On Saturday, June 29, 2024, we will once again transform Cultuurhuis De Leest in Izegem into a ‘new wave temple’ for day 2 of the third edition of the Pekkersfeesten. Traditionally, on this black Saturday you can enjoy top bands from the genre, from emerging talent to established names. Afterwards, we will continue until the early hours in the Cultuurcafé with the afterparty. Again, not to be missed.
Tickets are available immediately via www.pekkersfeesten.be and cost 38 euros in presale, 45 euros at the door.
Time schedule to be announced later. Doors open at 2 p.m. – Start festival at 3 p.m.
Introducing bands:
We are very proud to have She Past Away joining us this year. This Turkish post-punk band is a true household name in the dark genre. The distinctive guitar sound of the post-punk era, combined with minimalist poetry in Turkish create a burst of sentimental angst. She Past Away is propulsive and mesmerizing. An incredible live experience with Volkan Caner (guitar and vocals) and Doruk Öztürkcan (keyboard and drum machine). An unmissable performance and worthy finale to the festival day of the Pekkersfeesten.
Agent Side Grinder is also a foreign band, from beautiful Sweden! A post-punk and electronic band that originated in the early 2000s, they are already on their sixth album, Jack Vegas (2023), which takes listeners on an analog journey through Alerika and Sweden, highlighting their versatility and creativity. Joy Division is never far away with these Swedes. But influences from Kraftwerk, Neu! and Front 242 can also be heard. ‘ASG’ effortlessly brings these references to the current era and never sounds dated anywhere. This Swedish trio is all set for the Pekkersfeesten.
With Velvet Mist, we are sure to pay attention to Belgian acts of the genre as well. They describe themselves as a collage of dark, melancholy guitars and synths with a strong 80’s Goth rock and new wave vibe. This band that originated in corona year 2020 in Heist-op-den-Berg played their live debut there in August 2023, with not much later their dazzling passage at W-Festival in Ostend. During corona, they released their first single with “Hollow Eyes,” which was played on Radio Willy, among others, and in early August 2023 they launched “Valley of Dreams. The band does not perform very often, which is why we are very happy that they are coming to play exclusively at the Pekkersfeesten.
Erato has been in the scene for a long time. This gothicrock group from Dilbeek took a long break, but is now alive and kicking again. The band formed in 1993 and won the Gothrally in 1997. At the same time, their first demo ‘A Killed God’ was released on cassette. Several CDs followed that confirmed the band’s reputation: ‘The Irreplaceable One’ in 2001, ‘III’ in 2002 and ‘NAIVe’ in 2009. Around 2015, things went somewhat quiet around the band. Long
lingering recordings of an album that never materialized and other interests of the band members caused Erato to go into hibernation. But since 2022, they are back at it again. In 2023 they still celebrated their 30th anniversary at the Fonnefeesten, among other venues, and on June 29 the men of Erato are finally coming to the Pekkersfeesten.
DaGeist, the new wave band from Lille (France) has come a long way since their debut album ’40’ from 2016. The duo consisting of Davide Schiavoni and Frederic Strzelczyk were immediately pushed onto various dark stages in various countries in Europe and even New York. In 2024 they will be in Malta and Barcelona, among other places, but they still found the time to come to picturesque Izegem for the Pekkersfeesten. The duo’s music takes you into a dark universe laced with pop, rock and electro sounds that determined the success of many bands in the 80s and 90s. Highly recommended!
Pure Kult is The Cult’s best tribute band. Guitarist of The Cult Billy Duffy listened to the recordings of this tribute band and was tremendously positively surprised. Singer Ian Astbury’s unique voice is carried effortlessly by vocalist Bart and Billy Duffy’s beautiful guitar riffs are played seamlessly and with passion by Joeri. Backed by a tight and tight rhythm tandem, you are offered a Cult experience to say U-turn. The hits and obscurer work are mixed perfectly until the final apotheosis. Even if you don’t know many of The Cult’s songs, after seeing Pure Kult you are guaranteed to start listening to their music…and that’s what they do it for! A solid opener to the Pekkersfeesten.