Melissa Etheridge, Johnny Rotten’s P.I.L., Reckless Kelly, Lucinda Williams, Richard Hawley, Buzzcocks, Quique González or Turbonegro, among other confirmations, also join the rock and roll festival par excellence.
Vitoria-Gasteiz will once again host this event, which will be held on June 19th, 20th and 21st at Mendizabala. The exclusive pre-sale for buyers of other editions of ARF starts tomorrow, Friday. The general sale will start on Wednesday, November 20 at 10am.
Azkena Rock Festival announces today a strong preview of the line-up for its next edition, full of big names that reflect the commitment to quality music and promise an unforgettable experience. From June 19th to 21st, Vitoria-Gasteiz will once again be the epicenter of rock with the influential and profound Manic Street Preachers, one of the most respected bands of the 21st century, The Flaming Lips, the heartbreaking songwriter and legendary performer Lucinda Williams or the powerful Melissa Etheridge. This first batch will also bring to Mendizabala Richard Hawley, Reckless Kelly, P.I.L, Turbonegro, The Hellacopters, Buzzcocks, Diamond Dogs & Chris Spedding, Kaotiko, Quique González, Dead Kennedys, The Chesterfield Kings, Robert Jon & The Wreck, Masters of Reality, La estrella azul, Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba, Psilicon Flesh, Ezezez and Libe, a clear sample of the festival’s stylistic plurality.
azkena rock festival 2025, a line-up to go deeper name by name
Mendizabala will also feature the country and red dirt of one of the greatest bands of the genre, Reckless Kelly, in what will be their first and very special performance in Spain in their entire career (and one of the first in Europe). Continuing with American sounds, the festival will also feature Robert Jon & The Wreck, known for their electrifying fusion of southern rock, guitar solos, rich vocal harmonies and memorable melodies, also with an exclusive show in Spain in 2025. Often related to the stoner and desert rock scene -not in vain they are mentors of Josh Homme and his bands Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age-, Masters Of Reality always add a twist to the genre. They are also joined by The Chesterfield Kings, undoubtedly one of the most important bands to emerge from the garage rock revival of the late ’70s.
Richard Hawley, timeless composer and embodiment of melancholy, will bring to ARF his elegant and deep style with a show with a full band, not in the intimate format with which he toured a few months ago. During his 25 years of career without ups and downs, Quique González is the chronicler of a whole generation and will return to Mendizabala, after almost two decades of waiting, to thrill us again. The soundtrack of the movie La estrella azul will jump to the stages of Mendizabala. La estrella azul is Javier Macipe’s first feature film, a story that moves between fiction and documentary about the former leader of the band Más Birras that turns into a universal fable of forgotten artists and geniuses. Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba from Seville will take us into trance with their psychedelic rock, while the iconic and recently revived band from the underground music movement of the 90’s, Psilicon Flesh, remembered for the soundtrack of the movie The Day of the Beast, will bring us their unique crossover of metal, pop, funk and grunge styles. The Basque band Ezezez will reveal to those who still don’t know them why they are one of the emerging bands that are causing the biggest stir on the current scene. Last but not least, Libe from Gasteiz will return to the venue, this time with her solo project.
Tickets for Azkena Rock 2025
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 20th November at 10am at the Tickets page at a promotional price. Attendees of previous editions will be able to access an exclusive pre-sale starting tomorrow, Friday, at a special price. In addition to the tickets for the 3 days of the festival, the Gaztea Ticket (€100 + expenses) can also be purchased for those under 23 years of age, and, as a novelty this year, the Cuadrilla Pass (Group Pass) is activated, a nod to those groups of friends that are so common at ARF and for which they will receive 6 tickets for the purchase of 5. Once again, the purchase in installments will be available both in the pre-sale and in the general sale and as always, admission will be free for those under 14 years of age.
The festival will also have, once again, organised bus trips that take you to the very door of the festival from nearby towns such as Bilbao, Pamplona, Donostia/San Sebastián, Zarautz, Arrasate and Alsasua.
Azkena Rock Festival, unique in its kind
A genuine festival driven by a passion for rock in all its forms, is not only a place to enjoy the best live music in a welcoming atmosphere, to which its most loyal public contributes, but also offers the comfort of a friendly venue full of green areas, just a stone’s throw from the center of Vitoria-Gasteiz, recognised as the Green Capital. ARF is a festival organised by Last Tour, an independent cultural agent whose values and business model have been recognised with the BCorp certification.
