PANNONIA FIELDS on fire in Nickelsdorf
Each year in June since 2005, Nova Rock festival takes place next to Nickelsdorf (Austria) in the Burgenland Region, close to Slovakia and Hungary. Only four hours away from Prague by car, I will tell you more about the 2026 edition and why this festival is worth going to.
Nova Rock has a capacity of approximately 60,000 people, pushed to 80,000 for big events such as Linkin Park’s show in 2025. This big festival has three stages: the Red stage, the Blue stage and the RedBull stage. The Blue stage is the main one with the largest space. What is very convenient is that the three stages are quite close to each other so it is easy to move from one to another.
Despite this advantage, choices had to be made regarding the lineup, since Nova Rock always has some very good names which makes it impossible to avoid scheduling conflicts. This year for example, it wasn’t possible to enjoy The Cure and Ice Nine Kills at the same time, or The Offspring and The Pretty Reckless. Of course it depends on the taste of everyone, but that is a classic problem of big festivals with many stages.
The 2026 edition happened from June 11 to 14. Here are the bands I saw on the first day, Thursday: Volbeat, Bad Omens, Trivium, Sex Pistols feat Frank Carter, Tom Morello, Ankor.
Nova Rock, Day 1: a mixed beginning.
Starting with Ankor, a spanish metalcore band founded in 2003, probably made the best beginning ever at Nova Rock. After seeing them at Rock Castle in 2024, I wasn’t disappointed. Their energy on stage was contagious and the singer Jessie Williams was as impressive as in my memories: growling, screaming or doing clear singing and switching between the three effortlessly. They definitely are a band to follow closely and I am sure they will keep rising!
Next Tom Morello, who played songs from all his bands (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) and some covers (Ozzy Osbourne, John Lennon), sometimes singing, sometimes asking the crowd to sing. He was joined for a couple of songs by his son, Roman Morello, who definitely nailed it! Tom showed how skilled a musician he was but, no worries, the next generation is ready.
Seeing Sex Pistols feat Frank Carter might seem like a weird mix at first, but the singer brings the energy needed to the legendary musicians of the band. He was jumping and running around all the time, and he didn’t hesitate to jump in the crowd at some point! From the RedBull stage in 2024 to the Blue stage in 2026, Frank Carter evolved but is still as amazing as he was before. It was very nice to see Sex Pistols carrying on thanks to him.
The American trash metal band Trivium (2000) was a complete discovery. I saw them from afar but they definitely did a good show and I want to take some time to listen to their discography. I hope I will have another opportunity to see them live.
Bad Omens, the American metalcore band founded in 2015, brought the fire on the Red stage a little before the end of Trivium (on the Blue stage). They were the youngest band among the big names of this day but they attracted quite a big crowd of fans and curious people. With 3 studio albums, they put a setlist of 16 songs with a great show of lights and pyrotechnical effects. On some aspects, Bad Omens reminded me of old boy bands. Some of their songs truly have electro aspects, like their opening song “Specter”, while others are more violent. I didn’t know much about them but I had a good time. I missed a bit of interaction with the crowd but their performance was nice, and the crowd of fans was definitely enjoying the moment.
The Danish hard rock band Volbeat (2001) was headlining on the Blue stage to finish the day. If their show was good, their style was maybe a bit too calm after Bad Omens and even more Trivium. I would be curious to see them in other circumstances, also because seeing Bad Omens meant missing the first 15-20 minutes of their show, which didn’t help to get in the mood. In my opinion, it might have been better to see them before Trivium.
Stay tuned for day 2!
Photos and report by Céline Fetel