For over two decades, Blankfile has been carving its name into Serbia’s hardcore scene, battling through the grind of local DIY tours and regional circuits. But this summer, they hit a milestone that seemed beyond reach for many: a European tour with Stick To Your Guns, one of the most influential bands in melodic hardcore scene.
With five packed shows across Germany and Austria, this was more than just a tour—it was a chance to step outside their familiar territory and be heard by a whole new audience.
Having spent years in the local underground, Blankfile’s rise has been rooted in hard work and persistence. But it wasn’t until they received a message from Stick To Your Guns’ management that things took an unexpected turn.
The offer to join the band on their European tour felt like the culmination of years of dedication. It was an opportunity to share their music beyond the Balkan scene, with a chance to push their sound to new audiences in unfamiliar cities. From the first note to the last, this tour marked a moment of reckoning for the band.
In the following report, Blankfile takes us through their journey, recounting each show with vivid detail, capturing the highs and lows of their experience on the road. From the excitement of their first gig in Lindau to the unexpected challenges in Schweinfurt, they reflect on what it meant to play alongside their heroes, the relationships they built with the crowds, and the overwhelming sense of achievement at the end of it all. It’s a rare look into what life is like for a DIY band stepping into the big leagues—and for Blankfile, it was a dream come true.
Words by Blankfile:
Our whole lives, since we first picked up microphones, guitars, and drums, we have dreamed of two things. First, through the music we play, we want to communicate much more than just music and to connect with people of various backgrounds, sharing ideas about changing the world for the better. Second, we dreamed of sharing our story beyond the local scene, traveling to as many different locations as possible and playing with bands that are far from our everyday reach.
If you are a DIY hardcore band in Serbia, the first part can be resolved, but for the second, you have to make a serious effort. And after more than 20 years of hustling on the local scene, with Blankfile we managed to experience the latter. After several DIY tours around Europe and the surroundings, weekenders, Petar received an invite that Blankfile would be opening for the mighty Stick To Your Guns, legends of the Californian hardcore scene. And so it was STYG! 6 days, 5 concerts, over 4000 kilometers traveled, and more than 1500 German and Austrian souls heard Blankfile. A completely new level of exposure. Let’s start from the beginning.
First day – Lindau.
A club that is clearly an essential stop for any band tour that we listened to as kids, and some of us still do – NOFX, Pennywise, Millencolin, Lagwagon, Comeback Kid, Sick Of It All, Hatebreed… we are trembling! We have arrived after 13 hours of driving, greeted by Jay (STYG’s tour agent), exchange general instructions for all the upcoming concerts, and head straight for the soundcheck. STYG is there, we eat together, Josh comes out to greet us, but our minds are not connected with them, instead we are only thinking about the show. This is it. This is why we came.
We have to give it our everything. With the first notes from the Jaws movie (intro for all Blankfile live shows), we realize that this is it, and all the inhibitations fall. The audience responds, the moshing starts, and we finish the first show with a smile from ear to ear, but exhaustion takes its toll, and we can’t wait to get to our accommodations and sleep.
Second day – Salzburg.
Mozart’s city greeted us in Mozart’s style, with plenty of flair, energy to spare, and another concert for the ages.
The Rockhouse club and its crew organized an unforgettable experience, and after more than 20 years, we can say that we once felt like real rock stars (haha). This was the best show of the tour in terms of production.
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If we ever record a live concert, we’ll go out of our way to do it at this club. This time we managed to relax and hang out on stage while STYG played, exchanging nods and head tilts with Jesse and the crew as if we had known each other for a hundred years. Priceless. After the show, we ran into people outside the club who praised the performance while we sipped drinks in the garden of this phenomenal house of rock.
Third day – Graz.
A students’ city that welcomed us once again with a packed hall perfect for shows of this kind. As they say, “a cube.”
The sound had nowhere to escape, and the low tones pounded down to the bones. We had a technical problem with the first song, but we were so hyped about the whole tour and everything happening around us that we continued to play as if nothing was happening.
The audience (did not) recognized it and pushed us from song to song to bite even harder.
As with the previous two shows, people approached us after the concert at the merch pool and outside the hall to say they didn’t know such good hardcore could come from Serbia. We would just look at each other and say in unison, “Eeee, my friend!”, thinking how some other bands from our scene would definitely blow these Germans away.
The highlight of the evening for all the bands was the backstage terrace where we, STYG and Initiate literally were laying on the floor and relaxing.
Fourth day – Schweinfurt.
A small town we have never heard of before, but we arrive at a club built on the site of a former train station, and it feels like a mix of couple of the best balkans’ diy clubs all together.
The place is covered in a million stickers, has several floors, a concert hall with a 10m high ceiling, a mini skate park in front of the club, an old punk for a sound engineer who kicks ass, and a vegan host who made us the best barbecue of the tour.
While getting ready for the gig, we joke with STYG about the shower order and our shared “bath time,” and we realize how big shot the guy driving them on this tour is (the guy has driven from Pink to Agnostic Front).
The concert begins, and with all these prerequisites, there was nothing left but to give our all. But almost literally, because Petar injured his leg (hamstring muscle rupture) on the second song, but we finished the set without holding back. That feeling when we play O4TF song, and the whole hall (around 300-400 people) nods their heads in rhythm… woah!… that’s the connection we talk about.
We finish the concert with a load of ice on our muscles exactly in the backstage area, which, judging by the graffiti on the walls, remembers visits from the more modern hc metal crew – Architects, While She Sleeps, LANDMVRKS, Deez Nuts, but also legends like Strung Out and No Use For A Name. At some point, the guitar player from Paleface Swiss enters the room with his family and we chat about vine. Imagine that?!
Fifth day – Freiburg
The Crash club really looks like its name, like a post-apocalyptic basement hidden from the eyes of the normal world, where the surviving part of humanity gathers, those who love hardcore and punk.
The backstage is quieter than usual because we’re all a bit tired, the soundcheck doesn’t go as planned, and it seemed like it would be a concert we’d “just get through to the end.” Oh, what a misjudgment! When we stepped down to the stage (because, yes, here the backstage is actually right above the stage), in the half-darkness of the basement, we spotted 200-300 souls ready to tear the venue apart through our entire set.
From song to song, there were 2-step, mosh, stage dives, while we catch a glimpse of a guy trying to tear down a pillar in a rush of emotions… madness! Despite the injured leg, Petar jumps and runs across the stage with Piranha, who goes from end to end of the stage as if shooting photons of energy from his silver saber, Anton calls for a circle pit and swings his hair like Samson, and Vanja literally nails those drums, then stands up as if calling for a fight, then nails them again. What a show! We enjoyed it immensely.
That vibe carried over into the hangout after our set, everyone was so great towards us, both the audience and the bands we played with, Initiate and STYG, people we call friends now. STYG even interomped their set to show to give us a special shout out and share with the German audience how much they enjoyed their gig in Belgrade two years ago. The moment we stood on stage, watching their set, and a guy from the audience climbs onto the stage, comes up to us to hug us all, and then runs off into the stage dive. Have we already said – WHAT A SHOW!
On the sixth day, we entered triumphantly, surrounded by our band’s crew only, talking late into the night about how we got here, what we had to endure to experience this, and how we did it. A regal feeling. In the morning, drunk on success, we ate a calorie-packed breakfast and prepared for the journey home.
And… we can’t wait to do it again!
