Leiden band Downtown District inspired pogoing at a local festival!
On 1st October 2024, there was a free concert in Leiden, the Netherlands, by the young local punks of Downtown District.
Why on 1 October? Who are Downtown District? Well, over 450 years ago, King Philip II of Spain ruled what became the Netherlands autocratically and harshly. City dwellers had to pay high taxes. The king’s inquisition burned Protestants at the stake. Dutch Roman Catholics disliked seeing this religious persecution.
Rebellion started in 1568, and in 1573, the Spanish army encircled the rebel city of Leiden. That year-long siege caused hardship, as no food entered Leiden anymore. People ate dogs and cats (that was true then, not a lie by a US billionaire politician). One-third of the citizens died.
On the morning of 3rd October 1574, Leiden people saw that flooding had driven the Spanish soldiers out of their entrenchments. The fleeing military had left cooking pots with potatoes, carrots and onions. (A meal called hotchpotch in English, and hutspot in Dutch). Also, the rebel fleet arrived, bringing herring and bread for the starving Leiden people.
Every 3rd October, still many Leiden people eat hutspot, herring or bread for the biggest festival of the Leiden calendar. Much of the inner city becomes a big fairground attracting throngs of tens of thousands of people. More bands play in more pubs than usual.
2024 marks 450 years since the end of the siege, so the celebrations this year were even bigger, including the three Leiden punk bands Helleveeg, Kleibeuker and Skir at the Resistor venue on 2nd October.
Part of this was the Downtown District concert on 1st October. They played in a tent erected for the festival by Rockcafé Lazarus just outside their building. At Lazarus, usually, metal bands play, but this time, a punk gig.
Downtown District was founded on 15th June 2017 by four boys from Leiden and the surrounding area. In 2018, their first self-titled album ‘Downtown District‘ came out.
They are: vocals/rhythm guitar Joel van der Horst, lead guitar Niels van den Berg, bass Bjorn Baltus and drums/backing vocals Stan Schrama. Downtown District’s second album, ‘Pressure‘, was released in 2023.
They attracted an enthusiastic crowd, mainly of their own twenty-something age. Their mostly fast songs inspired pogoing, and sometimes skanking, as there was some ska influence in part of the songs.
Here is their setlist, thank you, band!
They played their own songs. Except for ‘Blitzkrieg Bop‘, of course by the Ramones.
Here is a video of their third song, their single ‘Shitfaced‘. Halfway through the song, the singer interjected “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!” which would come back later, during the only cover played by the band.
‘Antisocial‘ on the setlist is not the Skrewdriver song of that name, but a Downtown District tune, with ‘Anti-Social Syndrome‘ as its full title. You can hear it on this video.
After the gig, the audience left satisfied, maybe to check other sides of the celebration of the flight of King Philip II’s soldiers.
On 26 October, Downtown District will be playing their next concert in Katwijk. They will play there with NØFX; who are not the United States band NOFX, but a Dutch tribute band with Ø instead of O.
Follow Downtown District on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Gorilla Biscuits, London Underworld, 2nd June 2026
From the moment Gorilla Biscuits take the stage, the vibe is of one of relentless positivity and fun. They kick off with ‘New Direction’ and
Live review: Ruts DC conclude current tour with outstanding London show at the 100 Club on 31/5/26
General Saint and Ruts DC brought Reggae rhythms and protest Punk to a phenomenal gig! Still cutting a dynamic and highly expressive figure, General Saint
Mini-Album review: Shooting Daggers bring us ‘The Real Life Thing’
Shooting Daggers are genuinely invested in the principles they sing about; inclusivity, solidarity, feminism and grassroots community, while standing firmly against prejudice and exclusion in
Live review: Ruts DC prove their timeless quality at Don’t Panic, Essen 17/6/26
A Sunday trip to Don’t Panic in Essen offered the chance to finally see Ruts DC in a setting that shows their true talents –
EP review: Belgian HC band Caught Up drop debut ‘The End Begins’
Belgian Hardcore punks Caught Up are about to release their debut six track EP, ‘The End Begins’. Caught Up like to mix things up, there
Album review: Drunken Swallows return with their 8th studio album ‘Echos Alter Tage’
Oldenburg in Holstein punk rockers Drunken Swallows return after almost two years with ‘Echos Alter Tage’, a deeply personal and emotionally charged new chapter in
In 1978 Herman co-founded Dutch Rock Against Racism and was a founder of Pin punkzine. He’s vocals/saxophone for Cheap ‘n’ Nasty and in 2021 co-founded the Punk Scholars Network, Netherlands.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
