DS Festival Preview: Rob’s Punk Rock Holiday Must-See Sets

Festival season is in full swing, and one of the biggest European fests of the Summer is just around the corner. Punk Rock Holiday is an annual event held in Tolmin, Slovenia, a small but beautiful European country nestled between Italy and Croatia. PRH, contained on a site near The River Soča, attracts thousands each year for its unique blend of camping in natural beauty, a tight-knit community of regular attendees, and fantastic lineups that features some of the biggest names in punk rock, as well as a batch of some of the most exciting up-and-coming bands from around the world. This year’s edition is back, featuring another behemoth lineup from August 7-11 in what will surely be another PRH for the ages.

As a person who has been regularly attending punk and other music fests and shows for roughly a decade, PRH has always been on my radar. In 2023, I will finally be able to attend and take in the music, the sites, the community and hopefully provide the Dying Scene readers with coverage of some classic names, and bands you may have never heard of! Before packing up for Slovenia, here are some bands I’m most looking forward to seeing.

Rob’s Must-See Punk Rock Holiday Sets

Pennywise

Pennywise is a veteran of the festival scene, but seeing them at Punk Rock Holiday seems like a completely different beast. One of the trademarks of the festival is that the stage features no barrier, instead opting for a connected mini stage where fans can stage dive off of and interact with the band. This feature comes into the spotlight whenever Pennywise plays as the crowd devolves into absolute bedlam. Just check out their last performance at PRH 2019, featuring road flares, circle pits, and a full-on invasion of the stage.

Even for those who have seen Pennywise many a time, myself included, a performance at Punk Rock Holiday is must-see.

Maid of Ace

One of my most anticipated sets from a band that may be under the radar for some is the excellent band of Hastings, UK natives, Maid of Ace. The band, which consists of sisters Alison Cara Elliott (Lead vocals/Guitar), Anna Coral Elliott (Vocals/Guitar), Amy Catherine Elliott (Bass/Vocals), and Abby Charlotte Elliott (Drums), has been releasing ferocious music and putting on fantastic shows since 2014. Their most recent release, Live Fast or Die, was named the 6th best album of the year by Vive Le Rock in 2020. If you haven’t checked out this band, give them a try! 

With the band releasing a few singles in recent years, hopefully we aren’t too far away from a full release. Either way, I’ll be checking them out on the beach stage at Punk Rock Holiday.

Cigar

Who doesn’t love a good skate-punk set? Cigar, one of the underappreciated acts of the 90s skate punk boom is hot off the release of their comeback album The Visitor in 2022 (read our review here) and has been hitting the road touring. Cigar is a band I’ve never had the chance to see live and I’m excited to see the band play a set of their trademark fast, fun and ferocious tunes. Let us know in the comments if you’re into Cigar, if you’re happy they’re back and if you’ve checked out the latest release from the pioneering group.

Scowl

One of the best parts of music festivals is checking out bands who have just recently released an exciting new project. The group that fills that niche for me at this year’s PRH is Scowl, who is fresh off their release of a new EP titled Psychic Dance Routine which saw the band generate a fair amount of buzz. This buzz has resulted in an odd but momentous past year for the band which has seen them play big live shows like Coachella and opening for Limp Bizkit, but also performing at a Sonic Drive-In in New Jersey. Check out one of their recent music videos to see if it’s up your alley.

It has been a wild ride for a band that released their first set of material in just 2019. If it continues they may be more regular performers of mainstream festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. It should be interesting checking them out at PRH to see if their hype will translate to a triumphant set in Slovenia.

While this is just a short list of some of the bands I’m most looking forward to, there are of course a number of other exciting acts, including but not limited to H20, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Pulley, Dropkick Murphys, etc. If you were attending PRH, who would be your can’t-miss sets? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for coverage of the event from yours truly.