Azkena Rock Festival 2027 is already looking like one of those festivals that is going to be very difficult for rock fans to ignore!
The first announcement for the 25th anniversary edition has landed, and Azkena has gone straight for the jugular with a wonderfully unpredictable mix of rock, punk, alternative, Americana, blues and everything in between. Taking place in Vitoria-Gasteiz from 17th to 19th June 2027, the festival has revealed a first wave of artists that includes MARILYN MANSON, BAD RELIGION, PATTI SMITH QUARTET, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS and WILCO.
And that is only the beginning!
There is something particularly Azkena about this line-up. Rather than simply assembling the biggest names available, the festival has once again built a bill around artists with character, history and very different ideas about what rock music can be.
MARILYN MANSON brings the theatrical darkness, while BAD RELIGION arrive with the kind of punk pedigree that needs little introduction. PATTI SMITH QUARTET is a particularly intriguing addition, while SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS should deliver the sort of huge guitar-driven performance that feels made for a festival field.
Then there is WILCO, one of the most consistently adventurous American bands of their generation, alongside 16 HORSEPOWER, DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY ONES, BILLY BRAGG, BILLY TALENT, JOHN GARCIA, BETH HART, MICHAEL MONROE, RIVAL SONS and THE WATERBOYS.
It is a line-up that refuses to sit neatly inside one genre, and that is precisely what makes Azkena work.
And if that wasn’t enough, Azkena’s wonderfully eccentric Trashville area returns with its own substantial line-up. Trashville Allstars & Friends will feature The Bank Robbers, Bárbara y Rey, Blind Rage & Violence, Bob Log III, The Cyborgs, Dead Elvis & His One Man Grave, Demented Are Go, Les Greene, Micky y Los Colosos del Ritmo, Old Time Spooks, Reverend Beat-Man & Milan Slick, Los Straitjackets, Tear Dungeon, The Urban Voodoo Machine and Wild Billy Childish & CTMF.
There is also Strawhouse, adding another layer to the festival’s musical identity with appearances from Peter Bruntnell, The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter, Deke Dickerson, Dave Hause, Hayseed Dixie, Lilly Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Joana Serrat and Tulsa.
In other words, this isn’t simply a list of headliners with a few supporting acts underneath. Azkena is building an entire musical world around its 25th anniversary.
That has long been part of the festival’s appeal. The event’s official site describes Trashville as a celebration of garage, surf, rockabilly and riffs, while the festival itself has developed a reputation for bringing different generations of rock fans together. The 2026 edition, for example, featured Alice Cooper, Social Distortion and The Hives at Mendizabala, alongside a much broader mix of artists and styles.
For 2027, the festival is going even bigger in terms of the anniversary occasion. Azkena has confirmed that the 25th anniversary edition will take place across three days in Vitoria-Gasteiz, with tickets already being offered through its official channels.
The location is part of the attraction too. Vitoria-Gasteiz gives Azkena a very different atmosphere from the giant destination festivals that dominate the European summer calendar. It feels like a festival built around music rather than spectacle, where discovering an unexpected band can be just as important as catching the headline performance.
And with names such as NICK LOWE, PATTI SMITH, BILLY BRAGG, WILCO, BAD RELIGION, SLASH, BETH HART AND THE WATERBOYS already on the 2027 bill, there should be plenty of opportunities for exactly that.
The really interesting question now is what comes next!?
This is only the first announcement, and Azkena has already managed to put together a line-up spanning punk legends, alternative favourites, guitar heroes, Americana, blues, garage and some seriously left-field choices. With another round of announcements still to come, there is plenty of room for the festival to turn an already strong anniversary bill into something considerably larger.
The 25th anniversary has officially begun. And judging by this first announcement, Azkena is planning to celebrate it in very loud fashion.
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