Rock Werchter 2025, Werchter • Festivals • DIY Magazine

It’s early July in Belgium on a scorching day. The sun is beating down ferociously on a few waning faces, but others clutch their water bottles and soldier on, hauling tents and bulging backpacks down a muddy footpath towards a distant thumping bass. The truth is the heat can’t stop anyone from reaching this year’s Rock Werchter festival for its venerable 50th anniversary. The weekend promises a belter of a line-up, from seasoned legends to the industry’s hottest acts of the moment.

Wandering into the festival during the early evening of the first day, the area is swept with fans queuing to catch a glimpse of Jacob Collier’s exhilarating set at Rock Werchter’s Barn stage. He’s emanating the exact amount of feverish energy needed to kick-start a festival (well, no surprises there) with a few spirited renditions of ‘All I Need’ and ‘Over You’, teasing the audience into singing some scattered (though strongly enthusiastic) harmonies with him, waving and swaying in such palpable glee that it’s hard not to melt into this wholesome atmosphere.

Meanwhile, across the field on the Main Stage, Deftones are serving up quite the opposite platter to a curious crowd which is growing by the minute, crawling through moody palette-cleanser ‘Beware’ and nudging the tempo up with every song as the set swells towards its end. Lead singer Chino Moreno is drenched in sweat by the time they’re done (with the amount of times he thrashes his head to Stephen Carpenter’s fierce riffs, it’s no wonder) and it’s all the perfect tease towards the evening’s headline act: Linkin Park.

For many, this will be the first time seeing Linkin Park with new lead singer Emily Armstrong, who joined the band last year after its seven-year hiatus following Chester Bennington’s untimely death. It would be pretty fair if they’re nervous to perform, but it’s a riotous hour and a half we have ahead of us as Mike Shinoda shouts out his greeting to a shrieking crowd: “Good evening, Werchter. You ready to have a good time with us?.” He drinks in a millisecond of the crowd’s bubbling screams before yelling, “Let’s go!” and launches the band into a blizzard of noise for opening number ‘Somewhere I Belong’. Emily wastes no time finding her feet, delivering harsh, stentorian vocals relentlessly through ‘Numb’, ‘Heavy Is the Crown’ and ‘The Emptiness Machine’ in a hurricane performance that demands time aside afterwards to process this archetypal moment in rock history.

Next up, performing on a new day after a comfy night’s sleep at the festival’s Hive Resort, San Diego outfit Thee Sacred Souls have taken to KluB C. It’s a velvety set delivered by this sauve trio, drifting through fan favourites ‘Can I Call You Rose?’, ‘Will I See You Again?’ and ‘Easier Said Than Done’ with such charm you can feel the crowd swoon, magnetised by Josh Lane’s every lyric. Then it’s the turn of Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg, whose sophomore album ‘Moisturizer’ is on the brink of release. It’s a fact that’s on Rhian Teasdale’s mind as she struts on stage and dives into ‘Wet Dream’ with all the vigour and drama of a seasoned pro. But it’s mid afternoon, so the crowd needs a bit more excitement to find their squeals. “How do you guys feel about screaming?” yells Rhian, “Are you ready to rage?” And just like that, we’re screeching “What?” back at them as they thrash through ‘Chaise Longue’.

Across the field, Celeste is playing to a burgeoning crowd that spills out the back of the venue. In a tender moment, she wells up during ‘Strange’ and a group of front-row fans weep with her. For this star (think Adele crossed with Amy Winehouse and a dab of Jorja Smith) it’s a defining moment that requires a pause, a deep breath, and a hearty applause to move past.

We’re spoiled for choice on who to see next - Lola Young might be the most anticipated up-and-comer on this year’s lineup, which is obvious when The Barn fills up in minutes before her arrival. She may have played Wembley Arena at Capital’s Summertime Ball just days before, but she’s still visibly shocked at the number of onlookers before she taps into her newest hit, ‘One Thing’.

However, we’d be lying if we said Green Day and Raye weren’t our two favourites from Rock Werchter 2025. It’s not every day when the bratty ‘American Idiot’ riff blasts out to a midnight crowd stretching a mile back, screaming themselves hoarse, made all the more stupendous on 4 July. Billie Joe Armstrong can barely hear himself speak through the racket, but makes a conscious effort to give his bandmates Tré Cool and Mike Dirnt time in the spotlight before they roar through ‘Jesus of Suburbia’, ‘Holiday’ and ‘Basket Case’. From the sobbing fan invited onstage to an incredible field-wide “F*** Donald Trump” chant, it’s a moment etched in history.

And Raye… what a powerhouse. If there’s anyone who can make a headline show feel like an intimate gig, it’s her. Between her polished, vocally mind bending performances of ‘Worth It’ and ‘Oscar Winning Tears’, she also makes time to get raw with her poignant track ‘Ice Cream Man’, shedding tears in utter disbelief at the adoring response. In one set, she wraps her arms around tens of thousands of us and, like family, invites every person to dance, sing and cry with her.

Rock Werchter’s 50th anniversary is stamped with pride by some of the industry’s most revered artists. They amplify (quite literally) Belgium’s festival buzz to an unfathomable level, and the drum of it all leaves one main thought on everyone’s mind: wow, can’t believe we just witnessed that.