This was the case at ROCK AM RING 2025 with BRING ME THE HORIZON, THE PRODIGY, BIFFY CLYRO and many more. (Part 1/3)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

Rock am Ring: 06.-08.06.2025, Nürburgring

Friday: 40 years and in tune with the times – Rock am Ring celebrates a spectacular anniversary

The festival celebrated its premiere at the Nürburgring in 1985. 17 bands such as U2 and Foreigner played on a single stage in front of an impressive 75,000 fans. Tickets were available for 49 DM. Since then, around 2,500 performances have provided unique experiences. From historic moments such as Nirvana’sonly appearance in Germany to Metallica’striumphant headlining shows and goosebump moments with Linkin Park, Die Ärzte and Muse – Rock am Ring has written music history. But it wasn’t just the stages that made headlines: The temporary relocation to Nuremberg, a change of promoter, thunderstorm chaos with evacuations and pandemic-related breaks put the festival to the test. At the same time, the face of the line-up changed – away from classic rock and towards a diverse mix of metal, punk, pop and electro.

Job title off, band shirt on

Rock am Ring became younger, more colorful and always reflected the pulse of the times. One strong feeling has always been and remains: music lives here – loud, real and communal. Here, it doesn’t matter who you are in everyday life – on this weekend, only the music counted. Those who found their way to the Ring became part of a larger whole in which origin, status and worries played no role. Even when the weather took a turn for the worse, the mood remained the same: People celebrated together, danced, persevered – with a beaming face and possibly mud on their shoes.

Festival Tetris: Now with a seating option

Just over 100 bands, four stages and 90,000 party-hungry fans – Rock am Ring didn’t do things by halves for its anniversary. The festival was completely sold out weeks before the first guitar riff. It goes without saying that so much program needs space: The infield was extended, a fourth stage was added and those who wanted to take a breather could sit down on covered seating areas or on the new grandstand in front of the Mandora Stage. A real highlight were the numerous video towers, which stood like silent sentinels over the site and ensured a pleasant festival experience away from the crowds.

Rumors, rumors – The big guesswork at the start of the festival

By now, everyone was eagerly awaiting the starting signal. Organizer Matt Schwarz had announced surprise guests who were to open the festival on the main stage – and not small names, but acts that you would normally expect in the later slots. Naturally, speculation was rife in the run-up to the event. However, the big secret was only revealed when the first musicians entered the huge Utopia Stage – with the exception of Knocked Loose, who had already been announced a few days before the festival began. Apparently even the organizers couldn’t contain their anticipation. Names like Die Toten Hosen, Kraftklub and Donots were doing the rounds – and probably the biggest fan request: Linkin Park. However, as Matt Schwarz somewhat contritely explained in an interview, this dream could not be realized despite intensive efforts – the band’s stadium tour, which was running in parallel, had priority.

From 0 to 180 – with Electric Callboy and Ingo

And who actually entered the Main Stage? The first familiar face that greeted us was Ingo from the Donots. With his usual charm, he announced the eagerly awaited icebreaker, who finally got the festival up to operating temperature right off the bat: “It’s great to see you all. God, we’ve missed you. This is 40 years of Rock am Ring! You’re getting the 40th birthday presents this year. Take care of each other, if someone falls down, there might be several reasons for that. It’s a band that has managed to conquer the world from Castrop-Rauxel. This is the only band that can hand H.P. Baxxter an energy drink. Here are Electric Callboy!” Cheers erupted and the first goal was clearly scored.

Confetti instead of coffee – early morning sport with Electric Callboy

The festival weekend opened with a loud bang. In keeping with the colors of this year’s Rock am Ring logo, blue-green-yellow smoke rose into the sky while Electric Callboy ignited their lively spectacle with “Pump It”. Wearing jogging suits and snazzy mullet wigs, the boys whirled across the stage and had the audience in ecstasy by lunchtime “Have you looked at the clock?” asked the band – half in disbelief, half excited about what was already going on. Confetti in all colors and streamers danced around with the ring rockers. Incidentally, none other than Frank Zummo from Sum 41 was on the drums, to whom Electric Callboy promptly dedicated their own tribute – including a cover of “Still Waiting” and the original music video on the screen. With the full broadside of their track “Revery”, they catapulted even the last skeptic from half-asleep straight into the center of the action. “You know what a circle pit is, don’t you?” – And round one of the collective endurance run had already begun. The demolition was followed by goosebumps: An acoustic version of their Linkin Park cover “Crawling” had thousands of throats passionately singing along.

From disco fox to the pit of hell

“We need a couple of dance groups, find a partner and then you can really dance your hips off.” The boys presented their hottest hip swings to “Hurrikan”, while more and more dance floors formed in the crowd, on which one or two disco foxes were presented. Frank Zummo couldn’t help but laugh at the bizarre scene. From pop flirtation to inferno: “Hurrikan” suddenly took a brute turn, shattering screams and satanic visuals set in – and as if that wasn’t wild enough, Hänno aka Hand of Blood entered the stage in an eighties look, posed, celebrated and mingled with the crowd without further ado. During “Ratatata”, half disco balls shone as helmets on the band’s heads, while the ring jumped happily into the air. And with “We Got the Moves” – complete with iconic mushroom head wigs – Electric Callboy put the glittery crown on their set. What a start! Was there any room left for the next surprise act?

Slap(s) in the face? – Amore instead of demolition

Expectations were naturally huge after the brilliant opening act – but the air for the second surprise band became noticeably thinner. Appearing on the Utopia Stage: Roy Bianco & The Abbrunzati Boys. Excuse me, who? That was the crux of the matter. For one thing, many people didn’t know this Bavarian formation, which has shifted its focus to Italo pop, at all – and for another, the sound, somewhere between Amore kitsch, retro flair and an ironically broken vacation feeling, didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the day’s program. Many faces spoke volumes. Some festival guests moved on in irritation, while others were curious to get involved in the musical adventure. And indeed: after a short time, the hard-boiled people in front of the stage were in a good mood. They swayed, grinned – and celebrated. The band, which probably no one had in mind, provided the first genre clash of the day.

Beer shower instead of ballad – Knocked Loose dismantle the ring

Anyone who thought there would be a breather after the pop and glitter had reckoned without Knocked Loose. Because with this band, the organizers of Rock am Ring took the musical stick out of the bag! A large cross lit up behind the drums and provided a moment of deceptive calm before what was probably the heaviest, loudest and most uncompromising band of the weekend hurled itself onto the Utopia Stage. Guitarist Isaac Hale glanced meaningfully over the audience, while Bryan Garris roared out everything his vocal chords could muster during the opener “Don’t Reach For Me”. The crowd was in a state of emergency. The first pits raged as if there was no tomorrow – and by the time “Blinding Faith” came on, not only were pots flying, but also beer – refreshment included. Nobody cared about cups of drink any more, instead there was a lot of wrestling. Bryan Garris was in no way inferior to the chaos. He roared, dashed across the stage, flailed about wildly and spun his head around like an unleashed dervish. “Do you know who we are?”, he shouted at the crowd – and asked everyone to sing, jump and explode with him. “If you see us for the first time, I want you to get involved.” No easy task, as Garris’ tempo was relentless. Knocked Loose delivered a 55-minute wrecking ball that pushed even seasoned festival-goers to their limits.

Between magic and destruction

Fortunately, the US-American Poppy was now playing on the second stage – the Mandora Stage. Here you could actually take a deep breath – at least for a short while. Because although her cotton candy metal was sweet to look at and had a wonderful lightness to it, it also had a good deal of punch in it: hard-hitting guitar riffs, brute screams and, last but not least, numerous bursts of fire. Poppy has developed impressively in the space of a year. Her potential was already clear to see when she opened for Bad Omens, but back then she still lacked some of the aura on stage that she effortlessly exuded this time. One powerful album, several gigs and exciting feature partners from the metal scene later, a self-confident artist stood on stage – sweet, strong and unashamedly cool. Women and girls alike gave her admiring glances. In a white, playful outfit with a pink corsage and cute little bows, she was a real eye-catcher. And then she got going: she raised her voice menacingly in a chant to “Bloodmoney”, while in “V.A.N.”, the track she wrote together with Bad Omens, she showed her tough side – only to march on the spot seconds later with a sweet voice as if she couldn’t hold back a drop of water. Wonderfully contrary, wonderfully Poppy. Her catchy tune “The Cost of Giving Up” also took the audience by storm. At times she alternately threw her legs through the air, then swung her hips – perky, but never over the top. The crowd raised their arms enthusiastically while Poppy directed the action with ease.

Charming escalation

Stephen Ray Harrisson (House of Protection) provided a special surprise when he took to the stage for “The Center’s Falling Out” – the song he co-wrote with Poppy (along with eleven other tracks). He euphorically swirled his bass around his body and initiated a wall of death. Poppy herself did not hold back at all. Headbanging wildly and stomping confidently, she demanded in a sweet voice: “Thank you, I’m Poppy, nice to meet you. Can you give me a circle pit for this next song right here? Can you do that for me?” Who could have denied her that? Although the song is called “I Disagree”, the audience and the artist were in complete agreement when it came to demolition. A playful glockenspiel was followed by riffs weighing tons and an impressive scream – “Oh yes, this is what dreams are made of”, commented the artist, clearly enjoying what she had unleashed. With “They’re All Around Us” and “New Way Out”, the pits swirled again – not without consequences: Twice, individual shoes were held up in the air to locate their lost owners. The smart singer literally tore the ground from under our feet – and that’s a damn good thing. At the end, there were loud calls for an encore, which unfortunately could not be granted due to the strict schedule. Poppy’s premiere at the Ring was a complete success and this was not a farewell, but certainly the start of a wonderful Ring routine.

Fjørt speak plain text

Aachen-based post-hardcore band Fjørt took to the Atmos Stage (fourth stage) with immense dedication – and delivered far more than just intense walls of guitars. Between their powerful songs, they repeatedly used their gig to make clear political statements – including against the AfD. Their performance was therefore a passionate statement: uncompromising in their music and unwavering in their attitude.

Fine thread and sharp lines

Max Gruber alias Drangsal is back. What once began as a solo project became a stylish collective act on the Orbit Stage: Max celebrated his grand return with five musicians at his side. The stylishly dressed band members took their places in front of a simple, pink stage set, while the frontman charmingly sent air kisses towards the crowd. Wearing a brown suit, a neat hat and a guitar in shimmering pink, he set off. Right at the start, the band served up a powerful opener with “Die satanischen Fersen”, which gave Gruber’s voice room to shine – and got the crowd’s hips moving without any detours. The entire band put their heart and soul into their performance. The musician on the synths, in particular, noticeably brought the sound to life, tossing his long hair around to the beat and seeming to forget everything around him except the music. With his finely observed, sometimes poetic, sometimes biting German lyrics, Drangsal hit a nerve. The song “Schnuckel” is particularly noteworthy – a wonderfully ironic love song about obsessive crushes on unattainable stars. Although Max doesn’t see himself as an entertainer, he delivered exactly what the audience wanted: a rousing show. For “Pervert the Source”, he took a quick dip in the crowd – Drangsal’s mixture of new wave, post-punk and indie pop gave even the mosh pit ecstasy a somehow tender touch.

With storm and soul

Friday evening had only just begun – and yet the Utopia Stage suddenly seemed electrified. Biffy Clyro took to the stage, and at that moment it was clear: these were no mere rock musicians, but real sound artists with emotional sensitivity. The Scottish trio around frontman Simon Neil and the Johnston brothers James and Ben delivered a set that was as precise as clockwork and at the same time as engaging as a storm. Right at the beginning, they surprised with “A Little Love”, a brand new track that seamlessly blended between anthemic build-up and intimate depth of sound. With classics such as “Mountains”, “Bubbles” and the epic “Many of Horror”, they swept the crowd away – between powerful guitar arrangements and fragile, beautiful melodies, they created a concert that got under your skin. What has characterized Biffy Clyro for years – the balancing act between radio-friendly alternative rock and progressive outbursts – became a rousing live experience here. Added to this was the band’s almost hypnotic stage presence: an intuitive interplay in which every move was right, every look was enough. Supported by a violinist, the songs gained additional depth – “A Devastating Liberation”, their latest album, underlined this new side: bolder, more multi-layered, emotionally charged. While it became noticeably cooler and the audience wrapped themselves in jackets, Simon Neil took off his shirt with rock’n’roll consistency – completely intoxicated by his music. The temperature dropped, but the fire of the music continued to blaze on stage – leaving glowing traces on the asphalt of the night.

Electroshock deluxe and the rave inferno

Meanwhile, the area in front of the Mandora Stage was transformed into a seething cauldron – ready for a band that has been breaking boundaries for decades: The Prodigy. Right from the start, Maxim Reality left no doubt as to who was in command that evening. With a powerful presence and unbridled drive, he presented himself as the clearly recognizable leader of his “Voodoo People” – and swept the crowd along with him. The cult track “No Good (Start the Dance)” hurled the audience straight back to 1994 – to an era in which rave, rebellion and raw energy formed an explosive triangle. Flanked by strobe-soaked visuals, fat beats and Liam Howlett’s unyielding synth walls, a brute sound frenzy unfolded that made you forget time. Classics such as “Breathe”, “Firestarter” and “Smack My Bitch Up” ignited with goosebump-inducing moments – sometimes as a tribute to the unforgotten Keith Flint, sometimes as a lively escalation in the here and now. Before The Prodigy released their audience into the night, they put everything on the line once again: speed, madness, power – exactly what this show was all about. To “We Live Forever”, the arms stretched into the sky, the voices became loud: “We are here, it is now. We live forever!” A manifesto, a moment, a final exclamation mark.

The pull is real

Parallel to The Prodigy, another superpower took to the big stage: Bring Me the Horizon celebrated their headlining debut on the Utopia Stage. They had already rocked Rock am Ring in 2023 with a brilliant set. The fact that they would now move up to the top tier was more than deserved. The band around Oli Sykes took the burden of this slot very seriously and were ready to give it their all. Just two days earlier, they played a spontaneous warm-up concert at the Palladium in Cologne, which was designed to get both band and fans up to operating temperature. Anyone who has experienced the musicians from Sheffield live once seems to have been infected with their legend once and for all. From then on, you become a loyal soul and although the guys keep reinventing themselves musically, you follow them wherever they go. An artificial intelligence called Eve appeared on the screens at the start of the show. She scanned the audience. “Scanning for moshpits. No significant moshpits found.” – An alarm sounded. “Please open this place up.” She instructed us to enjoy this night as if it were our last.

40 pits for Oli!

BMTH took to the stage for “Darkside” – accompanied by a fountain of confetti, booming synths and pure adrenaline. The Utopia Stage had been transformed into a gloomy church. “Get the fuck up, Germany! Are you ready?” roared Oli Sykes – and then there was no turning back. The crowd reached further than the eye could see, and the singer threw himself onto his knees with full fervor before giving the starting signal for the next demolition: “Happy Song”. In the blink of an eye, thousands of throats were screaming along to the chorus: “S-P-I-R-I-T, spirit! Let’s hear it!” “I need some moshpits. About 20 fucking moshpits.” The announcement was spot on – and how! Driven by a brute breakdown, the crowd raced towards each other, collided, split up and picked up speed in countless circle pits. A veritable frenzy of euphoria and energy. I tried to keep count – I gave up at 40 pits. The audience resembled Swiss cheese, riddled with frenzied circles and whirling bodies. Oli laughed, gave a thumbs up and shouted: “Yeah, that’s the spirit!”

The stage burns, the heart glows

All hell finally broke loose for “AmEN!”. The stage was lit up in bright red, the dystopian church was ablaze and bursts of fire raced across the Utopia Stage from all directions. On the screens, Oli Sykes gradually transformed into a diabolical creature. Adrenaline pumped through every fiber – on and off stage. The Englishman also gave his all during “Shadow Moses” and “Kingslayer” – regardless of the consequences. He screamed, jumped and hurled himself through the set, while the fans drove each other on in circle pits and waves of mosh. A special moment followed with “Antivist”: Oli brought a member of the audience onto the stage – Kristina – and unceremoniously handed her the microphone. She screamed, she fought and gave it her all, while he sat down comfortably on a step and watched the show with relish. Then they both stood up, shouted into the microphone together – and Oli ordered: “Holy shit! I think Kristina earned a wall of death. Push it back!” The crowd responded without hesitation. The emotional climax followed shortly afterwards: “This is the first time we’re headlining this festival. I have a question for you: can you… ‘Feel My Heart’?” Confetti hearts shot into the night sky and floated over the crowd – almost everyone caught one as a memento of this special evening. The crowd sang along passionately to the first lines of “Can you hear the silence?” – and it wasn’t just this moment that got under your skin. A compilation of the band’s history appeared on the screens: archive material, tour experiences, intimate insights and emotional milestones. From the beginnings in Sheffield to current events. How overwhelming must it have been for the band themselves to see this best-of of their career? It suddenly warmed my heart.

Loops and inner somersaults

What would “Drown” be without the closeness between Oli Sykes and his fans? “Who will fix me now? Dive in when I’m down? Save me from myself. Don’t let me drown.” – Thousands of voices sang along as Oli climbed into the ditch and approached. He pressed close to his fans, brushed cheeks, gave hugs and made dreams come true. Stunned faces. A frenzy of joy – pure magic. Even a fan dressed as Superman couldn’t resist celebrating his idol – tightly interwoven in a spider’s web of light, sound and emotion. But it wasn’t over yet. The final demolition came with “Throne” – after a concert full of laser effects, fabulous visuals and pure madness. A final act that offered everything: power, beauty, emotion. It was one of those moments when you wish time would stand still.

But life goes on – just like the Ferris wheel on the Ring, which was glowing in the background. And the merry-go-round of thoughts also started when we came to rest a little: What. Was. That. Please. For. A. Prelude?! But now it was time to fall asleep quickly and recharge our batteries, because the next act in the festival frenzy was already waiting for us the next day.

Due to photo restrictions, we were unfortunately unable to capture pictures of Bring Me the Horizon, The Prodigy, Poppy and Electric Callboy for you.

Text: Nadine Kloppert
Photos: Michael Gamon