Belgian punk breakout MARIA ISKARIOT, one of the most talked-about new names on the europe’s underground scene, are heading to INmusic Festival #18! Their live intensity was memorably captured by UK journalist Everett True, who wrote that Maria Iskariot “killed, shredded, ruled and owned the entire crowd”, turning chaos, humour and fearless youth into a show that pulls audiences in even when they don’t understand a single word.
MARIA ISKARIOT are a Ghent-based punk band formed by Helena Cazaerck (vocals and guitar), alongside Loeke Vanhoutteghem (guitar), Amanda Barbosa (bass) and Sybe Versluys (drums). Their sound is raw, urgent and uncompromising, driven by sharp songwriting, a strong DIY ethic and an intense live presence that has quickly set them apart on the European punk circuit. Rooted in Dutch-language punk, their music explores themes of growing up, self-discovery and the moral grey zones between good and evil, searching for small flashes of hope within an almost all-encompassing sense of chaos — what the band describe as “hopeful hopelessness”.
Fronted by Cazaerck, whose background in philosophy and journalism feeds directly into the band’s confrontational yet playful lyrics, MARIA ISKARIOT first drew wider attention with their debut EP “EN/EN” (2024), released via Dutch label Burning Fik. The momentum peaked with a major breakthrough win at Humo’s Rock Rally 2024, Belgium’s most prestigious music competition. Their reputation as a ferocious live act soon carried them beyond Belgium, leading to support tours with Hang Youth and Tropical Fuck Storm across the UK and Northern Europe, where their intensity, humour and emotional punch proved to cut straight through language barriers.
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