Rock Monsters Romania

A festival with roots in the community, among the hills of Transylvania – the day-by-day program of Holzstock Indie Festival, 11th edition

Between August 22–24, 2025, the village of Hosman in Sibiu County once again becomes the host of one of the most authentic experiences in Romania – the Holzstock Indie Festival, joyfully reaching its eleventh edition. Held, as every year, in the fortified church of Hosman, Holzstock is more than a festival – it is a return to simplicity, to community, to a way of experiencing culture at a relaxed pace. In a landscape that seems taken from another time, the festival brings together independent artists, music lovers, locals and volunteers in a warm and friendly atmosphere in which the boundaries between the stage and the audience naturally fade.

Holzstock remains faithful to its original spirit and creates a meeting space for people who believe in music, nature, local crafts and the power of small events to create big changes. With each edition, the festival strengthens its role as a living cultural space dedicated to promoting the alternative scene and reconnecting with simple values.

Day tickets are available at iabilet.ro and the program is:

Friday, August 22

BRAINWASHER
Formed in Bucharest in 2024, Brainwasher brings a contagious mix of dance-punk and post-hardcore. With a sound reminiscent of Death From Above 1979, Gang of Four and Snooper, the band combines tense riffs with a restless groove, perfect for both the mosh pit and dancing. On stage, Brainwasher does not waste time – their shows are short but concentrated, a discharge of pure energy that leaves no room to breathe.

Bad Decisions
Bad Decisions is a Bucharest-based band that brought together Andy Sinboy (The Nuggers) and Ovidiu Chihaia (Mes Quins), later joined by Ovidiu Bejan (The Amsterdams) and Vlad Niță (Cardinal). Their style is energetic post-punk, with a dash of garage, country and kraut. Their debut album, Subnormal, contains 12 songs about love, hate, doubt, depression, rage and hope and is released by the legendary garage-punk label Voodoo Rhythm Records from Bern, Switzerland.

TRAMHAUS
Tramhaus is the post-punk sensation from Rotterdam, known for its energetic live shows and explosive songs. The band stands out with a wide and always electrifying sound, ranging from shoegaze to punk rock. This fusion is the result of the members’ diverse musical tastes. On stage, however, the band becomes a powerful unit, pulling the audience into a whirlwind of emotions from the first to the last note.

Although the band has existed only for a short time, the five members have toured extensively and quickly gained popularity. In 2023, they had a successful tour in Japan, and in September 2024 they released their debut album, The First Exit, which received excellent reviews in the Dutch press. In the autumn of 2024, they went on a month-long tour of Europe, playing in packed venues. There are plans for a new tour in Asia and more concerts in Europe and the UK in the coming year.

Saturday, August 23

ASINCRON
Asincron is an alternative rock band with emo, grunge and shoegaze influences that appeared in the spring of 2022. Their story begins back in primary school, when Rareș (guitar) and Tavi (drums) started the project, although they initially had no experience with instruments. In 9th grade, Andrei joined on bass, and after a period of rehearsing as a trio, mixing covers with original compositions, the song “Wire” was created. After the pandemic, Sara became the band’s vocalist, completing the line-up and bringing new energy.

In their two and a half years of activity, Asincron has managed to perform important concerts, including the release of their debut album all I had, I gave at Control, opening for the band Coma at Expirat, and a concert at Romexpo as part of the Paragon festival. The band has been active on the local underground scene, playing alongside acts such as Getchoo, Tourist, Private Venganza and Flirt. In addition to the album, they have released three representative singles: Wire, Hentai and Ema.

ZIMBRU
The art-rock band from Cluj-Napoca is made up of four friends – Teodora Retegan, Paul Bucovesan, Andrei Bobiș and Oana Pop – who bring to the stage a vibrant mix of raspy synthesizers, angular riffs and lively percussion. The stories in their songs oscillate between dance, lost animals, queer love and nostalgia for times not lived, in a unique and evocative sound universe. Their 2019 debut EP Little Creatures quickly brought them recognition both in Romania and abroad, with the song “Divination” entering heavy rotation on radio stations and attracting the attention of critics. Since then, Zimbru has played on stages in over 16 countries and has been invited to major festivals such as The Great Escape, EXIT, Pop-Kultur, Sziget and Eurosonic. In 2023, the band won the HEMI Music Awards, and a year later released the album Rest Your Anger in My Lap.

M(H)AOL
One of the most relevant and provocative voices of the post-punk scene in Ireland, the Dublin band gained international attention with the release of the Gender Studies EP (2021), a musical manifesto addressing the oppression of women and gender minorities. In 2024, the band signed with Merge Records after an electrifying set at SXSW, opening the way for the North American reissue of Attachment Styles and the release of new material. Their latest single, Snare, continues the band’s critical and honest tone, stepping out of genre conventions with a different attitude and intense sound. Vocalist and drummer Constance Keane describes the song as a response to numerous absurd conversations she has had since childhood about the “suitability” of a girl for her instrument: “The idea that society assigns a gender to a musical instrument, in my case the drums, has always frustrated me deeply. So I decided to write about it.”

Sunday, August 24

MIDPOINT
MidPoint is a trio whose music lies at the intersection of several influences, combining elements of rock, indie, funk, pop and punk, with a playful note reminiscent of Vunk. The band is currently working on their first album and has already released the singles Cheesecake/Lonewolf and Blue Hole, songs that promise intense choruses and surprising shifts, reflecting their energy and versatility.

ORKID
Orkid is a nervous shoegaze trio from Bucharest that defines its style as “post-traumatic blues”. With diverse influences ranging from punk and garage to post-metal, indie, blues, math, prog and academic music, the band has so far released five studio albums: Standing Still in the Dark (2016), Suruaika (2018), Deraiat (2020), In the Light We Are Safe (2022) and Noi contra Noi (2023). Since 2018, their music has been produced by Adrian Despot and Sorin Pupe Tănase at VdV Music Studio.

In their 10 years of activity, Orkid has performed over 300 concerts, opening for renowned international bands such as Mogwai, Death in Vegas, Mono, Madrugada, The Underground Youth and Lucy Kruger & the Lost Boys, as well as for the most well-known local acts, including Vița de Vie, Șuie Paparude, Coma, Subcarpați, The Mono Jacks, Emil and Implant pentru Refuz. The band has appeared on major TV and radio shows such as “Starea Nației” (TVR1) and Radio Guerrilla, Tananana, Gold FM and Rock FM.

IT IT ANITA
IT IT ANITA, the noise-rock tornado from Belgium, reaffirms its energy and identity with the new album Mouche. Transforming from a quartet into a power trio, the band delivers a powerful, uncompromising material that explores new musical territory after 10 years of intense activity.

Mouche combines clear verse/chorus structures with a balance between bright moments and harsh accents, addressing themes such as the guilt after drunken nights, criticism of yes-men and crypto millionaires, and the determination to remain relevant and ready to make noise. The album is named after the band’s golden retriever, the mascot and companion of bassist Elliot Stassen, symbolizing the vibrant and colorful spirit of the nine tracks. Through Mouche, IT IT ANITA connects more deeply with its audience and surpasses its own limits, offering an authentic and powerful album.

Tickets and passes for Holzstock Indie Festival 2025 are now available on iabilet. Camping is free, children under 14 years old have free access, and friendly furry friends are welcome! The festival offers a variety of educational and recreational activities in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere, with a limit of 1,000 participants.

Holzstock Indie Festival awaits you where music echoes among old walls and stars, and the community makes the difference.

The newest news about Holzstock Indie Festival – from the program and line-up to logistical information – will be published on Facebook, Instagram and the festival’s official website.

Holzstock Indie Festival is organized by the European Youth Meeting Center – Hosman Fortified Church and the Democratic Forum of Germans in Sibiu.

Media partners: Radio Guerrilla, ADZ, Cărturești, CriticEyez, CVLTARTES, Happ.ro, Hermannstadter Zeitung, Infomusic, Observator Cultural, Rock Monsters, Sibiu 100%, Sibiu City App, Sibiu Independent, Sibiul Azi, Sibiul în imagini, Subversiv, Sunete, Trăiește Muzica, Utopia Balcanică, Zile și Nopți.