Pre-Tour Playlist: 20 Tracks from the Headliners

Before the tour hits Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg, we asked every headlining band to submit two tracks — one from their back catalogue, one new. This playlist is the result: 20 songs, four bands, zero filler.

The List

Iron Kettle lead things off with "Forge Night" — a seven-minute slab of riff-based rock that made their name — followed by the new "Rust & Rain", which is shorter, tighter, and somehow heavier. If you've never seen them live, those two tracks explain everything.

Rusty Anchor Band follow with "Low Tide Session" and the just-released "Floodgate". Where Iron Kettle go for size, Rusty Anchor go for groove — less wall of sound, more locked-in rhythm section. Both tracks reward headphones and a decent pint.

Why Listen Before the Show

Knowing the songs before the set changes the experience. You hear the studio version and then you stand in a field and watch the live version hit differently — louder, looser, more dangerous. The songs on this list are the ones the bands are most likely to open or close with. Consider it preparation.

Wolfsbräu Sessions and The Grain Thieves round out the playlist with six tracks between them — a mix of festival-tested openers and slower builds that always land by the third chorus. By the end of it, you'll recognise the first four bars of something you didn't know the name of twenty minutes ago. That's the best kind of discovery.

"We put in the catalogue track because the new stuff hits harder when you already know the old stuff." — Iron Kettle, headliners