Groezrock is, and has been for a while now, a particularly strong highlight of our year. The annual punk pilgrimage over to Belgium never fails to impress, offering a wealth of punk and hardcore from across the globe. In typical mainland European style it caters to a host of music fans, from the heavy to the melodic to all-out continental metalcore.
This year sees the festival reduce slightly in size due to a recent sale of land, resulting in a more concentrated line-up. Even with its later start (doors open at 15:00 local time on the Friday), there’s so much to see. Seriously. Celebrating an eclectic bill that could make other festival weep, there’s some special appearances over the two days. To help give an idea of what’s on offer, here’s a snapshot of some of the artists we’ll be looking to catch during the festival.
If this catches your ear, tickets are still available for the punk rock extravaganza.
No Use For A Name & Friends
Following the untimely passing of Tony Sly at the age of 41, his influential outfit No Use For A Name will take to the festival’s main stage, fronted by a collection of guest vocalists. Just who that may be remains hidden under wraps, but we’d wager this will be a million times better then that time KoRn tried to pull a similar feat at Download Festival.
Juliette & The Licks
Did someone say Juliette Lewis is going to be in a field in Belgium? Yes, that’s exactly what they said. Lewis will be bringing her Licks to the main stage on the Saturday and it’s bound to go off. Sandwiched between The Movielife and Mad Caddies, it’ll bring some welcome rock and roll swagger to proceedings. And it’s fucking Juliette Lewis.
The Movielife
Speaking of The Movielife, the Long Island veterans will continue their revival at Groezrock marking part of their EU run. Those unfortunate enough to have missed them on their run through last year will be given a second chance to sing along to some old-school favourites, plus the added promise of new material. That’s what we’re talking about.
The Dirty Nil
With one of the best albums of the first quarter of 2016 under their belts, Canadian rockers The Dirty Nil will be tearing up the Back To Basics Stage. They have the honour of kicking it all off on the barrier-less stage on the Friday, and will undoubtedly be a difficult prospect to beat.
Muncie Girls
That said, Muncie Girls are right behind them, bringing their socially charged punk to the Belgian field for the first time. Having dropped their seminal debut album ‘From Caplan To Belsize’ earlier in the year, a set at Groezrock will give them that European exposure they so richly deserve. ‘Respect’ should prove to be one of the absolute highlights of the weekend too.
Teen Agers
Over on the Groezrock website, these Floridian punks are right down the bottom of the listing. Opening the Watch Out Stage on the Saturday, we wouldn’t be surprised to see their set provide the platform to bigger and better slots in the years to come. If you haven’t got around to hearing their recent ‘Young Gods’ EP, you’re missing out. We’re genuinely brimming with excitement about this one.
The Bennies
Ahead of their first ever UK tour, which by the way we’re proud to present, Australian psychedelic reggae-ska-doom-metal-punk-rock from hell outfit The Bennies will be confusing the shit out of crowds at Groezrock. If for some reason the sun isn’t shining by the time The Bennies take the Watch Out stage, it’ll at least feel that way by the time they are done.
The Falcon
It’s been absolute years since The Falcon graced us with new music, so when ‘Gather Up The Chaps’ dropped earlier this year our jaws suitably dropped to the floor. Groezrock will bring The Lawrence Arms’ Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy, Dan Andriano from Alkaline Trio and Dave Hause of The Loved Ones together on one stage for some upbeat punk action. That alone is enough to get our mouths watering.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Mr Carter is one hell of a showman, and come Groezrock he’ll be putting all his skills to good use on the Impericon Stage. Mostly reserved for the festival’s metalcore contingent, it’ll be worth watching alone to see how Carter deals with the barrier (assuming the set-up here is similar to the last few years). We’d put money on the divide becoming insignificant in seconds, and if there isn’t one, we’re in for a no-holds-barred punk-rock treat.
Moose Blood
Moose Blood take the headline slot at this year’s Watch Out Stage, leading up to No Use & Friends and Sum 41 on the main stage. With their promise of new material on the way, it could be one of the first chances to see what the band have been working on since ‘I’ll Keep You In Mind…’. It also comes straight off the end of their sold out UK tour, so we’d imagine they’ll be on top form.
So that’s some of the acts we’re really excited about. That’s without even touching on Letlive.’s potential to showcase some new tracks and Saosin returning with Anthony Green at the helm. Then there’s Rozwell Kid, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Night Birds, Modern Baseball, PUP, Iron Chic, Dag Nasty, Less Than Jake plus headliners Rancid and Sum 41. And more. So much more.
We’re exhausted just thinking about it.
Full info, tickets, stage times etc. are available via the official website.