Chargement en cours
Dear friends,
After the boom of the party comes the calm. The balance sheet. Better, analysis. Our vintage Golden Age Rock Festival 2022 is over. It went perfectly and was again praised for its organizational qualities and the originality of its programming. No, the Covid did not kill us. No, two years of misery and frustration have not eroded our will to continue the redesigns between the 2020 and 2022 editions. To adapt is to survive and despite a gloomy but not desperate economic context, we officially announce a third edition of our (your) GARF on September 30 and October 1, 2023.
Everything must change so that nothing changes…
Let’s not be afraid of words: we have made mistakes. Misjudged certain situations. The point is not to persist in error. Therefore, we are still changing places. Our censors will point to a lack of stability. We will insist on the tottering state of Liège’s infrastructures and their exorbitant costs. The Cultural Center of Chênée (formerly the Foyer Culturel de Chênée, a suburb of Liège a few kilometers from the city center) is a functional hall with a capacity of 600 souls. Our gauge. With a large parking lot below. This small Liège musical temple smells rock and can be proud of a rich past: trendy rock from the 70’s-80’s with the Buzzcocks, a canceled concert by the Sex Pistols, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Ultravox, Fisher Z, XTC , Talking Heads, John Cale… and the mid-eighties hard patina with the Viva, H Bomb, Tokyo Blade, Vengeance… The choice between seats, standing places and a relaxation area will be obvious for everyone. The removal of the VIP (everyone will be!) was also in our minds. It will be effective given the configuration of the premises. Let’s be honest: the concept “very important person” did not fit with our basic precepts.
The amputation of a day (that of Friday) was also desired. We no longer have twenty springs and neither do you. The theme days disappear to offer 13 fire bands (7 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday with a curfew at 10 p.m.) for two days where the various trends of classic rock will be well represented. Last point, the change of dates. Many have blamed us for August, the holiday month by essence. The GARF will stabilize durably at the end of September-beginning of October, with the last jolts of summer and the first dead leaves.
Again and again the same philosophy and too bad for those who do not understand it!
We have now decoded it perfectly: the mass plebiscite will never concern us and that is fine. We have the audience we deserve. Great people of all nationalities. Bring on, enthusiasts and connoisseurs. External participants present at our GARF insisted on the friendliness and kindness of our audience. This is also what castigates us and motivates us to continue, to surpass ourselves. The future programming will surprise you, titillate you. Exclusivity, rarity, even discovery are part of our DNA. You can still expect nice surprises. To artists who have never set foot in our lands. A first wave of names will be communicated to you in early February and will coincide with the opening of the ticket office. Mid-April, we will be able to reveal the complete or almost complete poster to you. In the meantime, we can let you in on a first surprise: the reformation of Such A Noise (in its golden line-up: Froidebise, Coco, Lenners, Pire) for a unique concert. The great Walloon blues/rock group adheres to our values. This will more than likely be his last concert in this configuration.
Thank you for your trust and see you soon for a GARF 2023 grand cru. Classified vintage!
The GARF team