Three classic punk acts confirmed

Published: September 12 2025 at 09:20

DISCHARGE (UK)

Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.The band is known for influencing several sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and other genres. The musical sub-genre of D-beat is named after Discharge and the band's distinctive drumbeat. The band is characterized by a minimalistic approach to music and lyrics, using a heavy, distorted and grinding guitar-driven sound and raw, shouted vocals similar to a political speech, with lyrics on anarchist and pacifist themes, over intense drone-like rhythms. The band's sound has been called a "grave-black aural acid assault.Discharge paved the way for an astounding array of politically motivated, musically intense and deeply confrontational bands". Discharge was "explicitly political" and displayed a "revolutionary/activist" attitude that moved British hardcore punk away from its pub rock origins and towards a "dangerous and provocative" or anti-establishment leftist territory. Discharge paved the way for various extreme metal styles such as thrash metal, black metal, crust punk and grindcore. The band's "brutal, extremist approach" and "extreme thrash noise" style of playing eventually led to the thrash genre. Discharge's influence on heavy metal is incalculable and metal superstars such as Metallica, Anthrax, Machine Head, Sepultura, Soulfly, Prong and Arch Enemy have covered Discharge's songs in tribute. Discharge was a major influence on at least two generations of metal. Now they come to Time To Rock in Knislinge!

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA (US)

Time for another legend on the stage in Knislinge. Richard Blum, known by his stage name Handsome Dick Manitoba, is an American punk rock musician and radio personality. He was the singer of New York City-based band The Dictators from 1974 to 2008. With The Dictators, Manitoba sang on the albums The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (1975), Manifest Destiny (1977), Bloodbrothers (1978) and D.F.F.D. (2005). Manitoba also sang with a reunited version of MC5 from 2005 to 2012. Besides The Dictators, we can recommend you to listen to the album "...and you" with Manitoba's Wild Kingdom from 1990. Now, when he comes to us at Time To Rock, you can be sure that he will play many songs from his time with The Dictators.

999 (UK)

The punk band 999 was formed in London, December 1976 and took their name after the British emergency phone number. A veteran act on the London punk scene, 999 have outlived most of their peers among the bands that rose to fame during punk's first major splash in 1977. 999 didn't often employ the speedy tempos that many bands used as their trademark; instead, they played tough, straightforward rock, while the disciplined shout of lead singer Nick Cash, an effective instrument for their confrontational lyrics, gave their music a rebellious edge that pushed the songs forward. Their second album, 1978's "Separates", showed off their stripped-down original sound and 1980's "The Biggest Prize in Sports" traded a bit of their punk snarl for catchier melodies and a more anthemic rock n roll sound. After breaking up for several years, 999 returned in the 1990's and their reunion albums "You Us It!" (1993) and "Takeover" (1998) demonstrated that their take on punk rock stood the test of time. If you should listen to two really great songs from the band, we recommend "Homicide" and "Inside Out". When they now come to Time To Rock it is still with founding members Nick Cash (lead vocals, guitar) and Guy Days (guitar, vocal) up front.

Battleaxe cancel - Eric Sardinas to replace! The saddest thing is when a band cancels. When they cancel because they consider it problematic to travel from England to Sweden in these times, it becomes even sadder. But we have tried to explain to Battleaxe that there is no problem at all to fly to Sweden, but without success. With short notice and many things we have to go to print etc., we do not have time to try to find a replacement in the same genre. However, we can proudly present Florida-born guitarist and blues rocker Eric Sardinas . He has made a name for himself for his...

Published 13 April 2026 at 09:15

News, Answers & Info We get a lot of questions via e-mail and SoMe about this summer's festival. Here we have put together a list of things that people are wondering about. - Tickets are not sold out. Only VIP tickets are sold out. There are a few 1-day VIPs left. Should any ticket type be about to run out, we will let you know. - Yes, there are 1-day tickets to buy for all days. - Yes, of course you will still be able to buy a Falcon Export for 59 SEK at the festival. - A new feature this year is that we...

Published 2 April 2026 at 08:19

Atomic Swing to replace Handsome Dick We regret to announce that Handsome Dick Manitoba, for logistical reasons, is canceling his gig at this year's Time To Rock. He says he is sorry for this, but that he would be happy to come to Knislinge in 2027 instead. Since it is impossible, at short notice, to find a legendary, American punk icon, we can instead present Swedish Atomic Swing in a big way. With Niklas Frisk at the forefront, we can expect the band to offer both nostalgia and the timeless energy that once put them on the world map. For festival-goers, this means a chance to experience...

Published 23 March 2026 at 08:49

Sungen & Jake E will be this years emcee's So it was time to introduce our emcees who will deliver info from the stages during Time To Rock 2026. SUNGEN is jumping on this job again after being banished to a corner in our VIP last year. He has been nagging and nagging and sending a lot of letters, faxes and shady videos and asking us to let him be emcee again and in the end we gave in. His nagging became too much. However, we forced him to not be alone and that he should bring someone with more knowledge, more intelligence and more charm. The choice then fell...

Published 30 January 2026 at 10:56

Running order up! Now you can finally go to our website and check out the final schedule for Time To Rock 2026. At the beginning of next week, there will also be a printable version! Have a nice weekend!

Published 9 January 2026 at 15:46

Erik Grönwall to Time To Rock Never has the interest been so great for an individual artist as when Erik Grönwall sang with Michael Schenker at Time To Rock 2025. So when the chance came, we really wanted to have Erik at the festival again in 2026, when he is now investing heavily in a solo career. We in Sweden should be proud towe have such a star in rock music. A fantastic voice, an entertainer on stage and a humble "one of the guys" personality are just some of the ingredients that make Erik Grönwall who he is. He is so much more than just a...

Published 10 December 2025 at 08:45