Anthrax, Ugly Kid Joe, Loudness, and The Hu became part of Jogjarockarta Festival’s Final History in 2025. Held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, The Majesty of Rock, Crowned in Jogja will be the final event. This was confirmed when MetalTalk Indonesia spoke with Anas Alimi, the founder of Jogjarockarta, who said it was planned that this festival would end while it was still on top.
Jogjarockarta Festival – The Majesty of Rock, Crowned in Jogja
Yogyakarta, Indonesia – 6-7 December 2025
Words: Umar R
So, Jogjarockarta must end. This rock and Heavy Metal festival has been running since 2017, with many big names and legends like Dream Theater, Extreme, Megadeth, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Overkill and Sepultura headlining. It was one of the best rock festivals in Indonesia and arguably Southeast Asia.
However, Jogjakarta 2025 had to reduce its perfection because Helloween, who were supposed to be the highlight of the first day, had to cancel less than two weeks before the event because Michael Kiske was sick and exhausted after the European tour. Kiske had to rest for several weeks, and because of this, Helloween decided to cancel their participation in Jogjarockarta 2025, and also their shows in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Taipei, Taiwan.
But the show must go on, and to fill the void, Jogjarockarta called one of the top metal bands from the city of Solo, Indonesia, namely Down For Life, with Ugly Kid Joe as the main headliner of the festival on the first day.
Due to Helloween’s cancellation, and to anticipate disappointment for Helloween fans, Anas Alimi, the head promoter of Rajawali Indonesia, offered two options: ticket refunds or no need to purchase Day Two tickets for Helloween fans who already had Day One tickets.
As a tribute to Helloween, on Day One, the promoter played a karaoke video of Forever And One on the LED screen during each band change. Many attendees throughout the two-day festival were Helloween fans, as they continued to wear Helloween t-shirts.
This year, Jogjarockarta was supported by Supermusic, a part of PT. Djarum Indonesia, who have long supported rock and Metal music in Indonesia. This includes both mainstream and independent music, from rock to Extreme Metal.
Jogjarockarta 2025 took place over two days, 6-7 December 2025. There were four international bands in attendance, Anthrax, Ugly Kid Joe, Loudness, and The Hu.
On the first day, a total of eight bands performed, including seven local Indonesian acts: Zealous, Kaisar, Rolland Band, Andromeda, Rebellion Rose, Down For Life, and Jamrud, with Ugly Kid Joe as the highlight.
The second day also featured eight bands, including five Indonesian acts: Bias, The Panturas, Marjinal, Infernal Lamentations, and Usman and The Blackstones featuring Gugun Blues Shelter.
Jogjarockarta Day One
Jogjarockarta Day 1 One kicked off at 3:10 PM. Indonesian hard rock and glam rock band Zealous opened 2025 in style. Frontman Opop climbed a high stage pole and performed a guitar solo from there.
After Zealous stepped off the stage, Kaisar performed. The rock band from Solo, Indonesia, Kaisar were popular in 1990-1991 as a finalist and winner of a prestigious rock festival in Indonesia at the time. One of the most anticipated songs by their fans at Jogjarockarta was Kerangka Langit.
At exactly 5:00 PM, it was Rolland Band’s turn to take the stage, a Heavy Metal band that was founded in 1984 and originally from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Very much in the style of NWOBHM and Judas Priest, two songs that the Jogjarockarta 2025 audience had been waiting for were Terror and Gigolo.
After the Magrib (sunset break), at exactly 6:10 PM, it was Andromeda’s turn to take the stage. Andromeda, a senior hard rock band formed in 1986 in Surabaya, Indonesia, performed with style.
Rebellion Rose took the stage, the punk rock band from the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, are famous for their lyrics with social, political and resistance nuances. At the opening of their performance, Rebellion Rose expressed their gratitude and farewell to Jogjarockarta Festival on the stage LED background.
Midway through their set, Rebellion Rose expressed concern and condolences for the flash flood disaster that occurred in three provinces on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, which has claimed the lives of 1,000 people.
After Rebellion Rose, Down For Life, a Metal band from Solo, Indonesia, also brought a humanitarian message for flood victims on the island of Sumatra. Down For Life’s exciting set included songs from their new album Kalatidha.
During Prahara Jenggala, Down For Life were joined by Oki Haribowo from Death Vomit and highlighted the issues of deforestation and the climate crisis in Indonesia.
The crowd were wild and militant when Down For Life took the stage, some lit red flares, creating a dramatic atmosphere amidst the still-moshing crowd.
Around 9:20 PM, Jamrud, one of Indonesia’s biggest rock bands of the ’90s, took the stage, performing popular songs like Surti Tejo, Ningrat, and Selamat Ulang Tahun, creating a mass karaoke session for thousands of people.
Jamrud, whose songs were laced with straightforward, even vulgar, and naughty lyrics, combined various genres of rock music, from punk to Hardcore to Heavy Metal, garnered attention from Indonesian rock fans, even in neighbouring countries like Malaysia, for their distinct style, unlike other Indonesian rock bands of the time.
Then came the final act of Jogjarockarta 2025 Day One, Ugly Kid Joe. The rock band from California, USA have been long-awaited by their Indonesian fans, even in Southeast Asia, having never played a concert in Southeast Asia.
MetalTalk Indonesia met two fans from Bangkok, Thailand, Khowit and Rangsarit and also Sabrina, a fan from Singapore, who came to Jogjarockarta 2025 to see Ugly Kid Joe live.
Before going on stage, MetalTalk Indonesia took the opportunity to photograph several Ugly Kid Joe members backstage who were preparing for the stage. We also took the opportunity to photograph Klaus’s guitar, which will be used tonight. As told by Ugly Kid Joe’s tour manager, the guitar was one that Klaus built by himself when he was in high school.
Ugly Kid Joe’s team, who came to Jogjarockarta, were the same as their tour with Life Of Agony in Europe in November. Ugly Kid Joe’s lineup includes two original members: vocalist Whitfield Crane and guitarist Klaus Eichstadt, along with three guest members, guitarist Chris Catalyst, formerly of Ghost, bassist Mike Squires, also a member of Duff’s Loaded and drummer Cameron Greenwood from Yorkshire, England.
Ugly Kid Joe immediately kicked things off with the song Neighbor. The crowd, dominated by those in their 40s and older who grew up with America’s Least Wanted, immediately screamed with joy, headbanged, and sang along en masse.
This was followed by songs like Jesus Rode A Harley, Pandalin’ Prince, C.U.S.T., Kill The Pain and then Amends, a cover of the Animals song. Two songs very popular for Indonesian fans are So Damn Cool and Cats In The Cradle, the cover of the Harry Chapin track. These, in particular, were welcomed by the mass karaoke crowd of Jogjarockarta 2025.
I’m Alright, No One Survives, and Devil’s Paradise followed, before a cover of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, with Whitfield Crane, the frontman, paying tribute to the late Ozzy Osborne. Crane also wore a t-shirt with a picture of young Ozzy.
The tension and excitement in the crowd rose to new heights with two long-awaited songs. Goddamn Devil from the album America’s Least Wanted and Milkman’s Son from the album Menace To Sobriety, were welcomed like long lost relatives as the band’s debut show in Indonesia continues to shine.
After Failure, the band played Ace Of Spades, a cover from the late Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead and one of Whitfield Crane’s role models.
Finally, Ugly Kid Joe closed the first night of Jogjarockarta 2025 with a bang by performing their main hit, one of the anthems of Indonesian teenagers and the surrounding areas in 1991 when this song first came out.
First released on the EP As Ugly As They Wanna Be, Everything About You finally resonated live for the first time in Indonesia. The city of Yogyakarta felt this in their hearts, and it was the perfect ending to a superb day.
Ugly Kid Joe performed extraordinarily. Crane’s vocal holds a prime quality, and his interaction with the Jogjarockarta crowd by learning to say several sentences in Indonesian was sublime. The sound quality was amazing, and for the audience, it felt like flying back to the early ’90s.
Jogjarockarta 2025 Day One could be said to be a meeting for two generations of audiences. The old school generation were represented by bands from the ’80s to early ’90s in Rolland, Andromeda, Kaisar, Jamrud and Ugly Kid Joe. The new school generation from the late ’90s to the present were represented by the bands Down For Life, Rebellion Rose and Zealous.
But the many thousands here at Jogjarockarta 2025 were united in celebrating and rejoicing in the name of rock music. And there was one day to come.
