Live | Wildfest 2025 – JC Spiraal – Geraardsbergen [BE]

23 & 24 May 2025

For ten years, the Belgian Wildfest has been a `Home Sweet Home’ for fans of Sleaze, Glam and Hard Melodic Rock. The passion for the eighties themed bands, the fashion and its lifestyle in this genre is celebrated once a year and Wildfest have blossomed into a safe place where everyone could be themselves.

This year’s edition is extra special, because not only is Wildfest celebrating its tenth anniversary, but sadly this is also `The End Of The Road’ edition. In other words: the last time Wildfest will be organized.

Fortunately, the organization has managed to secure a strong and varied line-up this weekend. Actually bands that have played at Wildfest before and serve as a summary of all the good things this festival has to offer. To top it all off, Wildfest is completely sold out for the very first time. This can be seen as a great compliment to the organization and their volunteers and proof that there is still a lot of interest in this musical genre.

The beer flows freely and between the performances it is a reunion of friends from all over the world on the outside terrain. There is laughter and memories and of course it is seen and be seen. Band members also mingle with the fans for selfies and optimal merchandise sales. The atmosphere is very friendly and carefree and we all have a good time. In short, Wildfest goes out with a big bang, all bands honor their performance at this last edition, give everything they have, resulting in a great party atmosphere, ultimate togetherness and in the end and we can conclude it is a weekend to remember.

DAY ONE – FRIDAY 23 MAY 2025

By Liselotte `Lilo’ Hegt

Kickin’ Valentina

Unfortunately, I missed the opening band All I Know from Belgium, thanks to the traffic chaos that is unavoidable these days.

Luckily, I’m just in time for the second band Kickin’ Valentina. The American foursome is currently touring Europe and Wildfest fits perfectly into their tour schedule. The band is known for its raw, in-your-face unadulterated rock ‘n roll sound. It’s loud, dirty, straight to the point and not meant for pussies. Despite all that toughness, the songs also have a cool catchy charm that is quickly picked up by the audience. ,,Freakshow’’, ,,Turn Me Loose’’, ,,Amsterdam’’ and ,,Ride Or Die’’ are a perfect example of that.

In about 50 minutes Kickin’ Valentina steadily works towards an absolute total rock star ending. In that moment something happens because suddenly a certain energy and attitude as a band unit are unleashed where, honestly, I would have liked to see more of during the show.

BlackRain

Then the audience is completely ready for BlackRain and it’s clear that this is one of the crowd favorites. These colorful hard rock, arena rockers from France start off with a bang and tonight they put down a tight, professional and self-assured show, that comes across powerfully. Former drummer Frank F. is behind the drum kit for this occasion and new shredder Jerem G. [who replaced Max2] proves to be a good asset. Swan sings very well and with great confidence he hits the high notes with ease, like in one of my all-time favorite songs ,,Innocent Rosie”.

Their last year’s release `Hot Rock Time Machine’, with re-recorded old BlackRain hits, determines the setlist and without a shadow of a doubt it unleashes a party on stage and among the audience. Swan takes a moment to stagedive and the Twisted Sister anthem ,,We’re Not Gonna Take It’’, sung by the bassist Matthieu De La Roche, reaches a boiling climax. After that the band throws even more fire on it with ,,Blast Me Up”. Hell Yeah, this was a very strong and entertaining performance!

WildHeart

Then it’s time for Belgian pride and host of this great fun festival: WildHeart.

WildHeart also puts in a solid and good performance. Their classic hard rock with glam metal flair and tasty hooks runs like a well-oiled machine and the band can count on a lot of support. The musicians play solid and steady and frontman “Farty” sings his way through it effortlessly. In between, the Wildfest volunteers are thanked once again profusely. Great tracks like ,,Fire In The Hole’’ and ,,Rumours’’ have once put the band on the map and the call for an encore is definitely justified.

As a surprise we get a foretaste of the new album `Wild n’ Three’ with the beautiful song ,,Last Goodbye’’’ and it sounds promising. To seal this convincing performance the band closes with ,,Never Let Go”.

The Treatment

It is the English hard rock band The Treatment that closes this Friday evening bold and fierce. The quintet proves to be a true headliner in the available 75 minutes.

AC/DC’s ,,Highway To Hell’’ blares through the speakers, after which The Treatment seamlessly joins in with ,,Let’s Wake Up This Town”. This is not said to deaf ears because Wildfest definitely goes wild and the audience can’t seem to get enough of the tight played and AC/DC inspired songs. Yes, the vocals, the guitar work, the tempos and energy, it breathes AC/DC, but it just sounds damn good and catchy. And it is awesome that this new generation of rockers honour the old timers with class.

The Treatment comes across as a unit and rocks all night long with swagger and a larger-than-life attitude. With each song, the tension is built up again and a large dose of energy is released. It all works very infectious and entertaining. ,,Shake The Mountain’’ is of course the fitting finale to a great and successful first day of the festival.

DAY TWO – SATURDAY 24 MAY 2025

By Raymond Helebrand

Mr.Myst

Day two of this latest edition of Wildfest starts with the Belgian formation Mr.Myst. A nice warm-up for the festival goers, who were present early [14.00h], and that already resulted in a quite filled venue. It is obvious nobody wants to miss anything of the last moments of this unique festival. It’s raining cats and dogs outside, so it’s nice inside, with good music and drinks [including special beers].

Anyway, Mr.Myst is a sleaze/poser band from Belgium and the formation tried to make a smashing musical start of day two. No lack of enthusiasm in any case, but musically it’s all not very catchy and convincing. Nice, but no more than that.

Bulletrain

Then it’s time for the Swedish formation Bulletrain. Like basically all the bands at Wildfest 2025, they have also taken the stage of the cherished festival before. On the one hand, that makes it all familiar to festival-goers, but also means there are few surprises on stage. That band you’ve never seen or heard of and grabs you by the throat. It’s all a bit more predictable this way. Led by vocalist Sebastian Sundberg, Bulletrain bangs away nicely and the audience is evidently in the mood for a train ride. It is a solid band that has been around for a few years. Songs like ,,Memory Lane’‘, ,,We Salute You’’ and ,,All For One” pop into the festival venue.

South Of Salem

South Of Salem from the UK came to Wildfest with a mission, and this mission was to go full throttle one more time at this beautiful festival. There was certainly no lack of energy and drive on stage. Especially guitarist Kodi Kasper stood out visually. He looks a bit like the blond brother of DJ Ashba [Sixx:A.M.]. South Of Salem delivered a fine calling card with ,,Let Us Prey’‘, ,,Pretty Little Nightmare’’ & ,,Death Of The Party” among others.

Wildness

With Wildness, we are dealing with the second Swedish band of the day. Originally Maverick was supposed to be at this spot, but due to illness the band unfortunately had to cancel their tour dates. With Wildness the organisation of Wildfest quickly found a fine replacement for the band. Singer Erik Forsberg and his men were more than happy to fill in and put on a fine set. Furthermore, they managed to get the only female artist of the day on stage. Singer Dani Hart then continued their 2022 collaboration of ,,Nightmare’’ on the Wildfest stage. Nice for a change to see and hear a beautiful talented lady among all those gentlemen.

Furthermore, we could enjoy songs like ,,Wings Of Love’’, ,,Crucified’’ and ,,Cold Words’’. The slant of Wildness was therefore a bit more melodic rock oriented.

Shiraz Lane

Then it was time for Finland’s Shiraz Lane. I last saw this band in 2018 as a support band for H.E.A.T and I must say that just under 7 years later this band manages to surprise me at Wildfest as THE BAND OF THE SECOND WILDFEST day. Damn they have added quite a bit of baggage in those years in terms of show, music, sound, professionalism, stage presence. Guitarist and cornerstone of the band Jani Laine has managed to find and keep a very talented bunch of fellow musicians around him. Songs such as the new singles ,,Plastic Heart’’ ,,Bullshit’’ and ,,Dangerous” are fired at the audience with tremendous drive and conviction.

But also older songs like ,,Broken Into Pieces’’ or ,,Harder To Breathe’’ are welcomed by the audience with open arms. This band could have played for another hour as far as I’m concerned!!! Damn this was just a super awesome show. Deep bow for Shiraz Lane.

Art Nation

Art Nation was high on my list to see live again before heading to the festival. Two years ago, these Swedes were also at this festival and managed to make a great impression on me then. In 2025 they return, armed with new songs from their recently released album ‘Chapter V – the Ascendance’. And yes, just like in 2023, Art Nation is rock solid again. Songs like ,,Brutal And Beautiful’’ or ,,Rise’’ are reproduced to perfection on stage.

Singer Alexander Strandell sings effortless and seemingly conjures the song lines and melodies from his golden throat with the greatest of ease. What I did notice is that it seemed like the audience had a little dip, as at times the reaction to this cool band was somewhat lacklustre. Too bad for the band standing there and giving everything they have. And that is certainly not to be underestimated in the case of Art Nation. Great show again!!!

The Cruel Intentions

The Cruel Intensions managed to make a good impression on me last year with their sleaze / punk attitude. Also at this edition the formation around singer/guitarist Lizzy DeVine sparkled. The energy that this 4-piece formation creates on stage is not to be underestimated and is effortlessly transferred to the audience that seems to have woken up after their dip! Songs like ,,City Of Lice’’, ,,Chemical Vacation’’ or ,,Go Fuck Yourself’’ show in the song titles alone what kind of band we are dealing with. Attitude driven Rock and Roll. And yes, musically they once again know how to put down a solid pot of music. If you can stand still with that, then you must be a very cool one.

Crazy Lixx

As the grand finale, Wildfest has managed to snare the Swedes of Crazy Lixx. This band has been on stage several times in the festival’s 10-year existence. Singer Danny Rexon and his bandmates came to turn JC De Spiraal in Geraardsbergen upside down and blow the roof off. Armed with a new record in the form of ‘Thrill of The Bite’, they should succeed. Drummer Robin Nilsson, in addition to Crazy Lixx, has been on stage before with The Cruel Intensions. Let’s just say that this guy is a very busy man. But a very talented drummer. And the same can be said about bassist Jens Anderson, what a force of nature this man is.

Crazy Lixx is a well-oiled machine, that’s for sure. The audience is enjoying and that’s what it’s all about. Whether this was the best band of the day is debatable as far as I’m concerned. Songs like ,,Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’’, ,,Little Miss Dangerous’’ or ,,Hunt For Danger’’ are delivered with conviction. The song ,,Sword & Stone’’ written by Desmond Child for Bonfire cannot grab me as much in the Crazy Lixx version as the original song.

WILDFEST 2025 – THE CONCLUSION

Was this a worthy farewell to a festival dear to both bands and festival visitors? Absolutely, and somewhere I do hope that the organization finds it in itself to still find the drive to put on another edition of Wildfest in the future. Because it is and remains a unique festival, with visitors from all regions. Closing the book with a sold-out edition must be nice, but also feel a bit sour because it is not always a given that events just sell out. In any case, kudos to the organization that has always fought for affordable ticket prices, quality bands and tasty drinks. The atmosphere of the festival was mostly determined by the visitors.

WILDFEST 2025 ‘End Of The Road’ was another great experience!!!

Photos Day 1 by Tom van Meerssche

Photos Day 2 + header photo by Raymond Helebrand