Line-up Main Stage Pukkelpop 2024

’s Lands beste hiphopcrew – zegt Humo – houdt zich grotendeels op in het limbo, om er maar heel af en toe zeer gericht en vol bombarie uit te komen. BAM!Voor een nieuwe plaat bijvoorbeeld, of een verjaardag. Of gewoon omdat de hoofdrolspelers niet anders kunnen. Als Kowlier en Buyse lang genoeg in hun winterslaap van zijprojecten hebben gezeten, borrelt de goesting weer op tot het kookpunt bijna bereikt is, kruipen ze uit hun West-Vlaamse ghetto en laten ze hun oldskool beats en onverstaanbaar vrolijke lyrics opnieuw op de wereld los.‘t Hof van Commerce, since 1998, Niemand Grodder!

New producer, new album, back on tour in the States. New times for Black Box Revelation. As the world recovered from last years' crisis, the duo from Brussels found their inspiration in Andy Savours' dark and hidden studios in West London. The producer, known for his work for Black Country, New Road, Arctic Monkeys and my bloody valentine, invited them to come over and work on their new songs and sounds. A great match it seemed, as the band’s urge for a rock ’n’ roll album, in the naive spirit of their debut Set Your Head On Fire, became unstoppable. No time to waste, because the rock duo had been asked overseas to play the notorious Psych Fest Las Vegas, following a grinding tour through the West of the US in August 22. These shows in the land of endless dreams were only a sneak peak of what’s coming... Black Box Revelation in its purest state of mind, including the pounding drums of Dries Van Dijck and the roaring guitars and screaming voice of Jan Paternoster. 

‘Skinty Fia,’ the title of the much-anticipated third album by Fontaines D.C, translates to English as “the damnation of the deer.”“And the Irish giant deer is an extinct species,” explains bassist Conor Deegan III aka Deego. “But ‘skinty fia’ is also used as an expletive, in the way you’d say ‘For fuck’s sake’ if you bang your arm on a table or whatever. We just thought there was something really beautiful about that, because it’s really representative of Irish culture in some sense. We were interested in the idea of something really precious or sentimental and attached to family, but also something that’s been taken away from us. Which doesn’t mean we can’t cherish it.”Indeed, and the band’s thoughts on Irish identity are crucial to ‘Skinty Fia’ as they have relocated from their home country. 2019’s ‘Dogrel’ was mostly set in Dublin and was littered with snapshots of the city’s characters, like the cabbie in “Boys In The Better Land” who “spits out ‘Brits out!’, only smokes Carroll’s”. By contrast, their markedly different 2020 follow-up ‘A Hero’s Death’ was largely written on tour and documented the dislocation and disconnection the band felt from Ireland as they had new adventures around the globe. This time, they’re addressing their Irishness from afar as they recreate new lives for themselves elsewhere and try to resolve the need to broaden their horizons with the affection they still clearly feel for the land and people they’ve left behind. “It’s about being Irish and expressing that in London, and what can you take with you that makes you feel connected to home,” Deego explains. “We really tried to hold on to the things that made us Irish. There’s a sentimentality of sitting in an Irish pub in London, surrounded by other Irish people and it’s 4am, the lights are going off and half-remembering these old songs. On the other hand, there’s something dark and a little bit bleak about that.”

Stormzy is a multi-award-winning musician who hails from South London, England. His three albums to date; ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’, ‘Heavy Is The Head’ and ‘This Is What I Mean’ all finished at #1 in the UK album chart, with the former two subsequently being nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. His remarkable ascent has been accompanied by his honest and relatable character. A true spokesman of black empowerment and social activism, Stormzy is one of the UK’s most inspiring figureheads who has consistently stood up for people from all areas of life; encouraging his fans and listeners alike to speak openly about their beliefs and fight for their rights. In July 2018, he announced #Merky Books, an imprint within Penguin Random House UK, dedicated to publishing the best new fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and in August 2018 he announced ‘The Stormzy Scholarship’, an annual studentship to fund black British students to go to the University of Cambridge. Since its launch, the scholarship has supported six Black students through their Cambridge education and - in addition to their contribution in 2021 - earlier this year HSBC UK pledged a further £2m in funding (total of £4m 2021-26), and is expanding its mentorship and internship opportunities for Black Heritage students. In June 2020, he announced the launch of his charity, #Merky Foundation, to which he pledged £10 million, over 10 years, to organisations, charities and movements that are committed to fighting racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK. In November 2022, Stormzy announced the launch of his collaborative venture with Adidas titled #Merky FC; a programme committed to enhancing and protecting diverse representation within the football industry.In August, the award-winning rapper teamed up with All Points East (APE) festival for his own headlining day, “This Is What We Mean Day” featuring a full day of artists curated by Stormzy and APE. The festival, which took place at Victoria Park in London, included performances from Kehlani, Sampha, Knucks, Lucky Daye, WSTRN, Ms Banks, The No Signal Stage and more.

 It all started with Carlos – a construction worker Fred met after a show in Atlanta. It was one of those chance encounters that’s difficult to describe if you weren’t there. Fred’s video clips from the evening do some of the job; Carlos’ voice – a joyous Southern drawl proclaiming “I want you to see me, friend! We gon’ make it through” – does the rest. Now, Carlos runs as a motif throughout Fred’s music. “He basically already was a song,” says Fred, better known as London-based producer Fred again.., “I just had to play chords.” This began Fred’s process of transforming momentary snippets by setting them to music. He was compiling a diary, of sorts. Over time, the diary grew as Fred, 27, gathered clips from nights out, stored voice notes, and combed through social media – seeking out musical moments in the everyday ephemera of life.The first few times Fred lifted art from others – the poem that forms the base of woozy club stomper ‘Kyle (I Found You)’, or the haunting monologue about living with depression that leads ‘Sabrina (I Am A Party)’ – he felt terrible. This didn’t feel like a consenting collaboration. But gradually he came to terms with it, helped by the overwhelming support and gratitude he received when he showed his songs to the people whose work he’d interpolated. He doesn’t put out anything without strict approval.Actual Life offers a glimpse into how Fred sees – or rather, how he hears – the world, and the people who bring it to life around him. He doesn’t write about experiences; he takes experiences and turns them into songs. He’s wildly gregarious, laughs a lot, optimistic to the last. This all transfers. Over the past five years, he’s brought this inescapable charisma to his work with everyone from FKA twigs to Stefflon Don, BTS, Jayda G, Romy and Burna Boy. It helped draw UK drill rapper Headie One out of his comfort zone, on the pair’s collaborative mixtape GANG, to dazzling effect. He’s also, to state it more plainly, wildly successful: in 2019 he spent 15 weeks (just shy of 30%) of the year at number one in the charts.Fred says he doesn’t believe in talent. He’s thought about it a lot, he says. Perhaps he’s right. Or perhaps being surrounded day-to-day by so many extraordinarily talented musicians (and more than a decade of mentorship from Brian Eno) has coloured his view. Either way, this belief has blinded him to his unique talent for seeing the music in passing moments – and his ability to capture the emotion of those instances so vividly in notes of his own. He writes pop music in the purest sense: songs that could be about anyone, but will mean something to everyone. Soon, however, his own spontaneous, spooling solo project, Actual Life, would take on a heavier, deeply personal significance. Fred had been collating sounds and making songs for a while, with no real aim or end goal other than making music and experimenting with this new way of working. Mostly, he was pouring everyday joy and love into these songs. But the spiralling illness of a close friend gave his project a new focus. And, with huge and unexpected tragedy, gave the project an end date too. Loss and pain are a part of life, so they became a part of Actual Life too. Fred’s lyrics hang in the tension between euphoria and the worry that one day it might end. Even songs written before the deterioration of his friend’s illness took on a new shape through the prism of the pair’s experience together. Rapturous piano chords, rich synths, and driving kick drums exalt a deeper sorrow. One track on the album, titled ‘Me (Quiet Evenings)’, features only Fred’s voice. Set in the suffocating environs of a hospital ICU, the track takes the album’s centre point and provides its rawest, most vulnerable moment.When Fred talks, he’ll often break out mid-conversation to sing a handful of notes, or tinkle a two-note riff on the piano, to punctuate or emphasise his point. He lets the music add another layer of emotion, or fill in the gaps. Actual Life is Fred’s own journey through joy and grief. But his songs – which revolve around dance, longing, lingering touch – all communicate something more universally felt too. Something that lets the listener know they’re not facing this alone.(Will Pritchard, February 2020)

Berre Vandenbussche (23 years old) started recording covers of his favorite artists in his garage and a parking lot near his parents’ house. His touching interpretations of well-loved songs soon got him noticed and when he posted a version of ‘Lost Without You’ (Freya Ridings) on TikTok, the video went viral reaching over almost 10 million views.Berre released his first single ‘Say My Name’ in May 2022. Which was an instant hit. He soon got to play on stages he used to dream of at festivals, national and international radio and TV stations. ‘Say my name’ became Berre’s first song to reach platinum in Belgium while both ‘Better off alone’ and ‘Thrill of it all’ became gold! More music to come for sure…

Singer-Songrapper Snelle (Lars Bos) kreeg in 2019 nationale bekendheid met zijn hit ‘Reünie’. Op 24 oktober 2019, ter ere van Snelle’s vierentwintigste verjaardag, verscheen zijn album ‘Vierentwintig’, dat binnen 24 uur Goud werd.In 2020 zette het grote succes door: met het liedje ‘Smoorverliefd’ maakte Snelle jongeren bewust van de gevaren van het gebruiken van je telefoon op de fiets. Op deze #1 hit volgde gelijk de volgende: ’17 Miljoen Mensen’ met Davina Michelle. Hierna volgden de nummers ‘Kleur’, ‘De Overkant’ met Suzan & Freek, ‘In De Schuur’ met Ronnie Flex en ‘Papa Heeft Weer Wat Gelezen’ met Thomas Acda. Deze songs zijn tevens te vinden op Snelle’s EP ‘Sebastiaan’.Met al deze pakkende muziek werd Snelle in 2020 tot Spotify’s meest gestreamde artiest in Nederland bekroond. Ook in 2021 zette Snelle mooie stappen: hij won een Top 40 Award voor Beste Artiest en ontving een Edison nominatie in de categorie Pop. Zijn album ‘Lars’ kwam binnen op #1 in diverse hitlijsten en hij scoorde de monsterhit ‘Blijven Slapen’ met Maan, waarvoor ze later een Top 40 Award en een Edison Award wonnen.Dan was er ook nog de documentaire ‘Zonder Jas Naar Buiten’ op Netflix. In 2022 stond Snelle driemaal voor een uitverkocht AFAS Live in Amsterdam en rondde hij zijn uitverkochte theatertour ‘FF Tussen Ons’ af. Hij trok met zijn Lieve Jongens band door Nederland en België met zijn ‘Tot Nu Toe(r)’ en was hij wekelijks te zien als presentator bij het SBS6-programma ‘I Want Your Song’.

Flogging Molly is Dave King (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhran), Bridget Regan (violin, tin whistle, vocals), Dennis Casey (guitar, vocals), Matt Hensley (accordion, concertina, vocals), Nathen Maxwell (bass guitar, vocals), Spencer Swain (mandolin, banjo, guitar, vocals), and Mike Alonso (drums,percussion).Starting out as the house band for Molly Malone’s in Los Angeles and building a loyal following through endless touring, Flogging Molly has become a staple in the punk scene over the past 20-plus years, kicking off with their riotous debut album, Swagger, and continuing through their six additional studio albums.Flogging Molly’s most recent album Anthem arrived in September 2022 via Rise Records and saw the band reunite with legendary engineer Steve Albini (who worked with Flogging Molly on their first two albums Swagger and Drunken Lullabies). Brooklyn Vegan said Anthem is “a ripper,” New Noise said Anthem “easily satisfies expectations the Celtic-inspired punks have built over a decades-long career,” and American Songwriter triumphantly declared, “Flogging Molly is back.” The band released four videos in support of Anthem, including the timely track and clip for “A Song of Liberty,” penned by King as a recounting of a dark period in Irish history but made all the more relevant with events in Ukraine. The Mad Twins, Ukrainian animators/filmmakers, created the stirring video.In March 2023 the band released a new, three-song,‘Til The Anarchy’s Restored EP(Rise Records), featuring the previously unreleased title track and one-take performances of the band’s classic songs:“Drunken Lullabies” and “What’s Left of the Flag,”. Recent touring has brought Flogging Molly to historic locations including Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater, and the band’s annual St. Patrick’s Day outing at the Hollywood Palladium (which sold out) as well as recent performances at European festivals Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Hellfest, and both Slam Dunk Festivals. The band’s annual Salty Dog Cruise sold out 3 years in a row, with the recently announced 2024 edition selling out within one week. The band recently announced Shamrock Rebellion, the band’s own St patricks Day Festival in Orange County CA and Las Vegas, as well as the Road To Rebellion US tour, which features Amigo The Devil and Gen And The Degenerates.

Goldband was in 2022 zonder twijfel dé post-corona sensatie op de festivals. De karakteristiek Haagse popgroep bestaande uit Milo Driessen, Karel Gerlach en De Het Boaz laat zich niet makkelijk in een hokje plaatsen en veroverde sinds hun eerste releases in 2019 gestaag de harten van Nederlandse en Belgische fans. Met een uiteenlopend palet aan genres en een ijzersterke liveshow heeft Goldband laten zien dat je volledig op eigen kracht je dromen waar kan maken, of je nou stukadoor, zolderkamer producer of toneelschool drop-out bent. Met het uit 2021 daterende debuutalbum Betaalbare Romantiek verkocht de act binnen no-time alle zalen in de lage landen uit en speelde het in de zomer van 2022 op de grote podia van onder andere Lowlands, Rock Werchter en Tomorrowland. De vervolgens voor 2023 aangekondigde shows in AFAS Live en Lotto Arena - respectievelijk drie en twee keer - verkochten binnen luttele minuten uit. 3voor12 bekroonde hun Lowlands optreden tot de beste festival show van het jaar en in hetzelfde jaar namen ze de MTV award voor Best Dutch Act én twee 3FM awards mee naar huis. Het live succes zorgde ervoor dat in 2022 een nog groter publiek kennis maakte met de Haagse ex-stukadoors, waardoor zowel het album als hun single Noodgeval een jaar na dato alsnog de top 10 van de hitlijsten bereikte. In 2023 volgden 3 Edisons en won Goldband, als kroon op de nog jonge carrière, de Nederlandse Popprijs.

Charlotte de Witte’s a Belgian born DJ whose surge on the scene has resulted in her being one of the most sought-after names in electronic music today.Highlight performances across the continents, Mixmag & DJ Mag covers, high-ranking positions in the charts & lists, and owner of one of the strongest social media profiles in music today, confirm her status as nouveaux techno royalty.

Zangeres, muzikante en actrice Pommelien Thijs (22) is een van de meest toonaangevende jonge artiesten van het moment. Ze is bekend van megahits als “Erop of Eronder”, “Ongewoon” en “Het Beste Moet Nog Komen”. Haar doorbraakalbum "Per Ongeluk" uit 2023 werd op alle vlakken een triomf: een verzameling vlotte liedjes bomvol levenslust en gevatte zinspreuken. Pommelien maakt zwaardere onderwerpen behapbaar voor alle leeftijden en deinst daarbij niet terug voor de grotere levensdilemma's.Haar liefdesanthem “Ongewoon” werd een van de grootste zomerhits van de afgelopen jaren. Op “Meisjes van Honing” verzoende ze speels kwetsbaarheid met kracht, terwijl “Zilver” zich vol gloed ontfermt over de opwarming van de aarde. Pommelien neemt graag de teugels bij ieder project zelf in handen, van het regisseren van videoclips, het decor voor liveshows tot aan het ontwerpen van haar eigen duurzame outfits.

Becky Hill doesn’t do rules. A hit machine since her teens, the pop powerhouse has forged her own particular path to fame. As successful as a songwriter as she is as an artist, as fierce behind the scenes as she is on stage and as credible as she is commercial, the 27-year-old has become one of Britain’s most successful musicians entirely on her own terms.Only Honest On The Weekend, her years-in-the-making debut album, is both Becky as you know her and as you’ve never heard her before. It arrives on the heels of the gold-selling Get To Know, (a collection of singles Becky either released herself or wrote and guested on), which turned the writer of ten Top 40 hits (including eight platinum records) and a singer with over 1.75 billion streams on Spotify alone, into a household name.“Even I think it’s weird to have a ‘greatest hits’ album out before a debut album,” says Becky. “But it joined so many dots for people who loved the songs, but didn’t necessarily know who had sung them. Profile-wise, it was a game-changer, but I’ve only ever cared about making great music. I’m not in this to be stopped in the street.”On Only Honest On The Weekend you’ll hear the addictive, audacious, straight-talking dance-pop that made Becky the ultimate clubbing companion, the raver you want to rave with. But you’ll also hear vintage disco, retro soul, funk, sassy female anthems and dreamy synth-pop. Lyrically, it’s Becky’s life laid bare, from break-ups and make-ups with the same guy to finding her feet in a male-dominated industry to dealing with life in lockdown.The oldest songs date back to before Becky signed with Polydor Records, some written with her long-time best friend MNEK. A trio of tracks took shape at a writing camp she set up herself and filled with her favourite co-writers. The newest additions were recorded remotely while Becky was busy at home broadcasting live sessions for radio stations and self-producing her critically acclaimed and industry-adored podcast The Art of Rave, for which she booked guests including Roni Size, Sister Bliss, Pete Tong and Basement Jaxx.“I wanted people to see different sides of me,” says Becky. “I’m known for my voice and that’s what ties the tracks together, but it’s not all big, belting vocals. There are intimate songs where I sing softly. You can hear when I’m pissed off, but also when I’m feeling confused or overwhelmed. Some of it will come as a surprise.”Confounding expectations has been key to Becky’s career. The Bewdley-born star began writing songs on guitars aged 13 and by 16 had formed a band to perform in pubs and at open-mic nights. At 17, she auditioned for The Voice to get herself out of finishing sixth form.“I didn’t take it that seriously, but I liked the idea of being judged on your talent, not your appearance,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to be heard rather than seen.”Still, she made it to the semi-finals, using the show to collect contacts to help launch her career the following year. She found a manager, worked tirelessly for 18 months writing songs and honing her craft and then signed her first record deal. By which point she had already been spotted by other musicians who admired her attitude as much as her voice.Becky hooked up with fellow teenager MNEK and the pair co-wrote the double platinum-selling No.1 Gecko (Overdrive) for Oliver Heldens, featuring Becky’s vocals, as well as songs for what Becky assumed would be her soon-to-arrive debut album. She co-wrote the Top 10 hit Afterglow for Wilkinson and co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Powerless, a single from Rudimental’s huge debut Home. With Rudimental, Becky got her first taste of big stages, touring the world with the band for two months and taking planes for the first time in her life.When Losing, her first solo single, charted outside the Top 40, however, Becky was dumped overnight from her deal. Undeterred, she launched her own label, Eko, named in memory of her late uncle’s 12-string guitar which was passed down to her as a child, and released an EP from which four songs flew on to Radio 1, including a duet with Little Simz. Six months later, having turned down an offer from her old label, she signed a new deal with Polydor that allowed her to keep control of her career.Her hits kept coming – False Alarm with Matoma, Back & Forth with Jonas Blue, Piece of Me with MK, Wish You Well with Sigala, Lose Control with Meduza, I Could Get Used To This with Weiss, Afterglow with Wilkinson. Compiled on Get To Know (confirmed by Offcial charts as as one of 2020’s top 5 most streamed albums by a female artist in the UK), Becky’s career went supernova. In both 2019 and 2020 she was crowned the second most-streamed British Female Solo Artist on Spotify UK.

MEROL – de artiestennaam van Merel Baldé (Dordrecht, 1991) – maakt Nederlandstalige elektropop. Met haar eigenzinnige, fantasierijke, tongue-in-cheek teksten die reflecteren op de huidige tijdgeest, is ze een unieke stem binnen de muziekscene. Sinds haar doorbraaksingle ‘Lekker Met De Meiden’ in 2018, verovert ze de harten van Nederland en België. Nadat ze in 2019 het nummer ‘‘Hou Je Bek En Bef Me’ uitbracht, vulde ze in één weekend alle zalen van Paradiso en won ze de 3voor12/3FM Song van het Jaar Award. In 2021 maakte ze een uitstapje naar de Zuiderburen en werd tweede bij het tv-programma De Slimste Mens Ter Wereld. Ze bracht in 2022 haar debuutalbum ‘Troostprijs’ uit en verkocht binnen no-time alle zalen in de lage landen uit. Ze speelde op verschillende festivals waaronder Lowlands, Pukkelpop, Best Kept Secret en Rock Werchter en zette met haar daverende liveshow de tenten op zijn kop. Ze staat bekend om haar zelfspot, iconische kostuums, feministische statements en haar bijzondere, interactieve momenten met publiek.

Electric Callboy write their very own story like no other band around. With their modern sound between 90s pop synths, driving alternative rock and explosive metalcore, the band succeeds in every musical trick they play. Experiments like mixing German Schlager music with deathcore ("Hurricane"), hardstyle influenced industrial metalcore ("Parasite") to their post-hardcore reinterpretation of Cascada's hit single "Everytime We Touch" convince that Electric Callboy master the strongest musical parameters of the respective genres. Over 2 million monthly Spotify listeners, more than 700,000 followers on YouTube and a total of 1 million more followers on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok underline that Electric Callboy is advancing to become the biggest phenomenon in German metal history.Founded in 2010 in Castrop-Rauxel, it didn't take long for the band to gain attention in Germany with their modern trancecore sound. But who would have thought that this sound could lay the foundation for a world career? The release of their debut album "Bury Me In Vegas" made them succeed in charting for the first time ever in 2012 (#65). 2 years later, "We Are The Mess" already charted as a top ten album at #8, followed by "Crystals" in 2015 and "The Scene" in 2017 (both #6), and the album "Rehab" released in 2019 (#16).In June 2020, the release of now gold-certified "Hypa Hypa" marked the beginning of a new era of Electric Callboy – an era that will be marked by even greater success than ever before. Their dedicated and ever-growing fanbase - collecting over 100,000 signatures to convince NDR that Electric Callboy are "radio-ready" enough for Eurovision 2022 – keeps their way to success throughout undeterred.Even without partaking in the Eurovision Songcontest, 2022 will be the band's most successful year to date: Their Hypa Hypa European tour was completely sold out, and with their sixth album “TEKKNO”, Electric Callboy reached No. 1 in the German album charts. In addition, the premiere of their own festival - the Escalation Fest, held at the Rudolf Weber Arena Oberhausen - was rewarded with over 10,000 sold tickets.In 2023, the band was able to sell out almost their entire world tour in addition to Escalation Fest 2023, which was now established as an independent 1-day festival. Thus, their booking agency Contra Promotion reported the sale of a staggering 200,000 tickets, once again proving why Electric Callboy are the band of the moment.The sheer fact that their music is timeless, and far more than a spontaneous trend is proven time and again. In June, Electric Callboy released their current single "Everytime We Touch," a cover of the band Cascada, that already gained over 13 million Spotify streams and nearly 7 million YouTube views in just 4 months. In October, "We Got The Moves" went viral with 250.000 streams per day, advancing to become the band's most successful song alongside "Hypa Hypa" (which counts more than 63 million streams in total).In 2024, Electric Callboy will keep on growing with their fans in continuing their TEKKNO world tour. Sold out halls and arenas will once again prove how successful the band's career continues to write itself in recent years. A remarkable phenomenon that makes you marvel.

In April of 2021, the California based band The Offspring released their 10th studio album “Let The Bad Times Roll”.  The project was finished and launched in the throes of a worldwide pandemic. An album title that seemed so appropriate at the time has actually proven to be anything but…..The Offspring  story since then has been the exact opposite.  It’s been good times only.The band (singer Dexter Holland, guitarist Noodles, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn) have just finished their most critically acclaimed American tour ever after which Dexter Holland said “We played some of the biggest and best shows of our entire career”. With more than three decades of global touring under their belts, that is really saying something.  The twenty-five US dates followed their recent sold-out tours of Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.K. as well as some gigantic festival dates across the E.U..This is a band clearly set on fully maximizing their entertainment potential. Their current audience is more multigenerational than ever and they have a preshow extravaganza that is filled with shenanigans and tomfoolery which most have only seen at sporting events, followed by an Offspring performance filled to the brim with hit song after hit song which sound fresher than ever yet span their entire career.  Truly a show worth seeing and experiencing.The Offspring was first formed in Garden Grove, California in 1984.  After releasing a couple of self-financed records, the band signed to the independent label Epitaph and dropped the album IGNIITION. That was followed shortly thereafter by SMASH which contained the band’s first major hit “Come Out and Play”.  SMASH sold more than 11 million copies and still maintains its’ status as one of the best-selling independent records ever.   Major labels then came calling and the band signed to Columbia Records in 1996.  The Offspring went on to release numerous gold, platinum and multi-platinum certified albums (IXNAY ON THE HOMBRE / AMERICANA / CONSPIRACY OF ONE / SPLINTER / RISE AND FALL, RAGE AND GRACEi / LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL) containing timeless radio mainstays like Kids Aren’t Alright / You’re Gonna Go Far Kid / Self Esteem / Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) and Why Don’t You Get A Job. Holland has never been afraid to pen topical material or confront social issues in a nuanced way.  Those same messages are more important now than ever before.

From the very beginning, Royal Blood’s story has been one of two life-long friends, Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher, whose shared passion for rousing, full-throttle hard rock has led them on an extraordinary adventure together – a story of such success that has yet to be repeated, leading to a succession of achievements that are as rare as they are remarkable. One day they were plotting how to recoup the meagre £300 they had spent on their first recording, but within a year they were at the top of UK album charts, storming Glastonbury and winning the BRIT Award for Best British Group.The duo’s initial outlook reflected the authenticity of the bands they had grown-up admiring. “The aim was simply to make music for ourselves and each other, and we trusted that as the only reliable way to measure the quality of the music we made,” says Mike. “It’s never been about creating music based upon the expectations of the outside world.” That’s an attitude which still defines everything that they do. Once an album is released, he adds, any opinions that anyone offers are completely out of his control. When all that external noise is stripped away, the only thing that matters is that they’re both proud of the music that they’ve made. It’s a matter of trust, of independence, and of sticking to everything that you believe in.It’s unusual that such an uncompromising approach results in what appeared to be a classic overnight success story. But, as Mike explains, the reality was somewhat different. “No-one sees the years of playing in loads of bands, that all gets swept under the carpet because the other story is magical and much more wondrous.” Prior to their sudden breakthrough, Mike and Ben had been playing in bands together for years, often under inglorious circumstances such as being stopped after two songs while playing in a pub because the volume was putting customers off their dinners. Ben compares their slow ascent to that of IDLES or Architects: they’ve been together a similar amount of time, but Royal Blood’s early grind was entirely away from the public eye. As Ben remembers, “We were playing together ten years before Royal Blood blew up, so when it did we were so prepared musically.”Fast-forward to 2022. ‘Typhoons’ had proven to be a third successful chapter in the Royal Blood tale as it completed a hat-trick of chart-topping albums (the other being 2017’s ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’), underlined by a huge UK arena tour and an array of international festival dates. Their creative juices were flowing, as evidenced by the standalone single ‘Honeybrains’, but there wasn’t a structured plan as to what would come next.Which, it turns out, was exactly what they needed. Instead, they focused on instinct over analysis, feeling over thinking and let the songs come naturally - a process boosted by having the freedom to stroll down to their studio space near their homes in Brighton whenever a moment of inspiration struck. While everything had changed for Royal Blood over the course of the previous decade, the reason for forming the band was completely unchanged: the simple joy of Mike plugging in, Ben picking up his sticks, and the pair making a racket for the sheer fun of it.“There’s definitely some of that shoot-from-the-hip mentality when no-one’s looking, and that’s all over our first album,” affirms Mike. “I think it’s probably taken us to get to this point to go full circle.”Just as importantly, they cast aside any preconceptions of what Royal Blood should be. Buoyed by the reaction greeted to the piano-based live favourite ‘All We Have Is Now’, they allowed themselves the freedom to embrace other ideas: at times being guided by melodies rather than riffs and rhythms, and at others deploying whatever instrumentation they felt best complemented the songs. If in doubt, they returned to a core belief: that the sound of Royal Blood isn’t defined by genre or the instruments that they play, but by the unique chemistry forged by the two friends.While the recent single ‘Mountains At Midnight’ offered a supercharged take on the old school Royal Blood prototype, the resulting album, ‘Back To The Water Below’, offers plenty of surprises without ever compromising the essence of their identity. ‘Shiner In The Dark’ sets a rock ‘n’ roll swagger to the tight, danceable rhythms that pulsated throughout the ‘Typhoons’ album. Devoid of distortion, ‘The Firing Line’ represents a bigger departure, its ‘90s alt-rock tone and an underbelly of psychedelia later elevated by a chiming piano melody. ‘Pull Me Through’ goes further still, uniting the plaintive piano with a full-blooded denouement. They’re songs which will not only provide a broader spectrum of moods, but that will provide the contrasts to amplify the power of their most fiery moments.As Ben credits, “Watching Mike, the progression in his songwriting, and going to different chords, which is where a lot of the piano stuff comes in, feels really interesting and unique. I think that’s a major part of this record.”