Well, I did it again. It took me up until one week before it kicked off but yet again, I managed to get myself a ticket to Haldern’s Pop Festival! And I’m very glad I did. This surely was one of the most memorable editions I’ve ever attended. From a music perspective, it wasn’t even that exciting for me personally but the endorphin increase I gained from the amount of laughter I had this weekend will last me for at least another year. Therefore, first and foremost, a big thank you to the great people joining me to this festival. It truly was an absolute blast.

Onwards to the music. As said, it wasn’t the most exciting of editions for me in regard to this topic. The line-up just seemed somewhat unfinished this year. The festival had a few ‘to be announced’ slots left – including its final headlining spot on the Saturday – and there just weren’t many standout names in general. It probably made for the festival being quite a bit less busy than most of the previous editions I’ve attended. Either way, there’s always plenty of music to discover at Haldern so I’m arriving with only a small list of acts I’d like to see, three of which playing on opening day Thursday, and leave the rest up to be discovered.

This year marked my eighth time visiting Haldern Pop and after all these years, I have finally managed to catch an act perform live in the festival’s Tonstudio. Located just off the campsite, the Tonstudio is – as the name suggests – a recording studio, each year opening its doors to a small crowd for a handful of acts showcasing their talents. Amongst the acts performing there this year was Dutch underground band Rats On Rafts. The Rotterdam based group recently released their fifth album ‘Deep Below‘, filled with dark, synth-heavy modern new wave, edging on Cocteau Twins’ dream pop with the occasional shoegazey outburst. During their 30-minute set, we got a solid taste of the album which showed all too well how Rats On Rafts still is one of The Netherlands’ most interesting and class acts out there. Even though I wouldn’t consider this show the best I’d seen this day (Heavy Lungs put on an absolutely epic show, too), I’m pleased that even though Haldern Pop is my most attended festival, there’s still plenty for me to discover, and its music never fails to impress me after all.

In chronological order, all acts I’ve seen live on the Thursday of Haldern Pop 2025:
– Bilk
– Rats On Rafts
– Man/Woman/Chainsaw
– Heavy Lungs