Now that the 2026 Azkena Rock Festival has come to an end, we can confirm that the festival is in excellent health, despite initial concerns about the calibre of the headliners. The big winners included Alice Cooper, who put on a theatrical showcase of classics, and Social Distortion, who reaffirmed their status as a cult favourite among Azkena festival-goers. Meanwhile, The Hives and DeWolff kicked things off with their energetic rock, while Imelda May, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, and Sleaford Mods brought elegance, roots, and working-class culture to the festival. The general feeling was clear: in its 24th year, Azkena Rock Festival confirmed that its main attraction is the opportunity to experience rock music as a community. Its legend is fuelled by both the big names and the gigs you stumble upon almost by chance...
Here’s a short review to accompany Mario Olmos‘ exclusive daily photo gallery from Azkena Rock Festival 2026.
Thursday 18 June
On Thursday 18 June, the Azkena Rock Festival 2026 struck the characteristic Mendizabala balance of energy, charisma, and shared celebration. The day began slowly, with acts gradually warming up the atmosphere, which culminated in a night of headline performances. The Trashville marquee added an extra dimension to the whole experience.
NHIL got things started, followed by Robert Finley, who gave an understated yet highly effective masterclass in blues and soul, setting the emotional tone for the day. As evening fell, it was the turn of the Dutch band DeWolff. In a serious, no-frills performance lasting around an hour, they delivered a masterclass featuring groove, psychedelia and blues-rock. With the Hammond organ and their signature heavy guitars taking centre stage, they opened with a breathtaking rendition of “Night Train”, “In Love” and “Natural Woman”, before treating us to a magnificent cover of Eden Rose’s “Faster and Faster”. They rounded off the set with the almost 20-minute masterpiece that is “Rosita”… At 9 pm, we knew we had experienced one of the best concerts of the festival this year.
Next up was Imelda May, who performed classic rock ’n’ roll alongside her ex-husband, Darrel Higham. This marked a departure from the soul and spoken word of her recent tours. She got off to a flying start with ‘Tribal‘ and ‘Psycho‘, two songs we hadn’t heard her perform for years. Throughout the show, she treated the audience to little gems such as ‘Big Bad Handsome Man‘, ‘Johnny Got a Boom Boom‘ and her now legendary cover of “Tainted Love“. Given its success, I think many would support this return to the Irish singer’s roots…
The big name of the night was Swedish band The Hives, who proved once again why they are a live force to be reckoned with. They have boundless energy, sharp songs, and an attitude that makes every track a mini-explosion. During the first part of the concert, we were treated to a host of hits alongside tracks from The Hives’ new album, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives (2025). The real catharsis with the audience came during the frenetic final 20 minutes, featuring “Come On!” and “Tick Tick Boom”, just before the encores. These included “Legalize Living”, “Walk Idiot Walk”, and the eponymous “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives“. A shower of applause for a band that never puts on a concert that’s anything less than excellent.
The Adicts brought the day to a close with their usual colourful and theatrical punk performance, which turned into a massive party fuelled by confetti, high energy and crowd-pleasing choruses..
Friday 19 June
Friday 19 June at Mendizabala was an emotional rollercoaster of a day. It began with a focus on discovery and roots, and was steeped in soul, blues, and guitar-driven rock. It ended with a grand spectacle of shock rock and classic hits sung at the top of everyone’s voices. The atmosphere was electric, with Alice Cooper’s name looming large over everything. However, there was also a sense that the other acts on the bill were going to offer much more than just top-class support.
The band Bywater Call kicked things off at the venue, bringing their unique blend of soul and Canadian blues to a crowd that was captivated by Meghan Parnell’s voice and the incredible horn section, despite the sweltering heat. Back at Mendizabala, The Damn Truth delivered the first real burst of 1970s-style guitar rock on the La Salve stage. Meanwhile, just a few metres away, The Del Fuegos reaffirmed their cult status, which they have held since the 1980s. They performed songs that, despite lacking any great frills, still sounded honest and vibrant. These included the magnificent “I Still Want You” and “It’s Alright”, with which they brought the concert to a close. For their part, Old Crow Medicine Show brought out the best in the day’s roots music. Using banjos, violins and vocal harmonies, they whipped up a little southern-style party right in the heart of Vitoria-Gasteiz..
The highlight of the main slot in the afternoon was the American band Sugar, who transported us back to the alternative rock and grunge of the mid-1990s. They proved that they are in enviable form. While it’s true that the middle section of their concert was somewhat disjointed, especially after the incredible opening with ‘The Act We Act‘ and the brilliant ‘A Good Idea‘, what will be remembered is the epic comeback in the final moments of the concert, when they closed with two of their biggest career hits: ‘Helpless‘ and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind“. The Temperance Movement continued the southern rock, soul and blues theme of the Respect stage. Meanwhile, Tropical Fuck Storm proved to be one of the day’s greatest discoveries, delivering a blend of noise, glam rock, punk and psychedelia with conviction. Their set was full of layers and nuances, and was even unsettling at times.
The highlight of Friday came with Alice Cooper, who rounded off the evening by proving once again why he is one of the few artists who can turn a festival gig into a major event.. Aged 78, the godfather of shock rock took to the stage, backed by an incredible band and a theatrical show. Hits such as “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Billion Dollar Babies”, “I’m Eighteen”, “Feed My Frankenstein” and “Poison” were performed during a sublime first half. The impeccable sound and brief interludes made us enjoy the concert like children. As it quickly reached its final moments, the crowd screamed and danced to covers of “School’s Out” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, as well as the finale, “Under My Wheels”.
Sábado 20 de junio
El sábado 20 el festival llegaba a su fin, y quizás por el cansancio acumulado se notó un ambiente algo más relajado. En la plaza de la Virgen Blanca disfrutamos en la hora del vermuth a los alemanes The Backyard Casanovas y sus guitarras rockabilly, con el cuarteto desplegando una música sencilla pero efectivista aupados por un estética de rock’n’roll setentero.
Ya en Mendizabala, Rodeo se encargaron de poner en marcha La Salve con un concierto sólido, de rock directo y sin demasiadas florituras, mientras que Vandoliers llevaron su mezcla de country punk y rock de raíces al escenario principal, causando una impresión más que favorable de la mayoría de publico, hasta el hecho de que mucha gente los catalogó como la gran sorpresa del cartel.
Pocas sorpresas nos darían unos Superchunk que ofrecían su habitual combinación de melodías pegadizas y guitarras aceleradas marca de la casa con estilo DIY, en el que seria el momento más indie de todo el festival. Con un nuevo batería en la formación, destacaron por unos temas breves que a medida que avanzó el concierto llegaron a convertirse en pequeñas jams de finales eternos llenos de distorsiones y acoples. Cuando todos pensábamos que venían a Vitoria a presentar su nuevo disco Songs in the Key of Yikes (2025), su concierto supuso un variado recorrido a su ya amplia discografía, destacando un cierre poderoso con “Slack Motherfucker” y “Precision Auto”, antes de un bis increíble con “Hyper Enough“.
Sleaford Mods, archiconocidos por estos lares, parecían encajar poco con el estilo del festival por esa mezcla de spoken word con bases electrónicas que les caracteriza. Su puesta en escena fue la habitual: Andrew Fearn lanzando beats cerveza en mano desde el portátil y Jason Williamson vomitando letras sobre precariedad y la situación de la clase obrera con gesto de cabreo permanente como si fuese la voz actual de Ken Loach. Con un setlist centrado principalmente en su reciente disco The Demise of Planet X (2026), la gente empezó a desfilar tan pronto como el concierto de Social Distortion se acercaba.
El gran concierto de la noche llegaba con Social Distortion, viejos conocidos del festival tras haber actuado ya en dos actuaciones. La banda de Mike Ness aparecía bajo la lluvia con nuevo disco Born to Kill (2026) bajo el brazo, ofreciendo lo que mejor sabe hacer, esa mezcla característica entre punk californiano, rock’n’roll clásico y pequeñas gotas de country y blues. Las casi cinco décadas de trayectoria de la banda y la legión de seguidores que les acompañan ayudaron a que el público se fuese calentando poco a poco hasta dedicase durante buena parte de la segunda parte de su show a corear estribillos a grito pelado de clásicos como “Ball and Chain”, “Story of My Life” o “Reach for the Sky”. Concierto notable y con pocas fisuras que deja con ganas de una cuarta visita de los californianos al Azkena próximamente.
Con las energías decayendo tras tres días de festival, el concierto de Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit supuso un oasis de calma gracias a su Americana elegante sustentado en unas guitarras perfectas por partes del líder y una banda en estado de gracia desplegando capas de instrumentos para aportar nuevos matices en cada tema. Es cierto que el horario nocturno y la situación entre Social Distortion y Carpenter Brut quizás no eran las mejores premisas para el show del ex miembro de Drive-By Truckers, de la misma manera que tampoco ayudaba que el concierto se centrase quizás en demasía en el último disco en solitario del de Alabama Foxes in the Snow (2025), pero la perfección a nivel de sonido y una voz clara capaz de acercar el Americana a un festival tan rockero como el Azkena, merecen todos los respetos.
Con la mayoría del público abriéndose a la electrónica de Carpenter Brut, nosotros decidimos cerrar el festival con los austriacos Bloodsucking Zombies From Outer Space en la siempre especial carpa Trashville. En un horario que les iba como anillo al dedo, su horror punk, psychobilly y estética de zombis desataron la locura de un público que no paraba de alucinar con todo lo que pasaba sobre el escenario. Canciones rápidas y melodías sorprendentemente pegadizas se ven por momentos eclipsadas por zombis, sangre falsa, poses de película y un juego-interacción constante con el público que dio la sensación de disfrutar al máximo de la performance.
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