Dutch punk and rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse John Coffey are back — and they’re not knocking politely. The Utrecht five-piece have officially signed to Long Branch Records, marking the milestone with a blistering new single and video called “Hang The Choir.” It’s a heavy, relentless anthem built to ignite moshpits from Graspop to Groningen, and it might just be the most focused thing the band has released to date.

Watch the video for “Hang The Choir” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRzqY7kObs

Beneath the roaring guitars and gang-vocal chaos, “Hang The Choir” carries a genuinely resonant message. The band wrote the lyrics in response to the story of Jacky Roozen, a Dutch woman who was prohibited from swimming topless in a public pool after having her breasts removed as a preventative measure. She refused to be shamed, spoke up, and turned the incident into a rallying point for bodily autonomy and equal treatment.

“Striving for change and equality can (and usually does) meet severe resistance,” the band explains. “Being different is often seen as a threat, with exclusion as the consequence. There are no more supposed witches at the stake. Metalheads are not automatically evil anymore. But there’s always someone who’s gonna be picked out as a scapegoat or refused for who they are. Just because the prevailing social norm demands it. Maybe we all know one.”

That mix of righteous fury and hook-driven hardcore punk is exactly what earned John Coffey their reputation as one of Europe’s most explosive live acts — a band that has torn through Graspop, Sziget, Wacken, Pinkpop, Vainstream, Jera On Air, 2000trees and Hurricane/Southside, sold out the Melkweg in Amsterdam, launched their own Coffey Fest, and yes, spawned the internet-famous “beer catch.” The critical love has followed accordingly, with Punktastic calling their work “a tour-de-force that will send shockwaves around eardrums, stereos and venues alike,” and Bring The Noise UK praising their “rare gift” for pairing “a sturdy hardcore punk foundation” with “slab upon slab of badass groove.”

The signing to Long Branch Records slots John Coffey alongside a roster known for taking heavy, uncompromising European rock to a global audience — a natural home for a band that has always let its politics and its riffs share the same stage.

They’re backing the new chapter up with a properly punishing run of festival and headline dates across Europe through the end of 2026:

06/18 — Dessel, BE — Graspop Metal Meeting
08/08 — Hamburg, DE — Amplifire Festival
08/13 — Budapest, HU — Sziget Festival
08/14 — Lierop, NL — Nirwana Tuinfeest
09/26 — Solothurn, CH — 25 Jahre Elevenball
10/08 — Utrecht, NL — ACU
10/09 — Utrecht, NL — De Helling
10/10 — Utrecht, NL — DB’s
11/13 — Liège, BE — La Zone
11/14 — Sint-Niklaas, BE — De Casino
11/25 — Köln, DE — Luxor
11/27 — Berlin, DE — Hole 44
12/10 — Deventer, NL — Burgerweeshuis
12/11 — Groningen, NL — Vera
12/17 — Rotterdam, NL — Rotown
12/18 — Eindhoven, NL — Dynamo

Crank “Hang The Choir” loud, catch John Coffey on the road, and — if the crowd gets rowdy enough — maybe bring a spare beer for the toss.