Pussy Lounge, Atmoz, Dominator, Awakenings and Lakedance. These are just a few of the hardstyle and Hardcore festivals that Hans Nieuwkerk (72) from Eindhoven has on his schedule this year. Alone or with his festival friends, he regularly goes to a party. “It gives me a lot of energy!”
There is nothing to stop the retired teacher from going to these festivals, even if he doesn’t meet many of his peers. “People sometimes say it’s ‘brass noise’, but I don’t care, everyone can decide for themselves.”
In fact, the music can’t be loud enough for Hans. “Every now and then rest and then loosen up. That combination is great! My wife goes to a hobby evening once a week and then I can go wild at home. Then the music goes loud and I can fully enjoy the music.”
It is clear to Hans where the passion for loud music comes from. “I think it’s because of my two daughters. They played this music twenty years ago when they were young and I’ve been hooked ever since. I always liked it and could move around on it.”
“I can go all out on that music.”
One day one of his daughters took him to the ‘Extrema Outdoor’ festival. “In the years that followed, she went less and I more and more. The festivals I went to had increasingly loud music. I can go all out on that music.”
When Hans talks about his passion, you can see a glint in his eye. “The music is really cool, but the atmosphere at the festivals is also great. I’ve actually never experienced aggression or anything like that. On the contrary, they let you pass and are very friendly.”
Hans’s wife walks into the room at that moment. They have been together for 48 years, but she has never been with her husband. “I like that he does that, although I think the music is terrible. If he can put his egg in it, that’s very nice.”
A week ago Hans was at Dominator, a hardcore festival on the E3 beach in Eersel. “I only went to Eersel on my bike, because people I know from other parties couldn’t. That was a bit exciting, but you get to know new people so quickly. After half an hour, two girls actually adopted me for the day.”
“To such a party with my grandson is one of the most beautiful experiences ever.”
Fortunately, he doesn’t always have to be alone or with his festival friends. “Last year I went to Dominator with my seventeen year old grandson. We went there on the back of his scooter. That was really one of the most beautiful experiences to experience that together.”
And Hans, perhaps the oldest hardcore fan in Brabant, wants to continue with that for a while. “They sometimes ask: ‘how long do you think you will be doing this?’ I then have a standard answer and that is that I hope to be able to go to such a festival when I am 100.”
