Foreign Dissent 10: Meet The Bands In Their Own Words
July 31, 2025
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:
🇨🇱 GERMINAR – Chile
First appearance at FD
“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 – England
Returning after FD8 (2023)
“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 – Italy
First U.S. show
“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.”
🇯🇵 LEXT – Japan
First Japanese band to play FD. First U.S. show.
“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.”
🇬🇧 HARKER – England
First U.S. show
“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.”
🇬🇧 BACK TEETH – England
First U.S. show
“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 – Mexico
First Mexican band to play FD
“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.”
🇬🇧 TOODLES & THE HECTIC PITY – England
First show outside the UK
“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.”
🇬🇧 MODERN SHAKES – England
First U.S. show
“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.”
🇩🇪 SMALL STATE – Germany
First appearance at FD
“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.