Tag: reviews

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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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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