I like music
You can learn a lot about a person from their music taste, right? I think it’s interesting to see what bands I have seen live time and time again, or bands that top my list overall, so I’m going to highlight my personal favourites, and if you click the favourite songs the video will open in a little box on this page for your viewing pleasure!
A Fire Inside
Fan since: 2003 // Seen live: 4 times
At first, I didn’t really understand what AFI was. But when I did, I was sold, and never looked back. My love for AFI has been the starting point for made up holiday celebrations. AFI are good for any kind of mood and any kind of day. They have been going for quite a while and are quite big, but they’re just such an interesting band! It’s not just that their music is really good, they’re really really cool and interesting people.
Their live shows are such a feast to the ear and eye, they put so much effort into it! They’re truly artists in every sense of the word. I have to say, Sing the Sorrow is one of my absolute Best Album Ever Of All Times, and whatever CD came before or after that is also very much appreciated by me. They’ve evolved over time and had different kinds of musical styles, but I honestly like all of them. This band can just do no wrong. They are one of very few bands for which I got a tattoo. I LOVE AFI!
My all-time favourite songs are the Leaving Song Pt. 2 and the Days of the Phoenix.
Alexisonfire
Fan since: 2005 // Seen live: around 9 times
Oh my glob yes, AOF is back!!! They are a truly amazing band, with awesome albums and very energetic live shows. Shows progressed over the years – they used to not really have a stage and walk into the crowd all the time, which was awesome. Yet when they were bigger and played bigger venues, the shows were still out of control. There was always a memorable moment, I looked forward to shows for months! And now I am so excited that they’re back!
A special song by AOF for me will always be Get Fighted, as well as Happiness By The Kilowatt.
Alkaline Trio
Fan since: 2003 // Seen live: 4 times
My story of liking Alkaline Trio is a bit funny as for years I only knew a few songs, until I went on a trip to Ireland by myself and decided to properly listen to their albums. Their songs pretty much formed the soundtrack to my trip and I started to appreciate them a lot more.
Alkaline Trio was definitely the band to help me through some tough times and they have become one of my favourites, now I listen to them all the time and even got a tattoo out of appreciation for this band. I can’t really explain my love for them because it’s not so much about amazing live performances but little personal moments and memories I’ve had while listening to their music in all corners of the world.
My top favourite tracks of them are Radio, This Could Be Love and Mercy Me.
Anti-Flag
Fan since: 2006 // Seen live: like, 20 times.
Aaahh, Anti-Flag. In 2006 I became completely and utterly obsessed, and it hasn’t really changed since. They’re a ‘political band’, which is what I really love about them! They’re my top played artist on Last.fm with over 9.000 (no really!) plays, hahaha.
There are so many good memories! Whether I saw them at a festival or in a small venue, every time is different and special. From seeing Chris #2 try to make out with someone who was annoying him, to having Pat Thetic play the drums in the crowd… whether I would be sitting on the side of the stage to take photos or in the middle of the pit screaming my lungs out, it’s never been less amazing than that first time.
In April/May 2012 I went on this crazy adventure to see them 5 times in one week, we managed 4 times and 2 songs [damn you British trains!] but it was more than amazing. It blew my mind. I have so much love for Anti-Flag, it’s almost unreal.
Going to an A-F show is always one of the highlights of my year. I get a special feeling when I’m there: the music, the atmosphere… it’s like completely losing track of time, and over too soon at the same time!
Songs that top my list are Vices, Cities Burn and Die For the Government… but obviously I can’t really pick, haha.

Bayside
Fan since: 2009 // Seen live: 2 times
Bayside are another very special band to me! I like singing along to their music for various reasons, but one of them is that they’re just very good to sing along to. I’ve been growing with them with every album, becoming more and more of a fan. I could go on all day about what each song means to me, I won’t though, no worries.
I’ll say this, it was so emotional to finally see them and talk to them! They’re such lovely people! If you can go see them, they will not disappoint.
Favourite songs are Blame It On Bad Luck and Sick, Sick, Sick.
Blink-182
Fan since: 2001 // Seen live: 3 times
I’m pretty sure most people know Blink-182, right? When I was a teenage Vief especially, I had such a crush on Travis Barker, it was kind of embarrassing. He just seemed like such a cool dude.
That said, I have crazy good memories about seeing them in 2004 with my bestie in Paris, just before they went on their hiatus. And in 2012, more than 6 years since I last saw them, it was much more of a party on stage! They had so much fun, it was like they had gone back in time instead of grown older. Lots of jokes, a lot of good song choices, old and new… I think that was my favourite of the times I’ve seen Blink live. I recently saw them with the new lineup, in June 2017 in Rotterdam. So, as pointed out above I am an Alkaline Trio fan and I actually like the album that they released with this ‘Blinkskiba’ formation, as I jokingly call it. However, the live performance was underwhelming and really mostly just made me miss Skiba in Alkaline Trio. I am not their audience anymore, I guess. But that doesn’t mean that Blink didn’t shape my growing up, or is important in my love of poppunk, or that their music isn’t good.
One of my all-time favourite Blink songs is Adam’s Song.
Cancer Bats
Fan since: 2006 // Seen live: soo many times [once you hit 20, do you keep counting?]
The first time I saw Cancer Bats was at an Alexisonfire show. I was immediately sold by the Bats, though. As you can tell from the amount of times I’ve seen them, they tour a lot, which is great because their live shows are always epic! I’ve seen them in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, middle-of-nowhere-places in Belgium, London, Nottingham, Leeds, York… It doesn’t matter where they play, how big the venue is or how many people show up. Their live shows are phenomenal. The dudes also immediately got a place in my heart because they are really, really nice. The shows are so lively, the whole band is into it and so is the crowd. People at Bats shows are really great. No matter how many bruises I get, it’s always the best time.
Hail Destroyer, Lucifer’s Rocking Chair and French Immersion are definitely top of the list of all the amazing songs.
A Day To Remember
Fan since: 2012 // Seen live: 1 time
For the amount I have listened to this band, I have not seen them live enough times. But somehow I keep missing out… I was not disappointed when I finally got to see them supporting Blink-182, though. I love the mix of pop punk and metalcore, and maybe I have an unpopular opinion but I think they just keep getting better and better.
My jams are All I Want and Naivety – and I would be lying if said I hadn’t headbanged to their cover of Since U Been Gone a million times.
Deas Vail
Fan since: 2005 // Seen live: never
I have never seen Deas Vail live because they haven’t toured outside of the United States yet, sadly. But it’s safe to say that Deas Vail is one of my favourite bands, I’m really in love with all their songs. So far they have 3 full length albums and 3 EPs, and I keep listening to everything over and over again. I really hope I can see them live once, it would be a dream come true.
I always picked Shoreline as my favourite since it was the song that introduced me to them, but I have a lot of love for Birds, Summer Forgets Me and Sixteen as well.
The Menzingers
Fan since: 2012 // Seen live: 5 times
I have been a fan since Chris Dos from Anti-Flag mentioned The Menzingers. I was hooked since the very first time I listened to On The Impossible Past. It’s such a great album, and I’ve listened to it so, so many times. It’s definitely their best album for me, and I recommend it to anyone – although their other albums are amazing too. They have all come to be significant for me at several periods of my life, it’s kind of creepy how this happens. But sometimes I feel like this music comes just at the right time. By the way, I can also really recommend the 2017 album After The Party as a running soundtrack.
It’s hard to pick a favourite because I have quite a few, but I think Good Things is a great song to start with.
The Story So Far
Fan since: 2011 // Seen live: 2 times
I think the first time I saw The Story So Far, I didn’t really know them that well, and now I regret this because their songs have become so important to me. They’re a good example of a band that I heard once and that stuck. There’s this obsession with the colour blue, with nautical themes, I don’t know why, but it resonates with me. They’re a bit of a problematic fave, some of the stuff is exactly what I don’t like about liking this type of pop punk… but ah, can’t have it all.
Songs that really helped me through some tough times are Clairvoyant and Swords and Pens and Placeholder.
Stick To Your Guns
Fan since: 2011 // Seen live: 2 times
I think 2017 is the year I truly started appreciating Stick To Your Guns. I mean, truly obsessively appreciating. But it’s all good, because they are amazing. I think one of my favourite things about Stick To Your Guns will be the video for Nothing You Can Do To Me, it’s all you’ve ever wanted: straight edge vegan hardcore and cute dogs ♡
Listen to Nothing You Can Do To Me and We Still Believe [and the amazing acoustic version] for some examples of the amazing PMA hardcore that is STYG.
Sum 41
Fan since: 2001 // Seen live: 5 times
I don’t care how old they get, or how old I get; Sum 41 is one of my favourite bands. And they will be for a long time. I first saw them live [one of my first live shows!] when I was a little 14 year old. My sister had to come with as a chaperone, haha, awww. Their live show is really fun, no matter what age or what kind of fan you are.
My favourite songs are Heart Attack, Angels With Dirty Faces and Pieces.
Taylor Swift
Fan since: 2016 // Seen live: NEVER *cries*
Yes. It might come as a surprise after a whole list of punk rock, indie and hardcore bands but… I consider myself a Swiftie nowadays. It started somewhere in 2016 when I actually sat down and really listened to the lyrics of the songs I’ve always just heard in the background. I found out that I can actually relate a lot to Ms Swift. She’s a writer with a flair for the dramatic and, well, I think this blog speaks for itself that I myself can be very over dramatic. I was supposed to go see her live in 2020 and then the Covid-19 pandemic happened and this didn’t work out. I am hoping to see her in the future though. Because I might have entered this fandom quite late in the game, I honestly believe that Taylor Swift is an amazing singer and songwriter and I cannot wait to see the show she puts on!
I can recommend to watch her Grammy museum performance and then watch the documentary on Netflix.
And many more…
In case you are interested, you can find my last.fm account here.