Groezrock 2014 Preview
Groezrock has gained a reputation over the last couple of years for booking a combination of the most exciting up-and-coming bands mixed in with some of the greatest bands of all time. Each year, you doubt their ability to top it, however they somehow keep managing it! This year is no different with arguably the best line up yet, people heading to the festival over the course of the weekend will be treated to some of the finest punk rock and metal-core that the world has to offer. Headlining the Monster Main Stage on the Friday are Californian punk legends NOFX, a band that definitely know how to put on a show. With an illustrious career which has spanned over 30 years, they have enough great material to play a headline show that will probably be the best set you’ll see this festival season. Lead by outrageous frontman Fat Mike, anticipate onstage hilarity, well written songs and a lot of drinking – a match made in festival heaven!
Punk Rock legends NOFX who will be headlining the Main Stage of Groezrock on the Friday
The main stage will also see emo icons Brand New appearing on the Saturday – a band that rarely tours and aren’t known for their festival appearances, this will be one of the highlights of the weekend. With 4 near perfect albums, as well as a combination of angst-ridden and emotional anthems such as ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Seventy Times 7’, there will be plenty of sing-a-longs. Next up are The Descendents – a band that are criminally underrated and arguably the original creators of pop punk, and released one of the best punk albums of all time – the iconic Milo Goes to College. Very few bands have a fanbase that is so passionate about them; expect to see at least a few tattoos of the bands mascot Milo. If you’ve never seen The Descendents before, then you are in for a real treat – super-fast, super-short and super-awesome songs about everything from breakups to coffee!
And if that’s not enough for you, three-quarters of The Descendents will be working double duty at Groezrock performing as ALL, the first time ever that a festival gets to see both bands play. However while the typical ALL set tends to include a handful of Descendents songs; this is unlikely to be the case here due to oversaturation. This will definitely be a set for die-hard fans of the band as they may give some rarer gems a long-awaited airing.
With a back catalogue that encompasses nearly all subgenres of rock, Alkaline Trio will head out trying to steal the show. Hot off the heels of 2013’s My Shame Is True, the set will most likely be a mixture of classics such as ‘Private Eye’ and ‘Radio’ slotted neatly next to newer songs such as ‘She Lied To The FBI’.
Over on the Impericon Stage (the second largest stage of the festival) Taking Back Sunday will be performing. These guys have a reputation of being very hit or miss live, but with such a great festival atmosphere this set could potentially be something special. Songs such as ‘Cute Without the E (Cut From The Team)’ and ‘MakeDamnSure’ could easily cause some of the biggest and most enjoyable sing-a-longs of the whole summer.
The Wonder Years are one of the most exciting pop punk bands at the moment; both live and on record they are simply breath-taking, and are rapidly ascending the rock n’ roll ladder to becoming one of the biggest bands around. The next time that Philly’s finest perform at Groezrock, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them headlining the main stage. On a different note, hardcore favourites Terror and Madball will also be appearing, so expect carnage and some of the biggest mosh pits of the day during their sets.
The Wonder Years who will be playing at Groezrock this year
On the smaller stages there are always those hidden gems that festival goers will not want to miss but probably will anyway, which is a real shame, since on the Ethnics stage, straight-edge punks H2O will be headlining. With upbeat songs like ‘One Life, One Chance’, they will be looking to bring some PMA (Positive Mental Attitude, not the other sort!) to the festival with their unique brand of New York hardcore. In a similar vein, Australian band Deez Nuts will be performing their trademark wild set which is sure to make you want to jump, mosh and drink a case or two of beer. French easycore band Chunk! No Captain Chunk! will be bringing the breakdowns, synths and huge choruses to Belgium – this is a band for fans of Four Year Strong, and with lyrics in slightly broken English they do have a certain charm. Expect a fair amount of oestrogen in the crowd too, with the band members not exactly being a bad looking bunch of blokes…
Headlining the Monster Main Stage on the Saturday are The Offspring. With mega anthems like ‘Pretty Fly for a White Guy’ and ‘Why Don’t You Get a Job?’ that transcend all musical genres, ages and backgrounds, this is a set to really get excited about. The band will be pulling out all the stops to prove they thoroughly deserve to be festival headliners again. They have also confirmed that they will be playing their landmark 1994 album Smash in full which will be something special. Preceding them are Swedish indie-rockers The Hives, and with crowd-pleasing singles such as ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’ and ‘Main Offender’, as well as the insanely catchy ‘Tick Tick Boom!’; which when performed at Reading a few years ago managed to get the whole crowd crouched cat-like on the floor waiting for the drop into the massive chorus. Though this band may not be as current as some of the newer rock and punk acts coming through, they have a huge arsenal of great sing-along-able songs and are guaranteed to put on an energetic performance. Plus, all the band members dress frequently in full top and tails, if that swings it for you!
Groezrock will be one of the first times that Europe will get to see New Found Glory play as a 4-piece. After last year’s live album Kill It Live, this legendary band will be absolutely unmissable. Screeching Weasel may be a name that is unfamiliar to some festival goers, however they are a band that probably heavily influenced your favourite bands, or even the favourite bands of your favourite bands – they’ve been going for almost 40 years! After multiple hiatuses and line-up shuffles, you never know when they will be touring next, so Burn recommends that you see them while you have the chance.
Now if you looked up punk rock in the dictionary, there is a good chance that there would be a full page colour picture of The Causalities next to it. A band with songs which are as big as their mohawks, the self-confessed street-oi-punk band will surely put on one hell of a show. Making their first ever European appearance are the ever-controversial Falling in Reverse. Love them or hate them, they know how to provoke a strong reaction. No doubt the crowd will be torn, but with the charisma of their notorious frontman Ronnie Radke, they could win over a bunch of new fans – however this could also alienate the Groezrock faithful. On a heavier note, bringing their blend of metal and hardcore to the mix will be The Ghost Inside. We envisage massive mosh pits which Lamb of God would be proud of, with massive songs like “Engine 45”, it is practically impossible for carnage not to ensue.
Falling In Reverse who will be playing their first European shows at Groezrock
After a 6-year gap between albums, in which members expanded their musical horizons, I Killed the Prom Queen have returned. After releasing Beloved last year to almost universal praise, any fans of metalcore music would be crazy to miss IKTPQ. Likewise, Groezrock doesn’t just cater to legends of the punk rock scene; in the form of Touché Amoré they have booked a band with a massive wave of excitement surrounding them. With their emotionally charged songs, combined with a die-hard fan base, expect a mass of people shouting every single word of ‘Tilde’ when they play it and not a dry eye in the house if they play ‘Condolences’. Another up-and-coming band appearing at the festival on the Sunday will be Southampton’s Bury Tomorrow. With Groezrock confessing they had dropped the ball with British metalcore bands in recent times, Bury Tomorrow will be flying the flag for the British music scene this weekend. With Runes coming out in the days following the festival, it will be one of the first chances for fans to see how songs like ‘Man On Fire’ stand up live next to modern classics such as ‘Lionheart’.
Overall, Groezrock has put together one of the best rock festival line-ups of the summer – there is so much mind-blowing talent already covered here, and we didn’t have enough space to write about the legions of smaller bands who no doubt will be also fantastic.
Groezrock is on the 2nd and 3rd May in Meerhoult, Belgium – make sure you’re there! Tickets & further information are available on the Groezrock website.
Sam Taylor and Anna Lim
