Brakrock is the summer festival for all punk rock lovers in Belgium. The eco-festival is back with one of its best line-ups since its creation, and we’ve compiled a list of 10 shows we encourage you to see at this 2023 edition.
ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES
If you know Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, you know you’re in for a big party! If you don’t know the band, they’re quite simply the best cover band in the world! Made up of punk rock legends (Fat Mike from NOFX Joey Cape & Dave Raun from Lagwagon, Spike Slawson from Swingin’ Utters and Chris Shiflett from Foo Fighters), the band has great fun covering classics by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Céline Dion, Whitney Houston, Seal, and Madonna, and transforming them into catchy punk anthems!
Songs you should listen to: Rocket Man, I Believe I Can Fly, Uptown Girl
THE MEFFS
The Meffs are the new punk phenomenon from England, where they exploded onto the scene in 2019. The duo plays political punk rock in the great British punk tradition and has forged a solid reputation as an absolute live sensation.
Songs you should listen to: No Future; Stand Up, Speak Out; Broken Britain, Broken Brains
FOR I AM
Active since 2014, the Belgian band For I Am has gained recognition well beyond our borders. With a repertoire of catchy hooks, the band, led by singer Hanne, has consolidated its position as one of the most active and well-known bands in the Belgian punk scene, having performed at Groezrock and the famous Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia. If you want to experience the best of Belgian-made punk, you know what you have to do!
Songs you should listen to: The Armistice, Obsolete, I Dont Wanna
GET THE SHOT
When you see Get The Shot, don’t expect finesse! What you’ll get is pure, uncompromised hardcore. Hardcore that makes you want to unleash all your hate and rage in the mosh pit. And since 2009, Quebec’s Get The Shot have been delivering just that with their intense performances.
Songs you should listen to: Blackened Sun, Cold Hearted, Faith Reaper
JANEZ DETD.
The mention of Janez Detd.’s name takes us on a trip down memory lane! In the late 90s and early 2000s, this Belgian band from Grembergen was the pop-punk sensation you couldn’t miss in our country. Signed to Virgin Music, touring all of the country’s major venues and festivals, and even serving as ambassadors for the Guitar Hero game… The band did it all. Since their return in 2015, the band has not lost any of its energy and will be giving a concert that will take us back 20 years.
Songs you should listen to: Beaver Fever, Anti Anthem
PULLEY
We should have seen Pulley in 2019 right here at Brakrock. Unfortunately, a flight problem meant that the band had to cancel their concert at the last minute. Now, four years later, we’re finally going to be able to see the Californians’ melodic punk rock again, and discover the songs from their latest album live: ‘The Golden Life’. On your skates, get set, ride!
Songs you should listen to: Hooray For Me, Insects Destroy, Gone
BAD COP/BAD COP
Bad Cop/Bad Cop is the kind of band we wish to see more of on the punk rock scene. Four badass women who play pop-influenced punk with vocal harmonies and a strength and positivity that is reflected in their music. What more could you ask for? Oh yes, more women on stage!
Songs you should listen to: Womanarchist, Nightmare, Take My Call
DRAIN
We’ve mentioned a lot of punk bands in this top, but don’t forget about hardcore. We’ve already mentioned Get The Shot, but there are also the legendary Madball, H2O, and Terror… as well as another band you absolutely must see if you’re a fan of big, kick-ass sounds, breakdowns, and 2 steps! That band is DRAIN! They have just signed to Epitaph and released their second album last May.
Songs you should listen to: Evil Finds Light, Feel The Presure, Hyper Vigilance
THE RUMJACKS
We already had the chance to see The Rumjacks support Dropkick Murphys earlier this year. And after that superb performance, all we wanted to do was see the band again. So it’s a date, and we can’t wait to dance and sing along to the Australians’ Celtic folk.
Songs you should listen to: A Fistful O’Roses, An Irish Pub Song, The Foreman O’rourke
JEN RAZAVI
We’ll round off our selection with an acoustic concert by Jen Razavi. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you may be more familiar with Jen Pop, singer and guitarist with Californian skate punk band The Bombpops. The singer, who is now embarking on a solo career, will be on the stage for an acoustic set featuring songs from her band, but we also hope it will be full of surprises.
This top 10 is obviously subjective. We all have our own expectations and we would love to know yours so we are waiting your comments on our social networks from now until the beginning of this new Brakrock edition.