The best bands I’ve seen perform in 2026

Support your local music scene.

There is beautiful art everywhere. All you have to do is step outside and do some hunting. These here are the top bands I’ve had the pleasure of seeing perform so far this year.

There are some that I’d like to highlight but that I haven’t gotten the chance to watch this year: Rockpool Dramas, Wilson A., L.A. Sagne, KRAM, Tramhaus, Tummyache, Crashing, Momsname, Doubland.

I’d also like to shout out Bandgurl for always booking fantastic shows, and Hidden Agenda (who I interviewed) for making a social-media-less platform to find and save shows. These two alone keep me so in touch with the local music scene, and if you don’t follow them already then first of all I’m shocked, and second of all you should. I found almost everyone on this list through either one or both of them.

Mother Johnson

Ah yes, Mother Johnson. I’m not biased just because I interviewed them and immediately developed a crush on all of them (in a cool, nonchalant way). Since I’ve learned about them, there probably hasn't been a full week that didn’t include Lindsay, I Miss You. My favourite continues to be opener (the backstory explained in the interview only adds to my love for it), and I had the pleasure of watching them play it at Het Dorp a while back. Genuinely incredibly talented people. Keep them in your radar.

Texoprint

My first introduction to Texoprint was at the Schorem Minifest at Cinetol back in March. I admittedly wasn’t having the most fun week and almost ditched, but I faced my fear, kissed Bruno on the forehead (the dachshund I was dog sitting) and went to the gig alone. It did help that my friend—the one and only Bandgurl—was there, and it helped even more that the lineup was insane. Texoprint stood out to me because I am a sucker for bands whose drummer is also the lead singer (see: C.O.F.F.I.N.) and it was a sound I’d been missing for a little while. Dark, menacing, loud and demanding with not one scream. The power was palpable. If they hadn’t sold out of T-shirts, I’d have bought one.

Limerent

Speaking of power, seeing Limerent was the first time I truly understood, to my core, the phrase “wall of sound”. They so cleanly drowned OCCII in their bravado. They played like they were doing nothing of note, like just another rehearsal. I stood in awe, alternating between watching them and the crowd—who, by the way, was moshing, laughing, jumping, head-banging, and all in a collective state of hypnosis and release that Limerent provided.

The Earwurms

I brought a friend to her first ever punk show, and I’m happy The Earwurms were one of the first bands she got to see that night. With their glittery eyelid and stripped back guitars that brought to my mind Violent Femmes, they sang of taking a shit in the botanical garden after fake crying for nearly a full minute. They then sang of finding the thrill as a girl who can grill, which to me can best be described as a lighthearted protest with a healthy dose of humour. A perfect combination.

The Bird Experience

Watching The Bird Experience at the Zonneprijs finale was genuinely unlike any other show I’ve seen. It combined blues, goth rock, and straight up theatre. I had grown up watching DVDs of concerts with background singers doing synchronised dances, but never had the pleasure of witnessing it firsthand. Until The Bird Experience. I lost count of how many people were onstage, but everyone was contributing to this campy circus that blasted through the speakers of Paradiso. Mees Vullings sounded like he sang atop a catacomb, momentarily possessed by skeletons in some freakish evil Ratatouille style performance, and he enjoyed every second. I don’t know. It was cool and I think about it every day.

Turmeric

They don’t believe this, but Turmeric had been in my radar for a while. Finally, I saw them earlier this month and they did indeed live up to the hype. I could tell they were serious because I could not, for the life of me, figure out the time signature in one of their songs. Neither could anyone else in the crowd, and I was very delighted in watching us all try to figure it out, start bopping our heads in what we thought was the rhythm, and be mistaken once again. But chatting with Turmeric after their set was just as hypnotic as watching it. I bought a shirt and they collectively gave me approximately five stickers. They are all over my house and bike.

Iguana Death Cult

Admittedly the biggest name on this list, and just as hypnotic as their companions. Watching them at Tolhuistuin brought to mind Parquet Courts—at least briefly, until I got caught in the mosh pit and lost all sense of thought. They’re fast, rushing through songs like they worry they can’t fit it all in. The energy is unrelenting, barely giving you time to cool down. I jumped and spilled my beer all over my boots, but it was truly my own fault for trying to drink while a band like this is playing. Standing still was not an option.

Service

Don’t tell me you’ve been impressed until you’ve seen someone play the theremin and the bass at the same time, after spending 45 minutes doing high knees and singing. Their cardiologist must be so proud. Service do this like it’s nothing, and didn’t even seem remotely out of breath when I went to confess my newfound love at the merch table. Their music is admittedly somewhat of a curveball in this list, with a much more pop-leaning sound, but their energy is really something that cannot be understated. In the simplest terms, I had so much fucking fun at their show. I got a free lollipop, I danced and jumped with my friend, makeup melting off my face and a smile that made my cheeks hurt. Please go see them if you can.