{"id":10348,"date":"2015-05-05T12:43:51","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T12:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/live-review-groezrock-2015-meerhout-belgium\/"},"modified":"2018-07-10T12:53:55","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T11:53:55","slug":"live-review-groezrock-2015-meerhout-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/live-review-groezrock-2015-meerhout-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Review: Groezrock 2015 – Meerhout, Belgium – 02\/05\/2015"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"If Friday ended on a bit of a downer then at least Love Zombies<\/b> are on hand to put a smile on our faces. Although not for the right reasons. Laughably bad, not even a keytar can save them from ridicule (in fact, some might ridicule them for having a keytar anyway\u2026). There\u2019s nothing remotely redeeming about them and it does anger me somewhat when bands such as this get prestigious festival slots over much more deserving acts. (1\/5)<\/figure>\n

Riled up, we head to The Holy Mess<\/b> \u2013 only to discover that if our morning got off to a slow start, then at least it wasn\u2019t as bad as theirs. Having flown in especially for the show, they look like they\u2019ve taken the festival vibe a little too seriously. Steve-O Niemoczynski shows up a couple of minutes late with stories of getting arrested with Pennywise\u2019s Flether Dragge, arriving late and having difficulty scoring drugs. He doesn\u2019t remove his sunglasses for the entire set, perhaps adding credence to his shamefully hungover stories. Even if the stories are pure fabrication, The Holy Mess<\/b> are still good fun and enough to feel like Saturday\u2019s festivities at Groezrock<\/b> are well and truly under way. (3\/5)<\/p>\n

Making a change from the relentless metalcore on the Impericon Stage, The Interrupters<\/b> bring some much needed bounce to Saturday morning, as well as a heavy ska vibe and some killer pop tunes. Clearly overwhelmed by the rapturous reception, vocalist Aimee Interrupter sports a huge grin as she gallops around the stage. A cover of Operation Ivy\u2019s \u2018Sound System\u2019<\/i> unsurprisingly goes down a storm, but it\u2019s their own material, and in particular the rousing \u2018Family\u2019<\/i> that leaves a lasting impression. (4\/5)<\/p>\n

Timeshares<\/b> have already won over Already Heard thanks to their brilliant new album, \u2018Already Dead\u2019<\/i>, so we were excited to see if they can deliver live as they hit the Revenge stage. They\u2019re a hugely likeable group \u2013 and another to somewhat overwhelmed to be playing to a packed tent. As \u2018Already Dead\u2019<\/i> has only been out a week, it\u2019s fair to say this was the first time a lot of people had heard the new songs, but you can\u2019t deny the quality of the songwriting, especially on the likes of the killer \u2018Spend the Night\u2019<\/i>. (3.5\/5)<\/p>\n

Next up was another one of our favourites, Lincoln rockers Bad Ideas<\/b>. Having won a competition to appear on the Macbeth stage, the group were making the most of the opportunity, delivering a strong set of punchy punk-edged rock songs. Having attended Groezrock for the last 4 years as fans, it was great to see them get a great slot, and even some pre-show technical issues weren\u2019t going to derail their plans (in fact, their pals in Ducking Punches<\/b> were on hand to help with some equipment issues). That said the likes of \u2018Clumsy Hands\u2019<\/i> sounded great and with plenty lined up in 2015, expect to be hearing a lot more from them before the end of the year\u2026 (4\/5)<\/p>\n

Ducking Punches<\/b> were another group to make their way to Meerhout courtesy of Macbeth. And, like Bad Ideas<\/b>, fully took the opportunity to shine on the festival stage. Drawing a sizeable crowd, their infectious folk punk was the perfect accompaniment to a bright Saturday afternoon, and you couldn\u2019t fault the gusto with which they attacked their set. Throw in a couple of genuinely heartfelt moments \u2013 not least of all a tribute to a friend who committed suicide \u2013 and you can understand why there\u2019s a lot of love for, and buzz around, these guys. (4\/5)<\/p>\n

Another band feeling the love is Minneapolis\u2019 ace pop-punkers Banner Pilot<\/b>. Again, the tent is packed for them, which is always nice to see. They\u2019re an odd one in so much as they don\u2019t really sound like a Fat Wreck Chords band (although that\u2019s where you\u2019ll find their last couple of albums). A friend described them as a \u201cbaby Dillinger 4\u201d (who were ironically on Fat) and I can kind of see it \u2013 but they still play outrageously catchy, heartfelt pop-punk of a style I wouldn\u2019t normally associate with Fat, and they also put on one heck of a show. It culminates in a spectacular rendition of \u2018Skeleton Key\u2019<\/i> with people throwing themselves off the stage with reckless abandon. Vocalist Nick Johnson looked genuinely stoked and humbled at the reaction, and I love it when bands are genuinely surprised when people sing their songs back so loudly. (4.5\/5)<\/p>\n

And the crowd is loud for Bane<\/b>. Very loud indeed. Although the side tents have all been packed for most of the sets, it\u2019s uncomfortably busy for the Massachusetts hardcore heroes. Personal space is at a premium on the floor, and at the side of the stage there must be about 40 people crammed in, excluding photographers, to witness something special. And Bane<\/b> don\u2019t disappoint. After 20 years at the top, the band have said they don\u2019t plan to release any more new music \u2013 2014\u2019s \u2018Don\u2019t Wait Up\u2019<\/i> proving to be an excellent swansong \u2013 but I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll ever keep them off the stage, where they thrive. And tonight, you can understand why. The likes of \u2018Count Me Out\u2019<\/i> sound so raw and passionate it\u2019s impossible to not get swept along with the diehards. Naturally, the place erupts for \u2018Can We Start Again\u2019<\/i>, with vocalist Aaron Bedard swamped by stage invaders. It\u2019s beyond chaotic but it\u2019s also an affirmation of why we love this sort of music. Bane are masters of it and long may they continue. (4.5\/5)<\/p>\n

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones<\/b> are masters of their own trade, and they also know how to put on a heck of a show. And, like the end of Bane\u2019s set, they have plenty of bodies on stage \u2013 only here, most of them are playing instruments. It\u2019s easy to forget both just how enormous The Mighty Mighty Bosstones<\/b> were in the 1990s, and also how many songs you instantly recognize. \u2018The Rascal King\u2019<\/i> gets dropped early, while \u2018Someday I Suppose\u2019<\/i> is greeted like an old friend. Needless to say, the place goes off for \u2018The Impression That I Get\u2019<\/i>. (4\/5)<\/p>\n

Groezrock is the first show in Europe As Friends Rust<\/b> have played since a small run of UK shows and a quick stop off at Groez seven years ago. If As Friends Rust<\/b> have any nerves as they rip into \u2018We On Some Next Level Shit\u2019<\/i>, it doesn\u2019t show though, and soon the tent is bouncing, singing and finger-pointing along in unison. \u2018Coffee Black\u2019<\/i> gets the biggest singalong of the weekend \u2013 and rightly so, as it\u2019s such an affirmative banger \u2013 but it\u2019s still amazing to hear so many people sing all of the words. Vocalist Damien Moyal is generous with the microphone throughout, dishing it out to fans at the front frequently, and the band is another to look overwhelmed at both the volume of people in the tent and their rabid reaction to every song. \u2018Like Strings\u2019<\/i> brings arguably one of the sets of the weekend to a close \u2013 and with a new compilation out, titled \u2018Greatest Hits?\u2019<\/i>, if you haven\u2019t heard Gainesville\u2019s finest, it\u2019s the ideal opportunity to check out some of the finest melodic hardcore you can imagine\u2026 (5\/5)<\/p>\n

While As Friends Rust<\/b> have been semi-dormant over the last decade, Millencolin<\/b> have been touring relentlessly, playing all over the world to adoring crowds. Groezrock feels like something of a homecoming for the Swedish skatepunk heroes and they\u2019re at the top of their game from the off. With a new album, \u2018True Brew\u2019<\/i>, just out, they draw heavily on this, but still throw in enough of the old hits to keep the fans happy. \u2018Fox\u2019<\/i> is a huge bouncing, pogoing, rush of excitement, with the crowd matching guitarists Erik Ohlsson and Mathias Farm, who spend the song charging across stage like a couple of on-the-run bulls. However, it\u2019s the encore that really gets the fans moving, with \u2018Penguins & Polar Bears\u2019<\/i>, \u2018Lozin\u2019 Must\u2019<\/i> \u2013 dedicated to Refused, for whom the song title is a tribute \u2013 and \u2018No Cigar\u2019<\/i> all hitting the spot perfectly. (4\/5)<\/p>\n

Somewhat surprisingly, there\u2019s a rush to the gates following Millencolin<\/b>, but Refused<\/b> don\u2019t bat an eyelid. In fact, many of today\u2019s hardcore bands owe Refused a debt of gratitude, and for all the technical blastbeat drumming coming from the Impericon stage over the weekend, it\u2019s great to see one of the true innovators of hardcore go and do their thing. It\u2019s a shame they\u2019re not the most exciting to watch \u2013 only Dennis Lyxzen runs around the stage \u2013 or into the crowd \u2013 while everyone else remains rooted to the spot. However, they\u2019re not dull to listen to, and they blast through a solid set of alt-punk\/hardcore anthems including \u2018The Shape of Punk to Come\u2019<\/i> with purpose and conviction. A great little aside to \u2018Reign In Blood\u2019<\/i> during \u2018The Deadly Rhythm\u2019<\/i> raises a fair few cheers (and a lot of laughs), but it\u2019s an encore including \u2018New Noise\u2019<\/i> \u2013 and a spectacular job by the lighting team \u2013 that sends everyone back to their tents happy after another day of excellent punk rock action. (3\/5)<\/p>\n

Best weekend of the year so far? You bet. See you, and all of your relentless shenanigans, next year Meerhout. <\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If Friday ended on a bit of a downer then at least Love Zombies are on hand to put a smile on our faces. Although not for the right reasons. Laughably bad, not even a keytar can save them from ridicule (in fact, some might ridicule them for having a keytar anyway\u2026). There\u2019s nothing remotely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,8181],"tags":[4170,5884,3641,4979,4868,100,3548,5881,5657,4627,15022,5882,2145,5883,4243],"class_list":["post-10348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-reviews","category-post","tag-4170","tag-as-friends-rust","tag-bad-ideas","tag-bane","tag-banner-pilot","tag-ducking-punches","tag-groezrock","tag-live-reviews","tag-love-zombies","tag-millencolin","tag-rob-mair","tag-the-holy-mess","tag-the-interrupters","tag-the-mighty-mighty-bosstones","tag-timeshares"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLive Review: Groezrock 2015 - Meerhout, Belgium - 02\/05\/2015 - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If Friday ended on a bit of a downer then at least Love Zombies are on hand to put a smile on our faces. 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