Massive Attack will headline the opening day of Rock Werchter 2027 on Thursday 1 July, organisers confirmed today. It will be the Bristol group’s first appearance at the Belgian festival since 27 June 2003.
Fronted by 3D (Robert Del Naja) and Daddy G (Grant Marshall), the band will close Thursday at the Festivalpark in Werchter. Organisers pointed to a recent Co-op Live show, which the Manchester Evening News described as a performance that “leaves a lasting impression”, as a reminder of what a Massive Attack concert looks like now. On stage, 3D and Daddy G are joined by a band of musicians and special guests, with music, visuals and political messaging built into the show.
Rock Werchter 2027 runs from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 July. Ticket sales start on Friday 30 October at 10am. Fans can register for the Rock Werchter presale, which gives earlier access to tickets, via the festival website. More names will be announced later.
The rest of the bill already has a shape. Tame Impala were named as the first headliner on 24 August and will close the festival on Sunday 4 July, sharing that day with Angèle and SOMBR. Muse headline Friday 2 July. Sam Fender closes the Main Stage on Saturday 3 July, two days after a Dublin show at Marlay Park and as part of his Proper Massive Stadium Tour. Turnstile are also confirmed for Thursday 1 July, the same day as Massive Attack.
The official line-up page currently lists the confirmed names by day as follows:
- Thursday 1 July: Massive Attack (headliner), Turnstile
- Friday 2 July: Muse
- Saturday 3 July: Sam Fender
- Sunday 4 July: Tame Impala, Angèle, SOMBR
Formed in 1988, Massive Attack laid much of the groundwork for trip-hop and have spent almost four decades moving between hip-hop, soul, reggae, dub, post-punk and electronica. Debut album Blue Lines (1991) and Mezzanine both appear on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The group has sold more than 13 million albums worldwide, and its awards include a BRIT Award, two MTV Europe Music Awards and an Ivor Novello Award. Organisers singled out “Teardrop”, “Unfinished Sympathy”, “Angel”, “Inertia Creeps” and “Risingson” as tracks that still define the catalogue, which now runs through to Boots on the Ground (2026).
The booking is a return rather than a first visit. Massive Attack last played the Festivalpark on 27 June 2003, and the 2027 slot comes 24 years later. UK festival crowds have seen them more recently: they headlined a day at All Points East alongside Kraftwerk and Tame Impala, and topped a battery-powered Friday at LIDO Festival in Victoria Park, with Air, Yasiin Bey and The Alchemist, Tirzah, Hunny, Everything Is Recorded, Mad Professor, 47SOUL and DJ Milo on the bill. They were also among the international names announced for Mallorca Live in 2025.
For Sam Fender, Saturday is another step up a stage he already knows. He first played Rock Werchter’s discovery stage, The Slope, in 2018, then made a strong early-evening impression on the Main Stage in 2023, before headlining Saturday in 2025. Muse, meanwhile, first played the site in 2000 and return as Friday headliners.
Rock Werchter describes itself as Belgium’s biggest music festival, with rock as the base of a programme that mixes established acts and newer names. Each festival ticket includes a personal second-class return train ticket from any Belgian station to Leuven or Aarschot, plus a shuttle bus to and from Werchter. Further practical details and terms will follow. Tickets and presale registration at rockwerchter.be.
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