up like there’s no tomorrow. The Venomous Pinks are an absolute highlight out of all the amazing performances I got to witness at Brakrock 2023! 

JEN (POP) RAZAVI UNPLUGGED

Only a little rest for the wicked and then off I go to the next highlight of the day, Bombpop Jen Razavi’s intimate solo set in the cosy (and dry!) atmosphere of The Belgian Beer bar. Got there 40 minutes early to beat the crowds, but only just made it in time to claim the last and quite possibly best spot right next to the little stage. Good foresight because a lot of late arrivals were left out in the rain, craning through the windows of the pop up dive bar to catch a glimpse. 

I had seen Razavi a year earlier with The Bombpops at Punk in Drublic and I already knew she was someone to look out for. I was however NOT at ALL prepared for what I was about to witness. I am immediately blown away by her striking and powerful voice that takes centre stage without the din of a back up band behind it.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to take away from the brilliant live performance of The Bombpops, which absolutely rocked my world a year earlier. I only emphasise this because my notes are littered with amazement at the stripped down version of that voice over the delicate tones of her guitar.

Which brings me to the fact that she never even intended to accompany herself and tour as a solo artist before the pandemic. We have Stacy Dee (Bad Cop / Bad Cop) to thank for encouraging Jen to go acoustic and go out there on her own. All because she’s addicted to touring and loves it so much, she wanted to maximise her opportunity to play. 

So she taught herself acoustic versions of her band’s songs and then went on to record some of her own. The mix between her own material, a couple of acoustic versions of The Bombpops and a few well reworked covers is splendid! She’s tells the crowd still finding her courage as a solo artist, but no need to be modest Jen, your talent shines through in what you do and how you do it! Pure magic this one.

And look, she even gave me a pic featuring her extremely cute puppy Saloon! Who’s a good boy? 💜

BAD COP / BAD COP

Speaking of Stacy Dee and friends, it’s time for some Bad Cop / Bad Cop action! Women to the front, y’all! Now, if I’d make a wordcloud of my Brakrock notes, I’m pretty sure the word energy would be front and centre. AND THESE LADIES HAVE IT IN ABUNDANCE! The same fuck you attitude as their friends The Venomous Pink and and such a kick ass stage presence too! 

I immediately fall madly in love with Linh’s beautiful bass and Stacy’s gorgeous pink guitar. More importantly though, their grainy voices and rebellious lyrics win me over in mere seconds. These women breathe the punk rock spirit, womanarchists indeed! I’m too busy dancing and enjoying myself to make further notes, but trust me when I say that I’ll be front row if I ever see them playing again near me! Meanwhile, I’ll let the music speak for itself, check out the above videos (and playlist below) for a little idea of why I got so excited!

This is where I decide that the women of Brakrock should have their own space in this Brakrock series. And of course, where I note to PUT ALL THE SONGS IN THE PLAYLIST!

That’s it for my throwback to Brakrock 2023, now it’s time to eagerly await the 2024 iteration. See you there!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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A love song to Brakrock 2023 | Part 5.2: Front Row Madness! (Day 2: The Lucky Trolls, Voodoo Glow Skulls and Toy Dolls!)

With extreme giddy anticipation I’ve been looking forward to the 2024 edition of Brakrock on August 2nd and 3rd. Perfect time to look back on the previous year and get you guys equally excited with my tribute to the best festival in the world. The best bands, most idyllic location and greatest organisation made for two days that won’t easily be forgotten!

On to day two of Brakrock 2023 where I discover two new favourites and finally get to check off Toy Dolls from my bucket list! Let’s get this party started!

LUCKY ENCOUNTER WITH THE LUCKY TROLLS

After enquiring after and finding my friend’s lost phone, I get sidetracked from my planning again. What’s this I hear emanating from the Wood Stage? The line-up says it’s CF98 but a glance at the backdrop tells me something different. Turns out I am unwittingly at the right place at the right time for a new discovery. Apparently there’s been a last minute change and I AM HERE FOR IT. 

At two am on Friday, The Lucky Trolls were invited to fill in for CF98 who sadly couldn’t make it to the festival. I say sadly, but I’m pretty stoked with the switch up if I’m being completely honest. After a moment’s confusion I am sucked in by that feel-good energy blasting from the stage. 

I’ve been meaning to check out the Walloon music scene, and what an introduction I get with The Lucky Trolls. This magnificent band from Liege has that brilliantly unhinged Gogol Bordello and trashy, folky Days N’ Daze vibe, but with a Celtic punk rock twist. From the moment their first vibrant tones penetrate my ear drums I fall head over heels in love. Day two of Brakrock is starting off with a party, and my feet can’t resist bopping along to this colourful sound. It started raining at this point, but their cheerful music is more than making up for that. 

Straight into my playlist they go, and I immediately run off to the merch hill to add some gear to my ever growing band themed attire. (One of my favourite hoodies to date, I might add!) After having a lovely chat with their friends and demanding they tell the band how they absolutely made my day, I bump into one of the members.

It’s their 5 string bass player François! In true enthusiastic Julie fashion run up I yell out: ‘HEY, aren’t you a Troll‘ and without waiting for an answer start gushing about how much fun I had randomly encountering them on stage. They are firmly on my radar to check out again!

VEMEHENTLY VIBING TO THE VOODOO GLOW SKULLS

Thanks to a friend’s recommendation I wrote up The Voodoo Glow Skulls as a must see for day two. Good decisions all around and I’m promptly pressed into the hedges front row! The crowd is going wild in conjunction with the zealously euphoric buzz the band projects onto them. The band is clearly soaking up the animated reaction from the steadily growing audience in front of them and reflecting it right back.

I’m in awe of singer Efrem Schulz’s relentless intensity in dancing and his lungs out while darting around wildly across the stage. He’s seriously dripping in sweat while simultaneously not missing a beat singing along perfectly in tune. I can’t fathom how they manage to keep up that impossible pace for the entire set, it’s truly out of this world! He’s not the only one breaking a sweat however, the band is equally energised and seemingly inexhaustible in providing a great back up to the pumped up singer’s antics.

Much thanks again to Silvère Vasselin who captured most of my favourites from Brakrock 2023

Even though the rain keeps trying to spoil the party, I eventually have to shed most of my layers because I’m sweating so much from bouncing along to their lively set. I started the day off pretty exhausted after the first day of the festival but the adrenaline is kicking that fatigue to the curb. Eventually even the sun makes its appearance again, lured out by this band of ferociously engaged artists.

I am elated when after the show I get to hand my rainbow pillow over and get it signed by this sensational addition to my ever expanding Brakrock playlist. I’m milling around trying to catch my breath after this magnificent performance, when I run into guitarist Eddie & bassist brother in arms Jorge Casillias, whose bass got run over at the airport and graciously got to borrow one from The Venomous Pinks. (More on them later in the next and final part on Brakrock 2023!)

I let them know they’ll be getting a raving review for their epically enrapturing stage presence and manage to commemorate the moment with this fun shot.

DIGGING THAT TOY DOLLS GROOVE, BABY!

It’s raining heavily on my parade by now but that won’t spoil the fun of finally getting exposed to the dynamic trio that makes up the Toy Dolls. Let me preface this by saying that after hearing one of their songs for the first time, I immediately added their back catalogue to my playlists. I’d missed their passing through Belgium a few times already and this time I would NOT rest until I could check them off my all time bucket list of bands yet to see. And let me tell you, gruesome though it had been, it was well worth the wait and anticipation. 

The Toy Dolls celebrated 44 years of rocking out as the happy go lucky punk phenomenon they so obviously are. What a pleasure to be part of this spectacular anniversary tour. Well, pleasure doesn’t even begin to describe the feelings rushing through my body and soul while seeing them play. From their magnetic stage presence, to the raging riffs, over the hilarious lyrics, all the way to their mad synchronised choreography, there is nothing about this band that won’t put a huge grin on my face. (See picture above.) Of course this is only amplified by seeing it manifest in real life, only a few measly metres away. 

Careful observers can spot me right up front having a blast, singing and moving along with the masses of fans and security alike, who don’t even mildly care that the flood gates have now opened. I put up the hood of my raincoat but immediately drop it back down to just weather the storm and not muffle one bit of the set of these uproariously animated legends of punk.

After this brilliant display I am frolicking around (rather painfully, but still) on cloud nine. The rest of the night passes in a blur, as nothing would compare to what I have just witnessed. Day two of Brakrock was an endless party for me, as evidenced clearly by the smile that was plastered on my face throughout.

Next up: The Women of Brakrock, the last but certainly not least recap of Brakrock 2023 before I gear up for the 2024 edition!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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A love song to Brakrock 2023 | Part 5.1: Front Row Madness! (Day 1: Good Riddance and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes)

With extreme giddy anticipation I’ve been looking forward to the 2024 edition of Brakrock on August 2nd and 3rd. Perfect time to look back on the previous year and get you guys equally excited with my tribute to the best festival in the world. The best bands, most idyllic location and greatest organisation made for two days that won’t easily be forgotten!

Ready for episode one of part five in my love song to the Brakrock festival? Read all about day one of securing a prime vantage point for one (of two, there’s a pattern here!) of my all time favourites, and having HEAPS of fun in the process. Not to mention being being yelled off stage by a vigilant roadie.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Well ok, that might be a lie because I’ve already touched on them a few times on this blog, in anticipation to the 2023 edition of Brakrock and the recap of Punk in Drublic by the same wonderful organisers. I make a point of trying to catch them whenever they tour Europe. Alas, this year I missed their passage through Belgium, because I was already too busy with my recent tour-along series. No worries though, as I can revel in the amazing memories from their set on the River Stage at Brakrock in 2023. Here goes!

OFF TO A GOOD START WITH GOOD RIDDANCE

Crappy screenshot of the story Brakrock posted at the beginning of the year where you can see me recording the video linked below!

To make sure I can get as close to the stage as possible, I decide to get there good and early, long before Good Riddance is set to play. In the process I nixed poor old Joe McMahon, who’d play an intimate set at the Belgian Beer Bar, and the last notes of the Satanic Surfers from my carefully curated planning. I’d love to say I am sorry for that, but I cannot in good conscience, as the rest of the night was just too damn fun. 

Good Riddance launches into their set with an energetic vengeance I am sure is felt many miles away. I start off centre stage on the second row, but the crowd weaves and waves so much, keeping my position is nigh impossible. Writing down notes is a bit problematic in that press as well, but who cares when you’re having this much fun. The audience is getting more excited by the minute and the atmosphere is beyond phenomenal. The security folks seem a bit taken aback by the absolute chaos at first, but start visibly enjoying themselves thanks to the love from the people radiating in the direction of the stage.

In the press of the dancing masses I hear Good Riddance go through all their classics, a slew of new material and the crowd, so obviously full of fans, is eating it up! At this point my bruises have bruises, but I can’t emphasise how much I don’t care and how great it feels to be a part of this party. The crowdsurfers are relentlessly careening over the audience, young and old alike.

Faces of vigilance

A word of gratitude for the way the security team anticipates picking up the crowdsurfers and making sure they get down safely. (As evidenced below by the post Me First and the Gimme Gimmes later shared on Instagram.) It also helps me be more aware of the incoming flailing limbs which makes it that much easier to enjoy the show. 

Right near the end of the set I get pushed to the front row by accident, but do I mind? FUCKING NOOOO! (Though my battered knees kinda do at some point, but again, WHO CARES, bruises heal and memories are forever.)

The damage after day one 🙂

I am elated and exhausted and am now even more eagerly awaiting my highlight of day one! Before that though the lovely security guy (Again, can’t stress enough how much I admire the organisation and the people behind it!) secures my infamous rainbow pillow so it doesn’t get smashed to bits in the pit and then manages to get it signed by the band. Hoorah! 💜💜💜

ON TO THE MAGIC OF THE GIMMES

See this ridiculously broad smile? Yeah, I was WAAAY beyond thrilled for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes to take the stage. In reviewing my little booklet of notes, I see that I only managed to write down after the fact that I didn’t write anything down. Nice. I was just too damn busy singing, dancing and trying to survive the pandemonium of an exceedingly excited crowd. I also have ZERO pictures or videos, so I scoured YouTube and found this glorious 15 minute clip! Thank you to my friend I haven’t met yet, Silvère Vasselin, for capturing this. 

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a class act and you just KNOW you will get a fantastic performance out of them everytime, the entire time. Their up-tempo covers of all sorts of classic songs that are seared into the collective memory of generations, never fail to put a smile on my face. I always have to make sure to not have any important vocalising to do the day after their performance, because I can guarantee my voice will be useless. 

The River stage area is packed front to back and from all sides. The crowd is equally as ecstatically yelling and bouncing along as I am! Well worth all the bumps and bruises I obtain and which I honestly don’t even really register through the adrenaline rush that is a Gimmes show. They cycle through some amazing tunes when just before the encore Spike belts out ‘Straight up now tell me, do you really wanna love me forever…Or are you just having fun?’ Well, why can’t it be both? Definitely both! 

Cheeky use of a pic of the previous year. I’m sure no one will notice. 😉

The Me First mayhem was so gratifying, it’s stashed safely into my core memories. Much like the aftermath which is most definitely something I will not forget. I aim my best puppy dog eyes at the security for the umpteenth time, and ask to guide my rainbow pillow toward the man who sparked the idea for having it signed by ALL THE PEOPLE at Brakrock in the first place.

The Punk in Drublic version of my magical rainbow pillow, as signed by Spike Slawson himself.

Sadly the band had already rushed off stage, but not to worry because I get hoisted over the barricades and lifted up on stage by my now favourite Brakrock surveillance people, allowing me to try and scurry off backstage. Unfortunately my uncoordinated self can’t find the entrance quickly enough, when the Gimmes’ roadie spots me maniacally looking for it and rushes toward me menacingly. He furiously roars at me to ‘GET OFF THE FUCKING STAGE’. I’m caught like a deer in headlights and fully freeze up so he bellows at me again.

My brain shifts from freeze to flight mode in an instant, and I jump off to safety. Being the Clumsy Crane I am, I am very surprised I did not get hurt on the way up or down that podium which had to be at least two metres high. I dispiritedly run away from the stage and hide in the bushes beside it. I burst into tears from the juxtaposition between the glowing ecstasy induced by the show and almost getting backstage, to being ferociously yelled at.

Thank you Joost, you are a (Toy) Doll!

Joost, who I’d met minutes before Me First’s set, followed me there and consoled the blubbering mess I turned into. In the emotionally flexible state I was, I swiftly burst out laughing at myself and the absurdity of my tears. I was also genuinely moved by a near stranger checking up on me after seeing the display unfold. Such are the ways of the fantastic Brakrock people. Admittedly I had no business stumbling around the stage and the roadie was understandably protective of the band’s gear, so I quickly got over my disappointment at the situation. Sorry for being a perceived nuisance dear vigilant roadie, I promise to be good from now on. 

Be sure to check out Me First and the Gimme Gimmes’ 2024 live album where they ¡Blow it…at Madison’s Quinceañera! following a tradition they started by Ruin(ing) Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah in 2004.

Curtain call on Day 1 of the Front stage Madness. Next up: DAY TWO!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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A love song to Brakrock 2023 | Part 4: Let the people guide you to the music. (Day 1)

chilling at brakrock

With extreme giddy anticipation I’ve been looking forward to the 2024 edition of Brakrock on August 2nd and 3rd. Perfect time to look back on the previous year and get you guys equally excited with my tribute to the best festival in the world. The best bands, most idyllic location and greatest organisation made for two days that won’t easily be forgotten!

Ready for part four in my love song to the Brakrock festival? FINALLY time for some actual words about the performances!

DAY 1: Fuck that planning, follow the music & the people

The good thing about arriving well in time for a festival is that you’ll be one of the first in line to get through the gates. The drawback is that you might have to wait for what seems like hours (to my extremely enthusiastic mind at least) to actually get to walk through the doors. After a gruelling wait, I get access through the crew entrance. Way to make me feel special, Brakrock! ❤

Just in time to quickly grab a much needed drink and on to the first band of the day!
The Stitches bring some old school vibes to the Wood stage and help start the day off with a BANG. The band has a no fucks given punk rock attitude and attack the stage full of energy. Loud, fast and heavy, just the way we like it! I didn’t know them before seeing them live, but they are now proudly featured in my playlists.

I see some first row dancers on mobility scooters and with walkers full of punk rock patches. This leaves me hopeful that even if my body breaks down before my mind and love for music does, I can still be rocking the festivals. 

Even though I came prepared for the worst kinda weather, I am now getting a sunburn and move to the shade of the trees that this lovely location offers. Time to wish the singer a happy 68th birthday, noting how spry and energetic he is at that age and it is already time for the next band.

So far so good on following my meticulously planned out schedule of the bands I wanted to check out, I think. Buuuut then I decide to follow the spirited recommendation of Nick and tag along with him and his friends towards the Ruin Stage. (Sorry, We Outspoken.) I might be missing something at the River, but I can’t say I am very disappointed. On the absolute contrary!

I am greeted by the screaming ska core of the heavy, fast paced and feral sound of Public Serpents. I’m pretty ecstatic I followed Nick here, because boy oh boy I would have hated to have missed this. I quickly write down ‘Ska Metal?’, ‘What a band, what an atmosphere, such energy, that sound, what an absolute party!’ and then put my little black & white book away to enjoy, dance, smile and admire that beautiful sax in the corner. Ear plugs? Meh, I’ll gladly take the hearing damage for this. 

Pictures courtesy of the talented Lad and Misfit photography, one of the other Purple People I met day one!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUCEMENT:  Want to see these guys live? (Spoiler alert: YOU DO!)

Mark July 12th 2024 in your calendar and get to Kortrijk for the show by Doomed Punx Bookings & Upstroke Records. They’ll be playing alongside Random Hand (UK) and Mise*En*Scene (BE). I haven’t yet discovered these other two, but reading their intros is already triggering me. In good Julie fashion, I will let myself get surprised by the sounds there. 

Fun fact, I first learned of Doomed Punx and Jordy (left in above picture) on the 2nd Brakrock day, late in the evening. (Though we were both happily grinning and rocking out to the band at opposite ends of the stage as evidenced here by this picture by Lad and Misfit Photography.) We were hiding from some drenching rain in the merch tent, with the wonderful Koenraad of The Toy Dolls and got to talking about the Doomed Punx events. It nearly took me a year, but I’ll finally be able to attend one of their amazing events! 

After the Public Serpents show I rush off to the stage and tell them that they’re now my favourite band and I WILL BE WRITING ABOUT THIS. Singer (and ex Choking Victim drummer) Skwert Gunn and the current Serpents drummer Keith Leming are being barraged by others wanting selfies, so I venture on over to Ty Miller who jumped off stage into the circle pit and kept playing his guitar while jumping along. He’s a full time musician and I discover he’s also part of Nomad Punk band Trying to get By and politically charged punk band (are there any other?) Voice of Addiction. As you can see by the pictures of their set, he goes ALL in while playing and is obviously one of those artists made for and by music!

We’re met then by incredible sax Player Eric Molina who is part of Latin Ska Core band Los Mal Hablados & self styled Satanic Ska Band Mephiskapheles . He had just met Public Serpents a few days earlier and filled in for their sick sax player. I love running into these people who just live for the music and seem to be on the road all the time to follow their passion.

Suddenly the three of us realise we’re missing The Slackers, next on my list, and whose Dave Hillyard is actually Eric’s sax teacher. We run in unison to The Wood stage to discover we’ve only missed a few minutes. Phew. The Slackers provide such danceable vibes, I completely forget to take any pictures during their set. Luckily the lovely Lad and Misfit photography has got me covered again!

They offer a chill reprieve from the mayhem we witnessed before. A perfect soundtrack for a great summer day. Their cover of Attitude by The Misfits is absolutely lit and the sax and trombone solos in between were fantastic. I wrote down they were ‘Fucking magically awesome’, as befits one of the bands who put Ska back on the map in the early 90s. I’d been meaning to see them for so long and they did not disappoint! The audience is bouncing and singing along, as the full band sings and plays their hearts out. A truly amazing experience I would HIGHLY recommend!

After their show and in searching for food, I run into Dave and get to yell at him a little how much fun I had during their set, that was frankly way too short in my opinion. See my sweaty happy face for reference.

Alas, I am too tired to run towards the River, so I stay near the Wood stage where I discover Funeral Dress is filling in for H20 who unfortunately couldn’t make it to Duffel.

Read all about the two times in two weeks I saw that legend of a Belgian punk band in the next throwback post to Brakrock!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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A lovesong to Brakrock 2023 | Part 3: The Purple People of Brakrock (Day 2)

Ready for part three in my love song to the Brakrock festival? It is all about the Purple People I met on my second day on festival grounds.

Before going into this festival, I hatched the plan to bring my rainbow pillow (see: Punk in Drublic where I had it signed by Spike of Me First & Fat Mike of NOFX) and have it signed by everyone I met at Brakrock because of the music. Fan, band, merch people, organiser, it didn’t matter. Everyone is part of the music. Midway through day one, I realised I would have to get a second pillow for day two. That’s how many amazing people I met. I connected with some of them, but not with all. So if you see yourself here and we’re not friends on any sort of social, hit me up!

Meet the Purple People of Saturday, August 5th 2023.

On day two I chose to use my press-privileges to get in through the crew exit and walk the grounds before the doors were actually open. This meant I had some time to kill before the bands started, so I decided to venture to the Merch village to get some much anticipated Toy Dolls merch. 

Author sidenote: I had already spent too much money on band merch since March, so I had made a promise to myself I would only buy one thing. Seeing as how the Toy Dolls are one of my favourite bands and the one I had missed so many times already, I decided they were the chosen ones. I kept my promise on day one (mostly because I was too frantically running from one stage to another to even find the merch village) and then spectacularly failed to keep my promise at the start of day two. 

I got a little sidetracked from my Toy Dolls-merch-mission when I spotted this poster!

1: If you read my ode(s) to The Black Flamingo and all its Purple People, you already met my friend Jo and his venue The Black Flamingo. Jo has a fridge full of stickers and a week earlier he was going over them with me, pointing to the Bearded Punk Records one and told me to check them out.
2: Braca is a band of very Purple brothers who make AMAZING music and who also hang out at that same The Black Flamingo a lot. 

Meet the first Purple People of the day! The combination of my enthusiasm, sleep deprivation & and my inability to do too many things at once made me either forget to ask for, write down and/or remember their names. (Trying to A: talk to people, B: write down the stories, C: get the signature and D: get the selfie and E: try and also see the music was a little too much all at once to ask of my neurodivergent self it seems.) There’s too many names on my pillow to extrapolate the info from there, but thanks to Jo I know the person with the Bad Religion shirt is the bassist for Bram Desimpelaere & The High Hopes (possibly Koen) and the other one is Mr Bearded Punk Records who also plays bass for For I Am. (This is where I bought a Bearded Punk records top & failed to keep to my ‘one merch thing’ promise the first time.)

I have yet to discover both bands, though I have plans to see BS & THH in Herentals in September (see flyer). I missed seeing For I Am who played at Brakrock because I got sidetracked from my meticulous planning, which I will explain in a later post. But I’m sure I’ll run into them again on my synchronicitous musical path, one way or another. 

This beautiful human being is Koen(raad), the Belgian superfan who was manning the Toy Dolls merch booth. His story is one I connected with a LOT as Polexia the band-aid/journalist, and he is the deepest shade of Purple. He has been a huge fan of The Toy Dolls since he first saw them in 1980. In 1993 he started following them everywhere on tour, just him and his motorbike. He stars in the biography The Toy Dolls: From Fulwell to Fukuoka as ‘the crazy fan’. He’s been doing their merch everywhere they go since 2004 and has been good friends with the band for ages. He considers them family and added that he sees them more than his actual family. 

Note to bands reading this: apparently a Belgian is great to have as a merch person since they usually know a bunch of languages! I am a multilingual Belgian (Dutch, English, French with a decent understanding of German & Spanish and notions of Italian!) with a GREAT LOVE for music who is trustworthy and who is looking for a new path in life, preferably one that involves music. Just an FYI! 😉

Koen(raad) was SUPER nice, really interested in my story/blog and tried his best to get me my much hoped for selfie with the band. Alas, it was not meant to be, but I am still hopeful that one day I get to meet The Toy Dolls and loudly shout my admiration at them! Much later in the day, he did point me in the direction of this guy though:

This is Carlo, who is not so much a roadie as someone who does ‘just about anything’ (his words) for The Toys Dolls. He’s also been with them on tour for 32 years. He was super busy doing ‘just about everything’ for the band, so we didn’t have much time to talk. BUT! He made the time to take my rainbow pillow backstage and got it signed by TWO of the Three dolls. The only name I could make out was Tom ‘Tommy Goober’ Blyth, which was pretty sweet since I had loved seeing him with Me First in 2017. So I’m not sure if the other one was Olga or Duncan, but either way I am pretty stoked The Toy Dolls are a part of the rainbow pillow legacy!

This lovely person handled the lost and found. Our friend had lost his phone front stage during Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Scouring the festival grounds at the end of day one didn’t prove to be very successful, so we hit up the lost and found on day two and LO AND BEHOLD, they had the phone. Another testament to what a GREAT festival Brakrock is, full of the Purple-est of people. Standing front stage, I saw a lot of wallets & phones pass to the front. People there are so nice and purple at Brakrock, their immediate instinct when finding stuff is to try and return it to the owners, instead of pocketing it for themselves. Faith in humanity restored! 

I got distracted by something SHINY going on at the Wood Stage next door, so I didn’t note down their name, but I am still very thankful they believed us when we couldn’t prove beyond a doubt it was our friend’s phone. (We could no longer call it, since he had already blocked his sim, but we were sure it was his because of the background and the missed calls from the night before.)

These are the merch people, friends and lovers of the something SHINY on the Wood Stage. I will go into detail about the actual band, but suffice it to say The Lucky Trolls were SO great, I ran from the Wood stage back to the Merch Village to try and catch up with them for a selfie and YELL at them how great they were.

This is where I sinned against my promise of the ‘one merch item’ the second time, but I will forever treasure my lucky sweater! Had a nice chat with them, assuring them I knew they weren’t IN the band but they were also important to my story about the music and that I most definitely wanted their signature on the pillow and picture for the blog. 

This is my shirt-twin Sven, half Belgian, half Dutch but full of good taste in music and bandshirts! Amyl & The Sniffers YAS! ❤

At this point in the day, I was SO overstimulated from all the AMAZING music, people and experiences, I forgot to take pictures or ask names and it’s becoming much more of a blur to piece this story together. The above picture is at the merch table for The Venomous Pinks. I think my smile here makes it abundantly clear what I thought of that band, though I plan to use many words to explain in detail later. This is the third and last time I would break my own promise about the merch. I regret NOTHING!

Front stage waiting for The Venomous Pinks, I met Boris, a Frenchie who had their own two bands, one was called ‘Stories…’ and the other ‘Rocking Bitch’. (I would link them, but I sadly can’t seem to find them on the net.) He came up to ask me what I was writing down because he had spotted me a day earlier writing industriously during both Public Serpents & Good Riddance. Sadly, I lost him to the crowd before connecting and getting the picture, but if you are reading this and know Boris who is French & has two bands and a ginger beard, connect with me! 

A little while later I sat across from this person at the Jen Razavi set and I just had to get a picture because they were also front row rocking out to The Venomous Pink. Again, I was way too overstimulated to connect properly, but I feel we should be friends, so find me! 😃

Before that very same Jen Razavi set I also met with Paul, aka Zombie Teeth. Paul is a talented photographer from the UK, whose pictures I will use to liven up some of my band write ups (YES, I am ALMOST ready to talk about the actual bands and music at Brakrock!).

Not only that, but he’s also a great graphic designer and did some artwork for The Venomous Pinks, Bad Cop / Bad Cop AND he’s on the Bassists Against Racists team. That last one is a Non-Profit who release cool shirt designs featuring a specific bassist each month and donate the proceeds to charity. Fuck yea, if that isn’t purple, I don’t even know what is. We didn’t get a pic, but I’m pretty sure our paths will cross in the future and I’ll rectify the situation then! Meanwhile, check out his amazing artwork.

Last, but most certainly not least! Zoë, the youngest rock chick of the festival and biggest fan of Jen Razavi! She will definitely make another appearance in the blog about that amazing set. 

THANKS SO MUCH to all the amazing people I met, talked to and admired from afar. You helped make this experience so memorable I will probably keep annoying people with stories from that one festival in 2023 for YEARS to come!

In the next part I will (finally) follow some of the Purple People towards the music! ❤

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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Anticipatie in aanloop naar: Flamin’ Go Fest!

Anticipatie in aanloop naar: Flamin’ Go Fest op 26 augustus 2023

Wat kan ik nog vertellen over mijn geliefde The Black Flamingo dat ik niet al eerder en lyrischer deed dan in mijn tweedelige ode in de serie rond Whiskey Dick & James Hunnicutt? Veel waarschijnlijk. Want ondertussen is mijn gevoel mijn plus-familie daar te hebben gevonden alleen nog maar versterkt. Dat lees je hier nog wel eens, als ik ertoe kom. Ik heb nog heel wat stukjes in mijn achterzak (lees: mijn Google Drive) zitten. Over de double bill van Kevlar en Dalver, of die van Freddie Webber en Berang, en over de passage van Luna en de Maanstenen aldaar. Ook nog een serietje rond Joey Henry, dat begon met pre-FOMO omdat hij eerst in Den Oude Ketel kwam en ik wist dat ik spijt zou hebben als ik dat niet had meegemaakt eens hij dan uiteindelijk passeerde in de Flamingo zelf. (Ik ben naar beide optredens gegaan, ver over mijn grenzen. Maar het was het MEER dan waard.)

Eindelijk, na maanden vergeten dan toch de selfie met Jo & Polexia!

Want als Jo zegt dat ik moet komen, dan kom ik, no questions asked. En ook, zonder goed te weten waaraan ik begin. Want ik had de laatste tijd niet de tijd om muziek te ontdekken. Enfin, ik maakte de tijd niet, een werkpuntje van mij. Vanaf nu is muziek ontdekken een mogelijk stukje zelfzorg dat ik oppik, wanneer ik mezelf dwing tot rust en zelfzorg. Ik moet mezelf soms dwingen daartoe, jawel, anders loop ik mezelf geheel voorbij. Maar goed, da’s een ander verhaal, voor een andere blogreeks. Punt van deze paragraaf is, Jo kent mij (en mijn muzieksmaak) na 6 maanden beter dan ik mezelf ken. Ik weet dat ik op zijn oordeel kan vertrouwen. Daarom staat deze zaterdag 26 augustus al maanden omcirkeld in mijn agenda. Deze zaterdag is het namelijk tijd voor Flamin’ GO Fest. Vlammende GAAN in het Engels, geen feest voor flamingo’s. Al zijn die natuurlijk ook altijd welkom. Strijk maar neer!

Vorige week gaf Jo me nog een korte synopsis van de groepen die daar zullen aantreden. Ik noteerde niets (in mijn glimmend nieuwe schrijfschrift, bye bye Google Docs!) en daarna overdonderde Joey Henri me alweer volledig met zijn muziek-medicijn-groepstherapie, dus ik ga zelfs niet proberen het te ontrafelen en iets zinnigs te recapituleren. Ik weet enkel dat ik elke keer ‘Oh ja, check, klinkt DIK in orde!’ dacht (en of zei) na de info die hij verschafte per band. En dat ze allemaal stuk voor stuk PAARS AS FUCK klinken. Dus, geloof in mijn geloof in de uitstekende muzieksmaak van Mister Black Flamingo himself en komt dat zien. (Of zoek ze zelf even op via de Youtubes, Spotify, Bandcamps en andere sociale netwerken van deze wereld.)

Vier topbands, een barbeque met Flamin’ Go pilli pilli saus van Yannick Zwijsen (NIET voor gevoelige zielen/magen) en een Free Podium? Count me in! 

Toegang is 15 euro voor enkel de muziek & en 25 euro als je ook een vleesje wil. (Ben je Veggie? Geef dat dan zeker door, ook met uw wensen kan rekening worden gehouden!) 

Zeg nu zelf, dat is géén geld voor een festival in tijden van graai-flatie. Drank is bovendien beschikbaar aan zeer democratische prijzen. 

Wil jij er ook bij zijn? Stuur dan een gele briefkaart naar een van de bands of slide into the DM’s van The Black Flamingo op Instagram en Facebook en schrijf je op voorhand in. Want het is een privéfeest, enkel voor de meest Paarsen der zielen.

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A lovesong to Brakrock 2023 | Part 2: The Purple People of Brakrock (Day 1)

Ready for part two in my love song to the Brakrock festival? It is all about the Purple People I met on my first day on festival grounds.

Before going into this festival, I hatched the plan to bring my rainbow pillow (see: Punk in Drublic where I had it signed by Spike of Me First & Fat Mike of NOFX) and have it signed by everyone I met at Brakrock because of the music. Fan, band, merch people, organiser, it didn’t matter. Everyone is part of the music. Midway through day one, I realised I would have to get a second pillow for day two. That’s how many amazing people I met. I connected with some of them, but not with all. So if you see yourself here and we’re not friends on any sort of social, hit me up!

Meet the Purple People of Friday, August 4th 2023.

It already started on the road to Brakrock. We got a little lost but soon found a group of people who helped us get on track. One of them was Andrea, who came all the way from Italy. He switches between Brakrock and Punk Rock Holiday each year to get in his punk music fix during the summer. We hung out before the gates opened and had a nice chat. We’d run into him and his friends a bunch of times throughout the festival. Before Good Riddance we were waiting frontstage and there they were again! We shared a drink and some laughs and happily waited for the mayhem to start. (More on that later!)

We got in first through the gates, but had to wait a bit for security to show up. Meanwhile I spotted a bearded bro called Michael sporting a Barbie shirt in the queue so obviously I yelled at him that I loved his shirt.

Just before running onto festival grounds, he and Liz stopped me. Liz let me know that she made the shirts herself and was going to make me one. ❤ She is also in a band, seems like a bad ass with an awesome personal style, so I’m pretty sure we’ll be fast friends. Check out her instapage and give her a follow!

Walking in, I spotted a photographer and asked if I could use her pictures for the blog. She was kind enough to agree, so you’ll see some of her amazing pictures shine in a few of the coming blog posts. Follow Lad & Misfit photography on Insta & Facebook!

Next up we were at the Wood Stage for The Stitches. I spotted a guy rocking out in his mobile scooter and a lady with a walker. Wanted to take their pictures and tell them the sight of them made me happy and hopeful to know that even if my body completely gives out over the next couple of years due to my chronic pains, I’d still be able to live my best life at festivals. I didn’t get the chance because not much after I spotted this trio!

I was triggered by all the patches on the vests of Nick (left) & Thomas (middle) at first, the nice headband on Ilona second and their cupholders third. (A Brakrock gift from a few years ago, it turned out!) But when Nick turned around, I spotted something even more special: his Puzzled Panther shirt!

I knew then that I HAD to talk to him, because the only chance to get that shirt, was by seeing Gogol Bordello on their tour. Fervent readers of this blog know I was so blown away by that performance, it changed my whole outlook on life, birthed Polexia Miller and had me coin the phrase ‘Purple People’.

I kind of ignored his friends and latched on to Nick, (Sorry dear Ilona & Thomas, next time we meet I want to get to know you as well, you seemed LOVELY!) because my journalist nose sniffed a Story. Yes, with a capital S! Nick is a HUGE Gogol Bordello fan and has been following them for years. In 2008 he met his now wife at their show in Tilburg & he proposed to her on stage at a Gogol Bordello show in 2017. Since then, they’ve become friends with Eugene & were invited backstage at Jera on air where they also met up with Puzzled Panther. Nick also has a radio show called Le INIT Live on a local station in Goirle (but you can stream it online) of which the tagline does not translate do English. For the Dutch/Flemish readers it is: ‘Harde muziek & slap gelul’ 🙂

You’ll meet them again in the next bits of the blog where they immediately lead me astray from my well thought out plan. No hard feelings though, because what they led me to, led to meeting these two amazing people! (And also their band which will feature in the next post.)

This lovely green haired person is Ty Miller, guitarist extraordinaire for Public Serpents, Trying To Get By (with Jesse Sendejas from Days n Daze who stole my heart on Punk in Drublic last year. You might spot them in some of my pics because I proudly wore my DnD shirt for this occasion.) and Voice of Addiction. He’s a full time musician & caregiver to his girlfriend back home. This talk made me realise even more how important it is to support the bands by seeing the shows, buying the merch and yelling about how great they are on this blog. So many of the bands and artists I love are struggling to get by on doing what they love, following their dreams and bringing music to the people! Without them, there wouldn’t be festivals like this. So give a listen to all the above bands, like and share their stuff and go see them when you get the chance! (And don’t worry, I will spend some more words on all those bands on this blog, when I finally catch up with everything I still have to write about and find a minute to give them a proper stage.)

This super nice fella is Eric Molina who filled in for the sax player of Public Serpents. He just met them on monday and was along for the ride on their Friday gig! He’s a pupil of The Slackers’ Dave Hillyard and stars as the saxman in a few of his own bands/and does session work for: Los Mal Hablados, Mephiskapheles & the Israelites. We realise we’re missing the Slackers so our band of merry misfits skip to the Wood stage again, accompanied by Ty and Eric who also don’t want to miss that good shit!

After The Slackers & before Funeral Dress it is time to sit the fuck down and have some food. Sorry, The Dickies, I’m afraid I’ll have to catch you next time! Luckily, Emmy was on her way to see you, but I managed to get a quick pic in. We had met at the Funeral Dress gig at Parkpop Mechelen (will be featured in the Funeral Dress post) through a mutual friend. She’s also in her own band called Vettig Front who’ve been at it for years!

Time for some R&R with the people I came here with and their friends also referred to as the merry band of misfits above!

Bottom right with the sunglasses is Yannick, top right is Senna. They’re both in my favourite local band The Rabids and are set to be a part of our own as yet unnamed band we’re in the process of setting up. The one with the glasses and hat is Stijn, who we recruited as a second guitartist & backing for the same project! In the middle with the glasses you can spot Glenn & top left is Stylo.

Off to see Funeral Dress when I spot my sunglasses twin in the audience. I forgot to ask for his name or have him sign my pillow because I was losing my friends who were pushing for the front. Nice to meet you, man with The All Star Wedding Band sunglasses! See you at one of their shows!

No selfie with this man, rocking out to Funeral Dress with Emmy from before, but my infinite thanks! His name is Dyke and he got my pillow signed by the band, made sure it wasn’t ruined when it got wet and got me the setlist and a Stef Punk Pick to boot! Much obliged, sir!

I see a pair of white sunglasses and think I’m about to meet The Slackers’ Drummer. Bummer, it isn’t their drummer, but he IS in fact a drummer! How much of a crazy coincidence is that? Too big probably. My sarcasm meter wasn’t on and I noted he was a drummer for Zeeland Refinery, which isn’t in fact a band. 🙂 Oops. That’s what trying to do 100 things at once gets you. Oh well, nice to meet you anyway Da Pee & girlfriend!

Next up I am super front stage getting banged up left and right right next to the mosh pit during Good Riddance and I am in awe of this persons moveable selfie stick. I asked for his insta but regrettably forgot to hit follow so I am still yearning to see his videos and connect.

This is the security volunteer who didn’t know what hit him (probably also literally as well as figuratively) seeing the mayhem during the Good Riddance set. He’s more of a Hip Hop & House fan but said he loved the vibe of the crowd so much he’d be back next year. He put my pillow on the stage to safeguard it from being broken in the press of people and also made sure Good Riddance left their signatures! Not to mention, his anticipation to the incoming crowd surfers made sure I didn’t get hit in the face and could enjoy being in the middle of the action for once. Thank you! He’ll make another appearance in the Me First part of the blog!

These lovely chiro ladies who’d also never been to Brakrock but will be volunteering next year too!

Waiting for Me First to start, I met Joost, straight from Waddingveen Netherlands. He was there for the 3rd time, especially for The Toy Dolls. We had a lovely conversation about cheese. He’s also part of my Me First story I am saving up. We’d meet again front stage the next day, in the pouring rain, just before The Toy Dolls took the stage.

Another quick ‘I LOVE YOUR SHIRT’ encounter. I was on my way out and it was too late to follow up with actually making friends, but it’s always nice to meet a fellow upside down man. (Stranger things reference for anyone wondering WTF I am on about.)

End of day one! In part two of the Purple People of Brakrock, we meet some nice merch handlers and the youngest rock chick of the festival!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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A lovesong to Brakrock 2023 | Part 1: The Festival

brakrock 2023

I am a little sad and angry. Maybe even a LOT sad and angry. How did I manage to miss this festival for ten consecutive years? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I might never forgive myself. Because holy shit, this was the best experience I’ve ever had at a festival. It was SO great; from the beautiful location, the lovely people, to the atmosphere & ambiance it was all TOP NOTCH. That mix between nature, culture and music is FANTASTIC. From now on, it’ll be an essential part of my summer. 

This is the first part in what promises to be a fun series of posts about Brakrock, and it is all about the festival itself! It’s not some run of the mill thing and needs a bit of explaining. Next part will be about all the lovely people I met there. After that I will dedicate a few blog posts to all of the amazing performances and artists I got to enjoy.

1: That location!

brakrock duffel kasteel ter elst

I mean. It has everything. Green surroundings, wildlife water and culture. Brakrock is located around the ruins of Castle ter Elst, a listed monument in Duffel. Idyllic doesn’t even begin to describe it. Just look at this picture! There was shade from the trees on the first day, relief from the rain under those same trees on day two. Seeing Pennywise rock out while lounging near the river and still hearing the chirps of crickets was its own kind of magic.

Plus, because I had press access, I got to check out the pretty deer grazing and met the chickens and birds hanging out backstage. Thanks again to Kim @Brakrock for providing me with my accreditation, it meant the world to me to enjoy this beautiful festival as press. And I promise, you won’t be sorry! Cost per post is going to be pretty damn low! 😂

brakrock backstage

2: Green as fuck

Brakrock is an eco-friendly festival and I love it. They’ve been doing it since before it was the norm for festivals too! The cup for cup system was great (take notes Parkpop Mechelen & Lokerse feesten, you’re doing it wrong). You pay one token for a cup and get a new cup every new drink. No hassle, just easy eco-ness. And you get your full token back for your deposited cups. (Though I must say, I did keep a few pink cups because they’re just so sturdy and amazing to have as a memento.) 

brakrock food

Same for food stuffs. And whereas the food was on the pricey side (as everything seems to be these days), the fries were actually really good! As opposed to other festivals I’ve been to this summer where I got yellow cardboard sticks. Good fries shouldn’t be this hard for Belgians, come on! Kudos to the food trucks.

During the festival, there were people picking up the trash that did get thrown out. But there wasn’t much, I noticed. And not many cigarette butts because they provided cigarette shaped ashtrays all over + you got a free ashtray envelope if you asked. Lovely to see the location will probably look much the same after two days of the festival as it did before. Aside from the muddy trampled grassy bits, but that’s something that should be easily remedied.

3. That Line-up!

SO. Many. Great. Bands. I took the time beforehand, to write out an itinerary of what I wanted and NEEDED to see. Fortunately most of it was easily combined running from the Wood to the River and back again. I had to only make two hard choices to get a full workable list. I think next year I will add more Ruin stage bands because I let myself get sidetracked a few times and I got a pleasant surprise each time.

my itinery after two days
The annotated list after two days of running around and changing my mind

I probably also missed a bunch on the Belgian Beer Bar stage, but unfortunately choosing is losing and as a new friend said ‘you miss more at a festival than you see.’! I also had to sit out a few shows because my body was protesting all the fun I was having, but I still had a very filled timetable. And it wasn’t exactly a punishment to rest up in that lovely scenery. ❤ And I still got to enjoy things from afar.

I managed to go to all my must-see’s, knocked off a bucket list band and discovered more than a few new hyperfixations!

4. The stages!

Walking the grounds before the start of the festival.

Four totally different stages with a different feel and atmosphere. The main stage is by the River and is a big’un. Aside from the front stage area, there’s also a nice seated side area to rest up if it’s all getting to be too much, or if you want to stay out of the press of the crowd.

The Wood stage is a great experience as well. A little closer to the bands, a little lower and more accessible. Lots of shade and a few wooden resting areas for when the mud got too bad. And it’s right by the pond, overlooking the Ruins.

chilling at brakrock

Then, the Ruin stage behind the castle ruins. A lot smaller for an intimate vibe. Right up in the face of the bands and artist! 

At Maritiem cafe ‘t Anker, last but certainly not least, was the Belgian Beer Bar stage for intimate acoustic performances. Only managed to see one show there, but it was a doozy!

5. The organisation & volunteers

Such wonderful people, every last one of them! Everyone was so nice and just happy to be there. You will meet some of them in the next post. I want to thank everyone I encountered and hope to see you again next year. You are the backbone of this amazing festival that I will try to never miss again.

So, next up is a post about all the Purple People I met on my two day stay on festival grounds. Before going into this, I hatched the plan to bring my rainbow pillow (see: Punk in Drublic) and have it signed by everyone I met because of the music. Fan, band, merch people, organiser, I didn’t matter. Everyone is part of the music. So next up, Part 2: The people of Brakrock. And don’t worry, we’ll follow them to the music afterwards!

Ready for the rock!

Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023

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Anticipatie in aanloop naar Brakrock 2023

Eindelijk, eindelijk, zoveel eindelijken! Eindelijk terug zomer. Eindelijk terug festivalgronden. Eindelijk lukt het me eens om vrij te zijn op Brakrock. Eindelijk mijn eerste Brakrock dus, een absolute schande en groot verdriet dat dat tot nog toe niet gelukt was. Vorig jaar pikte ik wel Punk in Drublic van dezelfde organisatie mee, en we weten allemaal hoe dat is afgelopen. (Te lui om te klikken op de link? Het was daar KEIGOED!)

Melvin DnB set - Punk in Drublic - Captured By Jonas
Melvin DnB set – Punk in Drublic – Foto: Captured By Jonas

Dit jaar denk ik dat ik, zeker tegen dan, mijn zitkussentje weer zal nodig hebben. Misschien heb ik er zelfs stiekem wel hele fijne plannen mee! Volledig in de spirit van Polexia. Wordt vervolgd 😉

Op mijn allerliefste bucketlist der optredens staan (voorlopig) nog twee bands die ik ook zo ook al een paar keer op het nippertje misliep. Bij nader inzien, zelfs beide wanneer ze op Brakrock speelden, als je het kan geloven. The Toy Dolls en The Vandals wil ik al jaaaaaren live bezig zien. Beide bands met hun heel eigen, herkenbare sound. Van die nummers die opspringen in een playlist en waar je instant vrolijk van wordt. (Zo leerde ik ze ook kennen, in playlists van anderen en elke keer ik keek omdat ik een goed nummer hoorde dat ik nog niet kende was het een van beide bands. Daarna heb ik hun volledige back catalogue maar ineens in mijn playlists gesmeten.)

Ergens in de winter al was ik dus al plannen aan het smeden. Want THE TOY DOLLS komen dit jaar naar Brakrock. Het moest ook ineens een ticket voor twee dagen worden want Me First and The Gimme Gimmes komen er ook terug naartoe en jah, die ga ik nooit laten passeren, en al zeker niet op 15km van mijn voordeur. Overigens, ik zag Dolls bassist Tom ‘Tommy Goober’ Blyth al eens eerder met The Gimmes in juni 2017 in de AB. Synchronistische cirkels enzo.

Me first and the gimme gimmes AB Brussel - 22 Juni 2017

Dusja, er is er hier eentje zeer excited voor 4 en 5 augustus! Goede vooruitzichten en ondertussen kan ik nog even bekomen van deze zalige maar kapot vermoeiende maand. The rock and roll lifestyle is wearing me out, y’all! Maar I wouldn’t change it for the world, want het brengt me ook ZOveel energie.

Tussendoor ook nog wat bijschrijven over alles wat ik hier nog niet genoteerd kreeg, zodat ik tegen dan zeker terug op schema zit voor lofzangen aan deze en alle andere bands die ik daar ga zien. Ik ga nog rustig de volledige timetable afwachten voor ik daarin verdere plannen maak. Er staan alleszins al bands genoeg op de shortlist als je die affiche ziet! (Ik ben trouwens ook instant gecharmeerd door de poster met de skatende eenden-madam, dat spreekt. En Willy is de nieuwe StuBru, maar da’s voor een andere keer!)

Het zal zichzelf wel uitwijzen waar ik moet zijn, ik moet gewoon de muziek en de mensen volgen, zoals elke keer!

BRAKROCK ECOFEST: 4 en 5 AUGUSTUS 2023 in DUFFEL

(Oh en en pre-show op 28 juli 2023 in Mechelen)

Volg BRAKROCK

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The All Star Wedding Band (een foto zegt meer dan duizend woorden.)

Happy fan

Ik ben een vrouw van vele woorden. (Vraag maar aan wie me kent, of kijk hier gerust even rond.) Vandaag even niet. (Geloof me niet, het zijn er uiteindelijk toch wat meer woorden geworden. Had je iets anders verwacht hier?)

Enerzijds heb ik mezelf verplicht eens twee dagen letterlijk plat te rusten en geen ellelange stukken te beginnen waarin ik me helemaal ga verliezen. (*Kuch* Gogol Bordello *kuch*) Iets van uw grenzen kennen en respecteren.

Anderzijds omdat ik gisteren een grens genegeerd heb om toch maar deze The All Star Wedding Band te kunnen zien. Mijn lichaam vertelde me dat ik eigenlijk niet NOG een avond vol enthousiast rondspringen en brullen aankon. Goh, technisch gezien waar, want mijn verplichte rust vandaag is niet zo moeilijk vol te houden gezien mijn lijf als lood voelt en toch niet veel meer kan (en wil) dan liggen. (Sent to you van uit mijn geweldige tuinstoel!) En mijn stem ligt nog ergens in Poederlee. Wat er dan nog van overbleef na Antwerpen en Sint-Niklaas alleszins. En niet dat ik die hier nodig heb eigenlijk.

Maar dan krijg ik dit schitterende beeld doorgestuurd, dat van me werd gemaakt tijdens de set van The All Star Wedding Band op HeggeRock. Dit is Polexia Miller in levende lijve in 1 beeld. De foto vertelt het verhaal en verder hoef ik er eigenlijk niet teveel woorden aan moet vuilmaken. (De woorden tot hier tellen dus al niet he!) Here goes:

The All Star Wedding band is een coverband van Me First and The Gimme Gimmes. Meer nog, ze gaan verder waar MFaTGG begon en trekken hun eigen lijn in fijne eigenzinnige covers. Ze spelen de platen die jij kent, je moeder, je grootmoeder en zelfs je tiener (en misschien de kleintjes ook als #likeme ze al gecovered hebben.)

Het is altijd een FEEST. (Zie foto) Plus, je geniet er jaren van na, want ik denk dat eindelijk alle confetti had gevonden die we meebrachten sinds de laatste keer we ze zagen eind 2021. (Zie foto)

Die keer in 2021 gebeurde er overigens iets speciaals. In mijn grootste fantasie vroeg de zanger van ofwel Me First and the Gimme Gimmes of die van The All Star Wedding Band me mee op het podium, want ik ken zo goed als elk nummer in alle richtingen. En die keer gebeurde dat dus, he! Ik riep enthousiast en met een al compleet kapotgezongen stem dat ze O Sole Mio moesten spelen. Deden ze, maar alleen als ik mee deed. Challenge accepted!

Deze keer mocht ik de Olivia Newton John parts van Summer Nights meebrullen! (Helaas was mijn fantastische fotograaf van dienst op dat moment ook te afgeleid om hier beelden van te maken.) Dus, moet ik nog meer zeggen? Misschien dit:

Mark is Knap!
Zie ze genieten met haar drumstokje!
Zie ze genieten met haar drumstokje!

Oh, en aan bangelijke zanger Tom: onderstaande is waarom ik zeker wél de tekst kende. Of hoe één man een generatie tienermeisjes met een onrealistisch (maar hartverwarmend) beeld van liefdesbetuigingen opzadelde.

Verder alleen nog: GAAT DAT ZIEN! Ze komen naar zowat elk dorp in België. Ik ben alvast duchtig data in mijn agenda aan het markeren!

Volg The All Star Wedding Band

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Live! Punk in Drublic (De Schorre)

JAREN. Zo lang al was ik aan het uitkijken naar Punk in Drublic. Eind 2019 kocht ik dan vol anticipatie de tickets voor de eerste keer PiD op Belgisch grondgebied. The wait was almost over! Ja, niet dus. Nog eens 2,5 jaar later mocht ik dan toch eindelijk aanschuiven in de Schorre in Boom voor een licht gewijzigde affiche. Ik stuiterde als een botsbal door de wachtrij, en dat gevoel zou enkel nog versterkt worden doorheen de dag.

Het voordeel aan ouder worden is dat je beter voorbereid bent op het hele festivalgebeuren. Eerst maakte ik een lijstje met bovenaan een zitkussentje (waarover later meer), zonnecrème, oordopjes en mijn Gimmes & NOFX bandshirts. Het tweede dat ik deed was zorgen dat ik ruim op tijd voor de poort van de Schorre in Boom stond, zodat ik geen seconde van Punk in Drublic dreigde te missen!

Alle foto’s met dank aan Captured by Jonas!

Wat goed dat ik ruim op tijd was. De eerste noten klinken al vanaf het podium met de soundcheck van Days N’ Daze uit Texas. Nog snel een ‘Modeste‘ tanken bij het ‘bruin café’ Staminee Maritime ‘T Anker en dan beginnen ze er écht aan. Days N Daze noemen hun folky punk zelf H-Town Thrashgrass, een woordspeling op hun home town Houston en Amerikaanse Bluegrass. Ik kende ze schandelijk genoeg nog niet, maar ze staan ondertussen heel hoog in mijn Spotify favorieten.

Live klinken ze echter nog VEEL trashier, minder afgelikt en de energie die van het podium knalt zette de toon voor de dag. Het zootje ongeregeld lijkt recht van de straat geplukt. Akkoord, in het begin laten ze wat steken vallen, niettemin is dat snel vergeten eens ze echt beginnen knallen. Meagan Michelle op washboard en lead vocalist Whitney Flynn (die terwijl ook nog eens vlotjes trompet en ukelele speelt) worden schitterend aangevuld met Matt Willhelm op contrabas en andere lead vocalist Jesse Sendejas met beestig schorre stem (haha, hebt ge hem) en akoestische gitaar in de aanslag. Hier en daar aangevuld door een andere artiest die het podium opwaait met gitaar of banjo in de hand. Sterke start!

Daarna opnieuw topwijven op het podium met The Bombpops. Spijtig genoeg verliet Poli van Dam de band maar Punk rock pixie Jen Razavi & nieuwe aanwinst Remington (zie foto) spelen en zingen de spreekwoordelijke pannen van het onbestaande dak en het publiek leeft zich uit. Zo veel energieverbruik tijdens het dansen dat het alcoholniveau in het bloed van de deinende massa zienderogen zakt. Tegelijkertijd zie je iedereen met dezelfde gelukzalige glimlach op het bezwete gezicht genieten. Bier is maar bijzaak als de muziek en de sfeer zo goed zitten. (Maar goed, na deze wervelwind toch nog snel naar de bartent voor een Victoria.)

Het energieniveau wordt staande gehouden door volgende band Get Dead die met hun snelle lyrics en opzwepende drums de benen probleemloos in beweging houden. Geen moment rust voor die dansvoeten want de vrolijke Italiaanse ska van Talco vol saxofoon en trompetgeluiden komt daarna van het podium gedonderd.

Ignite vult het rijtje aan en houdt de punkfans geboeid ondanks eerdere zorgen over het eerste aantreden van de nieuwe zanger. Eli Santana stelt niet teleur en wel integendeel, hij wint meteen het hart van het publiek. Getuige daarvan het gesprek dat ik mocht overhoren in de rij voor een pakje friet. “Dat was bangelijk, veel beter dan de vorige vijf keer ik ze zag. De snelheid was veel strakker en ook de zanger was veel beter dan de vorige!” aldus D. die anoniem wenste te blijven. Wannes vond dan weer dat hij wel een goede stem had maar dat zijn haar te lang was. (Noot van de redactie: een absolute leugen, ik noteerde hier OMG ZIJN HAAR in mijn schriftje, wegens extreem jaloers op zo’n schitterend lange en verzorgde mannen-manen.) Wanners zei ook nog dat ze teveel nieuwe nummers hadden gespeeld waarop D. pareerde dat die nieuwe nummers gewoon nog moesten rijpen. (Dit intermezzo om aan te geven hoe ongelofelijk snel je vrienden maakt op een festival als Punk in Drublic.)

Mijn pakje friet was nog niet koud (en ook nog niet eens op) voor ik het (letterlijk) aan de kant gooide want Me First and the Gimme Gimmes stond plots al op het podium. Ik stuiterde luid zingend en zonder mijn entourage ervan te verwittigen weg richting front stage. Voor ik het wist stond ik mijn stem kapot te brullen op de eerste rij. In mijn haast had ik mijn prachtige regenboog-gekleurde zitkussentje (zie je dat het terug kwam) nog in de hand, dat ik dan ook driftig dansend in de lucht begon te pompen.

Voor wie de geweldige Gimmes nog niet kent, ze zijn de eerste (en beste) supergroep coverband in de wereld. Spike Slawson staat altijd aan de microfoon, de rest van de originele leden, waaronder ook Fat Mike, worden op tournee al eens vervangen. Deze keer staat C.J. Ramone (The Ramones) op het podium samen met John Reis (o.a. Drive like Jehu & Rocket from the Crypt), Jake Kiley (Strung Out) en Andrew Pinching (ex-drummer van the Damned).

Ze spelen punk covers van klassiekers, van Sinéad O’Connor tot Nat King Cole over Cher en de onnavolgbare Kermit the Frog. Alle nummers die (al dan niet als guilty pleasure) in het collectieve geheugen zitten dus: The Gimmes hebben ze gecovered.

Voor wie mij nog niet kent, ik ben een gigantische Gimmes fan. Ik wil dus al heel lang veel woorden aan hen vuilmaken op deze website.

Ik viel dan ook bijna in zwijm toen zanger Spike Slawson na ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ me vanop het podium aansprak en zei ‘This one was for the young lady with the Rainbow sign’ en moest bijna opgeraapt worden toen de enige echte C.J. fucking Ramone me daarna goedkeurend toelachte om mijn extreme enthousiasme en me zelfs hand horns toezwaaide. 🤘

Hun set was zoals altijd perfect voor zowel de die-hard fans als een een lekker proevertje voor nieuwe fans die de band nog niet kennen. Omdat ik ze al een ‘paar’ keer gezien heb ondertussen begin ik wel te merken dat ze vaak dezelfde overgangen maken tussen de nummers. Zo wordt er altijd gevraagd aan Spike gevraagd ‘If he is thankful for something’ net voor hij de eerste zin ‘I’d like to thank the guy…’ inzet van mijn favoriete cover ‘Who Put the Bomp’. Dat hun setlist ook vooral de meest bekende nummers bevat kan ook de pret niet drukken. Het is een band waarvan je weet dat je verdomme waar voor je geld krijgt als je er met je zuurverdiende centen een ticket voor koopt. De pijnlijke spieren van het rondspringen, gebrek aan stem van het meezingen en algehele energiedip voor minstens drie dagen na de show neem ik er héél graag bij.

Na Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is het helaas al tijd voor de laatste band van de dag: NOFX. Ze starten hun set altijd met ‘Time Warp’ uit de musical Rocky Horror, deze keer in de versie van Tenacious D. Wie me hier nog al heeft gelezen weet dat ze daarmee al dikke punten scoorden. NOFX is altijd een heerlijke liveband geweest die zich even hard amuseren tijdens het spelen (en mopjes maken) als dat je hun publiek plezier ziet maken front stage. Ook op PiD toonden ze zich weer van hun beste kant met klassiekers als ‘Perfect government’ en met reggae punk vibes met ‘Kill all the White man’. Het enige minpuntje dat ik zou kunnen aanhalen is dat de vocals wat mij betreft altijd nét te stil gemixt staan, wat me ook al opviel tijdens hun laatste Belgische passage op de Lokerse Feesten. Los daarvan was het een heerlijk gebeuren en een geweldige afsluiter van een zweterige dag vol muzikale hoogtepunten.

Serieus, ik heb op Punk in Drublic geen énkele groep gezien die ik niet goed vond. Sterker nog, ik heb een fantastische groep ontdekt die zelfs niet op de affiche stond: Cop/Out (Shout out to my new merch friend Joey Steel! ♥️)

Los daarvan pronken er ondertussen nu op mijn zitkussentje de handtekeningen van Spike & Fat Mike, welke laatste zich ook vanaf het podium afvroeg waarom ik een rainbow sign ophield. En ja, aan de prachtige foto van mij en Melvin van NOFX zie je hoe groot mijn liefde voor beide bands is. Year made! Merci aan Jonas voor deze beelden.

Dan nog even een woordje over het festival zelf. Punk in Drublic, het Punk & Beer festival van NOFX frontman ‘Fat’ Mike Burkett startte. De basis? De beste muziek meets de beste bieren op een absoluut feestival. Kleine kantnoot die weinig met muziek maar alles met het festival te maken heeft: hier in België een lichtjes andere insteek wegens geen verschillende craft bier standjes (noch gratis bier), maar een bruine kroeg in een tent. (Ter info Fat Mike: voor volgende jaren, Leffe is geen bier. Verder geen klachten over het aanbod, veel beter dan de platte pintjes op veel andere festivals. Ik dank u.)

Andere kantnoot die alles met de muziek en punk als een attitude te maken heeft: (mede) dankzij Mike’s label Fat Wreck Chords is punk alive and kicking! Een welgemeende fuck you aan iedereen die durft beweren dat punk dood is. Punk is niet dood, maar evolueert continu en blijft nieuwe & oude fans aanspraken. Ja, de muziek klinkt misschien wel soms anders dan in de tijden van The Sex Pistols, de kern is nog steeds hetzelfde: het onrecht in de wereld luidkeels bestrijden en taboes doorbreken. Niet voor niets staat NOFX met een Pride flag op het podium. Verschillende bands onder het label hebben LGBTQ leden, waaronder Fat Mike van NOFX zelf. Voor hun laatste plaat schreef hij onder andere het nummer Fuck Euphemism. Los daarvan zijn heel veel teksten van NOFX en andere bands onder (en gerelateerd aan) het label nog steeds doorspekt met politieke en andere schenenschopperij. Hell yeah!

Punk in Drublic – 04 juni 2022, De Schorre (Boom)

Ook verschenen op Brothers in Raw

Check tot slot ook zeker ook onderstaande Punk in Drublic documentaire op YouTube.

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