Revolution Calling 2025 - Hardcore’s Gold-Standard Gathering

Klokgebouw, Eindhoven – 22nd November 2025

WORDS MATT OLIVER / IMAGES BY RONJA, Dian Van Den Heuvel, TIJSVL, Alexander Vanderwallen

Revolution Calling 2025

Over the last five years Revolution Calling has quietly cemented its reputation as Europe’s premier indoor hardcore festival. This year it delivered its strongest case yet: three stages, no barriers, all ages, and a lineup that pulled crowds from over 55 countries. The bill managed the near-impossible: reuniting cornerstone acts with long-dormant European appearances, booking bands that rarely play the continent at all, and still leaving room for the most exciting names emerging right now. On paper it looked greedy. In practice it worked.

Gates opened at twelve: upon entering there was a tribute wall to legends of the scene that have been lost along the way; quick bag checks, friendly staff, inside within minutes. Lockers made things easy – I left my phone and warm clothes in there and came back as and when needed. The token system kept bars moving fast, and the Klokgebouw’s three-stage layout meant almost no clashes. Merchandise was well organised: each stage had its own booths, and the upstairs Stronger Stage area offered a solid selection of vinyl (including limited pressings), rare shirts and tour exclusives from most of the bill. Queues stayed short. The festival also ran its own in-house photo and video team; every set was professionally filmed, with live releases planned for the coming months. The organisation was fantastic, a much better experience than UK festivals; the Dutch really know how to do it. Sound across all rooms was excellent: loud, clear and balanced, with guitar detail cutting through even during the heaviest breakdowns – no ringing ears afterwards.

Every band played as if their lives depended on it, and the reason was simple: here the crowd is as much the show as the bands on stage. With no barriers and total freedom to move, stage dive, sing, or simply lose yourself, the room becomes one organism. Even if a particular style of hardcore or punk isn’t your usual thing, the sheer joy around you – smiles everywhere, people having the time of their lives – makes every set exhilarating.

Stampin’ Ground opened the Revolution Stage with their first mainland European show since 2014. Twenty years on since I last saw them the UK hardcore legends still hit with the same feral intensity – ferocious, nostalgic, and utterly convincing.

Whispers followed with slow, heavy beatdowns; their own distinct sound cuts through language barriers; even with broken-English between-song banter the crowd’s appreciation was deafening.

Big Boy stepped up next and the singer looked genuinely stunned – the entire floor screaming back nearly every lyric on their European festival debut. A breakout moment.

Killing Time reminded everyone why NYHC royalty never retires; hearing those songs live after so long felt like a privilege.

Terror turned the main room into the busiest launch pad I’ve ever witnessed – more stage dives than seemed physically possible, delivered with the reliability only a band this deep into their catalogue can offer.

No Turning Back played fast, heavy and anthemic. With singer Martijn also running the festival, the mutual respect was palpable – almost every band on the bill thanked him and the Stronger Bookings from the stage, a rare and genuine display of scene love.

Guilt Trip brought Manchester brutality and won plenty of new fans with crushing riffs and a relentless pit.

No Pressure offered a melodic detour that still packed the floor, full of huge singalongs.

Slapshot delivered the emotional weight of their final European performance – forty-plus years of Boston hardcore distilled into one blistering, heartfelt goodbye.

Cold As Life struck short and vicious, leaving the pit battered and breathless.

Gorilla Biscuits detonated the day’s biggest reaction with “Start Today,” turning the venue into one massive, multi-generational celebration.

Hatebreed closed the main stage with a late-night masterclass in destruction, leaning heavily into Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire and Under the Knife-era classics – a relentless reminder of why they remain untouchable.

By the time Haywire brought the curtain down on the Warzone stage after 1 a.m. with their fast, chaotic Boston hardcore the Klokgebouw had delivered twelve hours of relentless, barrier-free hardcore without a single dip in quality or energy. Revolution Calling isn’t just Europe’s biggest indoor festival – it’s the gold standard: flawlessly run, genuinely communal, and packed with performances that felt historic from the first note to the last. If you care about hardcore even a little, make this your annual pilgrimage. See you at the front in 2026.