Brakrock 2026, day Two, part One.
Total Chaos at Brakrock in Duffel, Belgium 8/8/2026. All photos by Paul Holstein.
Saturday, we woke up in Belgium and headed out for a good cup of coffee. We were treated to something of a farmer's market all down the cobblestone street outside of our hotel and grabbed coffees at a local bakery. We were all together again, comparing notes between those of us that had been at the first day of Brakrock and the rest that had travelled on to Alcatraz Fest (one of my friend's brother-in-law is the tour manager for Savatage, which played into that decision). This would be the biggest and best day at Brakrock, so we were excited to get moving, and it didn't take long before we were walking to the train station and heading the two stops back to Duffel.
Day one had been so hectic that even though I had purchased €35 worth of food tokens, I hadn't used any of them. On day two I vowed not to let that happen again and made it my priority to start with two pieces of thin-crust Margherita pizza. I'm pescatarian but usually choose vegetarian, and there was no shortage at all of choices (including veggie burgers and dogs, Belgian fries with rich, creamy Belgian-style mayo, and ice cream). I do record reviews for In-Spite Magazine, and I'd recently reviewed Western Addiction's "Psychedelic Munitions" and Melonball's "Take Care" full lengths, and they were both excellent. Those would be the first two bands of the day, although I did stop and catch just a few songs from TIJS Vanneste & Tangled Horns at the River Stage on the way in.
Western Addiction killed it on the Woods Stage, and this time I was aware of the hedge and completely avoided it by stepping over it right to the stage. Western Addiction is a good mix of hardcore and melodic punk, singing about topics like inequality, capitalism, depression, food waste, and historical underdogs. I was especially excited to hear the songs from their new album (their first in 6 years), with "The First Witch" being the standout. I was able to catch the entire set and then headed across the park back over to the Lake Stage for Melonball. When I got over there, I had a few minutes before they went on, and there were only a few people at the rail. I was able to ask Lena (their singer) what song number "Silence = Compliance" would be, as I was hoping to record that one in addition to taking photos. She answered, "First, of course," and then said that I should still stay for the entire set. When I told her that I would like to but had to leave to catch The Adolescents next over on the Woods Stage, she informed me that they had switched with Toxic Shock and would now be up next right here. They played an incredible and energetic set, but I still had to cut it short in order to catch Toxic Shock (and I'm glad that I did).
Toxic Shock at Brakrock in Duffel, Belgium 8/8/2026. All photos by Paul Holstein.
Toxic Shock is another band touring a new album for 2026, which I reviewed for In-Spite Magazine ("Future Is Calling"). This was their first album in 9 years, and Brakrock gave it the description "...a microwave burrito forgotten for nine years, now exploding with the fury of a thousand jalapeños the second you open the door." Even though they are somewhat metal, influenced by Slayer, Testament, and Metallica, I reviewed the album, and I loved it. This set was more memorable for the energy than the music. The single craziest thing that I saw all weekend was the singer of Toxic Shock doing a complete airborne somersault into the hedge, then crawling out on all fours with his microphone still in hand to continue the song in the crowd. Back on stage, he continued to climb onto and jump off of the stacked speakers, jump and flip, and did an extended headstand on the drum kit (at one point balancing only on his head). It was amazing, and I hated for it to end, but The Adolescents were up next.
The Adolescents at Brakrock in Duffel, Belgium 8/8/2026. All photos by Paul Holstein.
My all-time favourite band is NOFX, so whenever I get a chance to see The Adolescents, I think of the line from NOFX's "Everything In Moderation", where Fat Mike says that he still gets excited when The Adolescents play. Well, I do too. I saw them most recently at a Punk Rock Bowling club show, so there was some irony in catching them here after PRB was cancelled this year. They played a great set, with "5150 or Fight" and "Brats in Battalions" being standouts for me. It was hard to break away, but I left just a couple of songs before the end to stop by the River Stage to catch the end of Talco and then head over to the Woods Stage for Scream.
Scream at Brakrock in Duffel, Belgium 8/8/2026. All photos by Paul Holstein.
I was absolutely mesmerized by Scream's set, from start to finish. For those who don't know, these guys go all the way back to nearly the beginning of punk rock, with their first records being on Dischord Records in the early 1980's and featuring Ian McKaye (Minor Threat) on back-up vocals with Jeff Nelson (Minor Threat) doing their artwork. In the late 1980s, Dave Grohl was their drummer before he went on to be in Nirvana and later The Foo Fighters. Peter Stahl was the original singer, and he hasn't missed a step over the years. At Brakrock he came out dressed like The Man In Black from Westworld, which started out looking sharp and ended up covered in sweat and dirt. He was all over the stage, standing on the amps and crawling along the front edge. At one point he jumped off, into the hedges, and emerged in the crowd for a few songs. Later, he brought out an acoustic guitar, which ended up smashed and also in the hedge. It was a performance for the ages, but I had time for one more band before the day would be half over and I could scarf down a quick dinner.
Rad The Impaler at Brakrock in Duffel, Belgium 8/8/2026. All photos by Paul Holstein.
I made my way over to the Lake Stage again, which had become my favorite, to see Total Chaos and hopefully Rad The Impaler. I'd seen them the prior month in Salt Lake City, Utah, with my entire family while on a vacation to Moab. They were touring with the artist Rad The Impaler, who did a few songs with them on stage and ran their merch booth. My parents, both in their 80s, had talked to her and done a few selfies as well as spent some time at the stage dancing (but avoiding an actual pit). After they finished an energetic show featuring all of the songs I wanted to hear, AND with Rad coming out to join them again, I found that my press pass allowed me to go backstage. I talked to the band and got some candid backstage photos, and they did remember us from the Salt Lake City show! As I headed back to the main area for lunch, I reflected on what an incredible festival it had been so far. The best of the best were still to come, though, with The Exploited, No Fun At All, Haywire, Agnostic Front, NØFX, and The Casualties still to come.
