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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