Hearing about All Teeth‘s break-up and Birds In Row‘s cancellation was a big letdown. However, we got some good bands in return leading up to a great show with some cool bands. On July 8th around 150 kids gathered in Alphen aan den Rijn, waiting with great anticipation for Defeater to set off their performance in Het Kasteel. It was up to Former Thieves, Code Orange Kids, The Tidal Sleep and a great amount of support acts to warm up the crowd. This was Making Moshkings Summerfest 2012!

First up was As Prayers Fail, a Dutch act from the Rotterdam/Dordrecht area. This group of guys who know their way around the metalcore and post-hardcore genres got the early birds warmed up. The second band of the day was Hawser, our close friends. They started their just over 20 minute set of trashy hardcore and got the crowd of kids in the front really going. Next up was The Tidal Sleep from Germany. This band started in the summer of 2011 and have already put out a full-length album and made it on the bill of a big European tour. A mixture of post-hardcore, overflowing with emotions that makes you think of a band like Touché Amoré, that’s the sound that took us by surprise and won us over. Keep an eye out for these guys. Up fourth were the hardcore veterans in 21 Gun Salute. A Dutch band that has been around since the great MySpace era, and who are doing their thing ever since. They are great guys who are well known throughout the Dutch hardcore scene, and know how to get the kids going with their sound.

We’re delighted to see a band like This Ends Tonight pop up in Holland. Their melodic twist adds a fresh sound to tonight’s show. The young band gave a great live performance with a vocalist who stands tall on stage. There’s a lot of good Counterparts and Misery Signals influences as well, which adds up to a refreshing sound in our scene.

If you would put Converge and The Chariot in a melting pot, and spin it slowly, you would probably end up with something that sounds like Code Orange Kids. The Pittsburgh, PA foursome plays a chaotic, fierce form of hardcore that lets go of all breaks. It seemed like not all kids enjoyed, or understood the band’s musical direction, but sure as hell they played a good set. With three singers, they offer an interesting blend of vocal sounds, supported by a heavy, impressive foundation of guitar work and drum fills. Code Orange Kids are one of a kind, get to it.

Former Thieves played a great show full of energy. Where Code Orange Kids had an unbelievably down tempo, these guys were rocking on full speed. Even though the singer had to cope with some irritating technical problems with the microphone, it didn’t seem to bother him or hold him back from doing his thing: making music.

And then… The band we were all waiting for, Defeater, hit the stage. Almost directly a group of kids formed in front, a group that would grow and last until the very end of the set, singing along to every single song the band played. It was great to see all these young kids live up to see these guys who come all the way from the US to play shows in Europe. After a couple of songs most of the band walked off stage and only singer and front man Derek Archambault was left on stage, alone with his guitar. All of a sudden guys who were going absolutely crazy just one minute ago wandered off back into the crowd to find their girlfriends there. Everyone came closer as the dance floor disappeared and together we sang ‘I Don’t Mind’, seeing that other part of a Defeater show. Overall you could say that Defeater has become a softer band than it once was, filling their set with more ballad like stuff than full out, raw hardcore songs. That doesn’t mean they aren’t a good band anymore or that they have sold out. Defeater is doing what they want to do and have the guts to do what they want to do, which is something great and what making music is all about.

We enjoyed a great show with cool bands, both local and from out of the country. Every band did their thing, and the people that were there loved it. We had a great time and we want to thank everyone for helping out to make shows like this happen. Support your local scene!

Written by Ruben Middelweerd, Stijn van ‘t Land and Tim van Reyswoud
Photos by Anne Carolien Köhler • Facebook