One of the things that makes Foreign Dissent special is giving international punk bands a stage in the U.S. For our 10th edition on October 20, 2025 at Will’s Pub in Orlando, that spirit is alive and louder than ever.
Out of the 10 bands on the lineup, six will be playing their first-ever U.S. shows at Foreign Dissent 10. That means if you’re in the room, you’ll be part of a moment these bands — and this scene — will never forget.
For these bands, Orlando will be the first stop on their American journey. For you, it’s a chance to catch something rare: a mix of raw energy, new voices, and international perspectives colliding on one stage.
That’s what Foreign Dissent has always been about — breaking borders, building community, and creating nights you’ll be telling stories about years from now.
On October 20, 2025, Foreign Dissent celebrates a milestone: 10 years of bringing international punk to Orlando (get tickets now). To mark this special anniversary, we’ve pulled together 10 bands from around the world—one returning, many making their U.S. debut—to take over Will’s Pub for one unforgettable night. Rather than introducing them ourselves, we asked each band to introduce themselves. Here’s what they had to say:
“Four friends from the south of the world come together to face the midlife crisis by playing music for racing hearts — melodic punk, sometimes furious, sometimes reflective. Like grass pushing through cracks in the pavement, they still believe noise can heal all wounds.”
“SUNLINER are gruff punk rock from Leeds. For fans of Hot Water Music, Against Me! and Simpsons references. Really excited to be back; Foreign Dissent was one of our highlights last time we came over!”
“Swear is a four-piece shoegaze band from Genoa, Italy, formed in 2018. We just released a brand-new EP in May 2025, and FD10 will be our first-ever US show. Expect very low-volume vocals but very high emotions. Get your earplugs ready for the wall of guitars.”
“We are a four-piece band from Tokyo, Japan. This will be our first showcase in the US. Our sound is rooted in skate punk—catchy yet aggressive. In January, we released a new album titled ‘FLASHBACK,’ a 10-track collection that sums up our style so far.”
“Since forming in 2015, Harker have gone on to establish themselves a UK heavyweight with two full-length albums released through notable labels such as Wiretap Records (US), Paper + Plastick (US), and Fixing A Hole (JP). They’ve toured the UK, Europe, and Japan and regularly appear at festivals like Booze Cruise, Manchester Punk Fest, and The Great Escape. 2025 sees the band releasing new music from their forthcoming third album and playing the first shows in America in October.”
“Like a hangover with harmony, Back Teeth play gruff, melodic punk for people who know exactly what’s wrong but still can’t do anything about it. Big choruses, bad decisions, and songs about how everything’s getting worse but we’re still making the best of it.”
“Descartes a Kant is a Mexican experimental rock band formed in Guadalajara in 2001 by Sandrushka Petrova. Known for their eclectic musical style, they blend punk, rock, and electronic elements with theatrical live performances. The critically acclaimed underground sextet equally incorporates punk, metal, pop, shoegaze, and cabaret into their sound, making them an otherworldly and unpredictable live act. The Wall Street Journal even noted, ‘Trying to describe their music is to do it a disservice. It’s loud, racy, incredibly imaginative, sophisticated, funny and wild; it’s as if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs fronted Albert Ayler with Frank Zappa conducting.’ They are considered one of the leading lights in the vibrant, ever-evolving Mexican experimental underground scene.”
“We are Toodles & the Hectic Pity, a three-piece folk-punk-emo band from Bristol, UK. Absolutely stoked that Foreign Dissent will be our first ever U.S. show and first ever show outside the UK! We play heart-extremely-on-sleeve music FFO The Mountain Goats with more fuzz. Music via Specialist Subject Records.”
“Formed in the murky depths of London in 2018, Modern Shakes combine catchy, well-crafted songwriting and modern punk rock energy to create a contemporary Midwest orgcore sound, with memorable melodies, powerful dynamics, and choruses that get audiences singing along. After releasing their debut LP in 2024, Modern Shakes are bringing their Bolt from the Blue stateside, hitting eastern and central Florida like a lightning strike. The lads are delighted to be playing Foreign Dissent and looking forward to partying in Orlando with friends, old and new. Get the PBRs and Coors Banquets chilling! Following FD, they’ll be hitching an airboat ride up the coast on the hunt for Florida Man and playing a few punk rock shows along the way, concluding in Gainesville at Fest 23! The debut album A Bolt from the Blue is available on vinyl and cassette through various labels worldwide.”
“Foreign Dissent is such a marquee showcase for us and we cannot wait to take the stage in Orlando and play some songs for you. We are keen on meeting new people and making new friends. Love – Small State.”
🎉 Join Us
Foreign Dissent 10 takes place October 20, 2025, at Will’s Pub in Orlando, Florida. Get your tickets now, and come scream along with new friends from around the world.
Every year, Foreign Dissent brings together punk and punk-adjacent bands from around the world for a single night in Orlando. As we gear up for the tenth edition this October, the official FD10 playlist is now live, giving you a chance to get familiar with the entire lineup before show day.
This year’s playlist features 10 bands from 6 countries across 4 continents, each offering their own take on punk, post-punk, and everything in between.
Harker, Toodles & the Hectic Pity, Sunliner, Modern Shakes, and Back Teeth – all from the UK!
LEXT (Japan) brings high-energy, anthemic punk that’s sharp and infectious. They’ll be the first Japanese band to play FD!
Descartes a Kant (Mexico) defies genre with chaotic, art-damaged brilliance. They’ll be the first Mexican band to play FD!
Swear (Italy), Small State (Germany), and Germinar (Chile) round out the bill, each bringing a truly unique sound from one another.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to know the songs before the show — or you just want to dive into what DIY punk sounds like across the globe — this playlist is for you.
This is the biggest Foreign Dissent lineup yet, and the playlist is the perfect way to explore what makes it special. Stream it now, share it with friends, and get ready to see it all live this October.
What started in 2014 as a half-baked idea rages on more than ten years later. Foreign Dissent’s 10-year anniversary celebration will take place on October 20 at Will’s Pub in Orlando — and it’s going to be bigger than ever before.
To celebrate a decade of performances, 10 bands are hitting the stage for this extra special edition of Orlando’s International Punk Rock Party. Six different countries are represented, including two never before featured at Foreign Dissent (Mexico and Japan), and one band coming back for an encore performance (Sunliner).
Some Foreign Dissent highlights over the years include:
FD1 (2014) I was asked to book a show for Laura Palmer and learned it was a three-piece punk band from Australia and not a solo singer-songwriter. This realization and my instant love of the band truly set the concept of Foreign Dissent into motion.
FD2 (2015) The organizer of The FEST in Gainesville, Florida (the reason these foreign bands are in Florida in the first place) started to give the international bands a heads up about Foreign Dissent. Now, instead of having to chase down bands, many of them started hitting FD up. This year also featured vegan food truck Leguminati for one of their very first events. They’ve gone on to be a mainstay brick-and-mortar for the Orlando food scene.
FD3 (2016) Panama’s Lemmiwinks had to give a last-minute crash-course in learning their songs to a 16-year-old friend who joined on bass so they could pull off their tour to FEST. It was so cool getting to see this young musician thrown into the fire of FEST week.
FD4 (2017) Austrian quartet ASTPAI performed as a three-piece with lead singer/guitarist Zock doing vocals and drumming when their drummer couldn’t make the trip due to health reasons. This is the only time the band ever performed with such a configuration, as they found an extra musician to help out on guitar the day after FD4.
FD5 (2018) This first notable milestone felt like a huge accomplishment to reach. FD had t-shirts for the first and only time (until now, as there will be new shirts for FD10!), and this was the first Foreign Dissent that was recorded in full by FD legend and video mastermind Blaine Helmick.
FD6 (2019) We were blessed by the vegan eats of Orlando vegan entrepreneur Mackenzie Singleton’s Vs Diner, at the time a food trailer. Today, you can find Mackenzie continuing to spread vegan food joy around Orlando with Scratch Vegan Kitchen.
The COVID Years (2020-2021) Little did I know how things would fall apart as I started to plan and confirm bands for FD7 in early 2020. As 2021 rolled around, a vaccine offered promise and it seemed like FD7 could finally happen. Bands were hitting me up, and FEST was moving forward, but the US travel ban remained until early November 2021, preventing any foreign bands from making the trip in time.
FD7 (2022) Foreign Dissent returns! In addition to the joy of finally being able to do the event again, Blaine created an iconic FD moment as he mounted a camera to a bike helmet to allow himself to capture an additional view of the bands.
FD8 (2023) This year, there was much lineup fluctuation — three bands dropped from the original lineup, and two got added. We also partnered with Orlando’s best record store, Park Ave CDs, for a sponsorship, providing extra cash for the far-traveling bands.
FD9 (2024) Also known as the year of Italian Dissent, four of the eight bands that played were from Italy. Bellissimo!
So here we are, ready to hit the stage again for the celebration of 10 years of Foreign Dissent. Memories will be created. Come be a part of it at Will’s Pub in Orlando on October 20.
I was lucky enough to be a guest on DCxPC Live’s new podcast SCENE SUPPORT, where we dug into my punk rock roots, my love for and connection to the scene, some of the DIY projects I’ve done and, of course, Foreign Dissent. It was an honor to get to share why punk rock and the punk rock community are so important to me. Give it a watch and subscribe to the podcast. And remember, the 10th anniversary of Foreign Dissent is October 20 at Will’s Pub in Orlando.
It’s that wonderful time of the year, when all the full sets from Foreign Dissent 9 hit YouTube. Video wizard Blaine gets most of the credit for handling all the filming, editing, and audio mixing.
FD9 might be the first time the lineup didn’t change from the time it was announced until the event took place. In the past, there was usually some unexpected thing that forced a far-traveling band to have to cancel their plans, but not in 2024! It was also the first time we had so many bands from a single country represented.
You could call FD9 “Italian Dissent,” because four of eight bands came from The Boot. È stato bellissimo! One of the bands (The Loyal Cheaters) even brought me a gift, a bottle of wine from their region in Italy. Grazie!
FD9 also featured a larger banner for behind the stage, new cameras and technology for recording the sets (‘cause of course, Blaine is gonna Blaine!), and the first time an American band (Michael Cera Palin from Atlanta) drove to the show just to lend gear to a band (Buds.). Thank you, MCP!
We also had the pleasure of getting reintroduced to former FD performers, this time in new bands: Poti, who performed with Lemmiwinks at FD3 in 2016, returned as part of the Panamanian duo AlphaWhores, and Enri, who performed with Menagramo at FD7 in 2022, returned as part of the Italian quartet Scheletri. We also got a rare repeat performance from Chile’s Talking Props, who previously appeared at FD7.
2025 is gonna be a big year for FD, the 10th installment, our “tin” anniversary as tradition suggests. How will we celebrate such a massive milestone? Stay tuned!
Over the past 5 years, since FD5 in 2018, we’ve gotten great full set footage of each show. The quality of those videos has steadily improved year over year. There’s a story here, so we sat down with Blaine (aka The Bike Helmet Camera Guy) for an interview to dig into how he has done it over the years. What is fascinating is not only the tech he’s used but how he approaches problems, overcomes some, fails at others, but iterates each time in a way where every year there’s something new and more awesome than the last.
Blaine filming Menagramo (Italy) at Foreign Dissent 7 in 2022 (photo by Jim Leatherman)
Ok, let’s sort of start at the beginning. It’s Foreign Dissent 5 and you convince FD to let you shoot the show. How did you approach it?
My first problem was, how do I even shoot an indoor punk rock show? I had no idea, if I’m being honest. I just knew I had some equipment, some basic knowledge about shooting and editing, mostly gleaned from helping my wife at a music company I worked at many years ago. I had a Canon Rebel Ti3 that I’d use to shoot family vacation pictures, a decent telephoto lens, an iPhone 7 Pro that I used day-to-day, and an older iPhone 6. Since my wife used to be a video editor, I’ve also got a license to Final Cut Pro and a decent Mac at home. So I’ve got this tech I’ve scraped together from around the house and, after some Internet research, a plan that I think will work.
When you’re shooting a live event, you just have to make it work or you’ve got nothing. You’ve only got one shot at getting it right because the bands aren’t going to start over for a retake. That’s the thrill and the peril of shooting live events. When you look back at what you’ve done, you’re euphoric when it works and deeply sad when it doesn’t. I’ve experienced both shooting for Foreign Dissent. I mean it sincerely when I say, I love every freakin’ second of it.
Flash-forward to 2024, what are you shooting Foreign Dissent 9 with?
This year is going to be just huge. I’m going big. I’ve acquired some used iPhones and will run a 4-camera setup. It’s amazing what tech you can find at thrift stores and online sellers if you just do a little research. I’m also going to introduce a new angle this year. I’ve got a 85” tripod with a gooseneck that I’m putting in the back of stage-left to get a nice wide shot of the back of the band with the crowd. I really want the viewer to see just how awesome this show is and how much love is in that room. The audience at Foreign Dissent is very much a part of the show and I’m excited to really capture that this year; or should I say, try. It is new after all and might be a miserable failure.
Beyond the hardware, I’m also going to be using Final Cut Pro for iPad this year and running Final Cut Camera on the individual iPhones. The goal is to do live multi-cam capture so I can ensure all cameras are at the correct angle and getting what I want before each set. In the past, I would put a camera against a wall, start recording, then take the phone down and watch the video to make sure it looked right. Then I’d have to do my best to put the camera back in exactly the same spot and hope I didn’t mess it up, which I’ve done in previous years. With remote control, I won’t have that problem! It’s going to be awesome.
As I’ve done every year, I’m pushing the envelope of what can be done with consumer level used equipment, some of which is even borrowed, so I hope I don’t break it!
Speaking of hardware, you’ve been called “the bike helmet guy” by people at the show. Tell me about how that came to be?
Blaine with helmet on and camera gimbal stabilizer in hand
Yeah, the bike helmet was a fun one. As I mentioned before, all the equipment I have is used and, in some cases, borrowed. A few years ago, my wife found a used GoPro Hero 3 at a thrift store. She figured we’d let the kids use it and since it was used and reasonably cheap, who cares if they break it? Naturally, when she brought it home, I immediately knew I was going to work it into the show. For FD7 (2022), I bought a DJI Mimo gimble to mount my iPhone 11 Pro and that was great, but I was struggling to figure out how I could run two cameras at the same time. What I figured out is the software for the GoPro on iOS lets you live-view the camera while it’s recording by setting up its own wireless access point between the phone and the GoPro. A friend had busted the screen on an old iPhone 6 and gave it to me; it looked heinous, but it was functional. I had my wife 3D print a mount for me that would attach to my monopod and essentially let me mount two phones to one monopod.
The next question was, how do I use the GoPro now that I can run the main camera and watch the other. Well, my wife happens to be a cyclist, and I was looking at her helmet with all the holes in the top and just thought, “I bet I can rig it to that somehow.” Sure enough, I found a cheap velcro mount online, slid the straps right through the holes and attached it on the inside. For the record, I do know how ridiculous I look; it’s about finding a way with what you got. I’m not there for a fashion show, although I do think haute couture could take some inspiration from this.
Have you always been a videographer? Are you trained in this?
No, actually. I’m not a videographer. I have no training in it. Best I had was being the IT guy for a music company back in the day. I worked around music, not in it. What I do have is a touch of ADHD mixed with a deep love of music and a passion to figure out complex problems and make things work. I’m also a little dumb sometimes, or naïve (whichever), when it comes to what I think will work versus what actually works. If anything, I’m good at making a plan, messing it up, and iterating on it until I get it right.
You mentioned things have failed or gone wrong while you were shooting. What are some of the biggest failures you can recall?
Blaine in action at Foreign Dissent 7 (photo by Jim Leatherman)
Oh goodness, failures were and are numerous. Everything from an entire set being lost on a camera to the sound coming from the stage just being so freakin’ intense that I couldn’t get the camera to stop shaking for the entire set. In fact, that camera shake problem persisted from FD5 through 7 before the root cause finally occurred to me while I was driving my car. “The iPhone screen is flat!” I yelled in my car to my very confused spouse and kids. I went back to using a DSLR in the rear of the venue because the lens was curved and, sure enough, no more shake! Turns out that flat screens absorb more sonic energy! And if “Sonic Energy” isn’t a punk band name by now, you heard it here first.
Another one of my “favorite” problems was the time I forgot to check the amperage of my iPhone charger and was under powering the stage right camera. It slowly drained its battery and died right at the end of a set. The Rock Gods were smiling on me and I literally only lost the last 60 or seconds of the set and, with the final edit, you never knew I was down a camera in the wrap-up.
I think this is one of the things that I just love so much about shooting this show. There’s a list a mile long of things that can go wrong and, frankly, I amaze myself that I don’t mess up more. laughs
So there’s got to be some big wins too, right? What are some of the biggest successes?
Oh, 100%. The fact that this show, with all of these bands from all over the world, comes together like it does and just absolutely rocks Will’s Pub is a miracle unto itself. I’m just lucky to be able to capture it for posterity. I think my favorite technical win, though, is absolutely the helmet cam. I think about this show all year and what I can do to improve for next year. The helmet cam was another late night bolt of inspiration that just worked out so well. That helmet footage really fills in the gap when I screw up the main camera shot. Much love to Final Cut for making it so easy to pull in different angles to fix my numerous mistakes. If you only knew how amateur I really am! That post edit is just magic.
One of four bands hailing from Italy appearing at Foreign Dissent this year, Cocks come to us from Genova/Genoa. The trio plays anthemic punk rock that will soothe the hearts, ears, and eyes of many a punk rocker. This is the band’s first time coming to the United States, so go learn those lyrics to the album they just released in April 2024 and scream your heart out when you see ‘em live.
Featuring Juan Carlos (who performed at FD3 in 2016 with Lemmiwinks), this duo is a fresh sound for Foreign Dissent, bringing a sonic assault that sounds way bigger than two musicians. AlphaWhores calls Panama City home, and their debut album just dropped in January 2024. FD9 will be their first ever show in the US. They bring a driving, raw, grinding, deliberate sound that is accomplished by switching between low end guitars and bass split signals and drums while melding their vocals and harmonies. Come see them live as they form into one single powerful force that will melt your face off.
As we continue our tour of Italy, we arrive in Cagliari, where the 5-piece metalcore/hardcore band Regrowth resides. Formed in 2016, the band is visiting the United States for the first time, bringing their self-described “fast music for sad people.” They combine screaming and sung vocals with a backbone of melodic hardcore, frequent tempo changes, soaring guitars, and rapid-fire drums.
This is some seriously passionate and infectious punk rock coming to you from Hampshire in the south east of England. The four-piece writes catchy, hook-filled, raise your fist to the sky jams that will have you singing along before you even realize it. Like most of the bands playing Foreign Dissent 9, this will be Buds. first time playing in the United States.
Ciao, Scheletri, have we met before? Kind of! Featuring Enri from Menagramo (who played FD7), this is an entirely different band that delivers weaving guitars, fast tempos, and heaps of punk rock sincerity. Visiting the US for the first time by way of Torino/Turin, the four-piece is ready to get your skeletons jumping and singing along.
Blowing minds with their melodic hardcore punk sound since 2007, this Chilean four-piece is blessing the United States with live shows for the first time. Their sound blends swirling guitar parts with rapid drum lines and passionate vocals built on a backbone of rich melodies and creative tempo changes. Their 2023 release, Arrebol, is a top-to-bottom work of musical art, taking the listener on a 10-track sonic journey.
Our fourth and final Italian band appearing at FD9 is The Loyal Cheaters, a 4-piece hailing from Romagna. Formed in 2020, this self-described “marriage between evil forces & Rock’n’Roll” is ready to bring a high-octane live set to the United States for the first time, with FD being their first show ever in America. Mixing rock nostalgia with punk attitudes, their sound appeals to a wide audience. They just dropped a full-length in April, And All Hell Broke Loose, and it’s a 12-track tour de force.
Back to blow your minds one more time is Talking Props from Santiago. Orlando first got to see their intense brand of punk rock live in 2022 at FD7, and now they are ready to give y’all even more than before. The four-piece will be bringing a bunch of new songs for you to hear, including their latest “Cobra,” which just came out at the end of May.
It’s the moment y’all have been waiting for, the band announcements for Foreign Dissent 9 (and the full poster drop – scroll down to see!). Please join me in welcoming 8 bands from 4 different countries! Italia is definitely coming in hot with half the bands representing La Penisole. Thanks again to Christian Moquin for the awesome art. Ticket announcement coming soon, so get it in your calendar now, Foreign Dissent 9, October 21, Will’s Pub!
Who’s on it?
FULL LINEUP for FD10:
You could call FD9 “Italian Dissent,” because four of eight bands came from The Boot. È stato bellissimo! One of the bands (
