De Staat
- bizzarre
- May 29
- 3 min read
De Staat announce their new self titled album with the single "THE FIRE".
Following a two-year hiatus, Nijmegen art rock band De Staat made their long-awaited return in April with single "THE KING". It's now clear that "THE KING" was just the beginning - the band's seventh album, DE STAAT (THE STATE), arrives on the 18th of September via V2 Records. Today sees the release of the second single, "THE FIRE" - a propulsive, confrontational track that arrives alongside news of an ambitious art installation and conceptual live show, De Staat Becomes De Staat.
Themes of power, manipulation, misinformation and autocracy have always run through De Staat's work, but never with the urgency they carry now. Frontman Torre Florim explains:
"As a band, we've long explored ideas around power, faith, and the increasingly blurred line between reality and fiction. The world we're living in has pulled us further down that dark path, and suddenly it feels as though the name we chose 25 years ago has taken on a whole new weight - as if everything we've made has been unconsciously building towards this moment. That's why our seventh album is called DE STAAT."
"THE FIRE" strikes at the heart of modern consumer detachment:
"New car, new war, watch the battles at the bar, Oh come on, it's looking dire, but I wouldn't worry about the fire It's only burning overseas"
Florim continues:
"'THE FIRE' is about the comfortable assumption that the world's disasters will stay safely on the other side of the screen. We hang in that quiet space between knowing and acting - and from this side, it's easy to mistake one for the other."
De Staat is known as one of Europe’s most inventive and fearless live acts, partly due to their constant pushing of the boundaries of what a rock band can be. From the rousing battle cries of Witch Doctor to the razor-sharp commentary of KITTY KITTY, De Staat has long explored themes such as demagoguery and mass manipulation. De Staat have played at major festivals, sometimes even as headliners, such as SXSW, Glastonbury, Lowlands, Sziget, Boomtown, Pukkelpop and Deichbrand.
The band have also toured with major acts such as The Rolling Stones, Muse and Biffy Clyro. De Staat’s music ranges from industrial grooves and heavy riffs to experimental electronica and pop sensibilities, and has been featured in global campaigns and games. In addition, their music has earned the quintet Edison Awards, 3FM Awards, multiple music video awards, a Bernays Lifetime Achievement Award and international critical acclaim.
The forthcoming Dutch live shows have been developed in collaboration with director Floor Houwink ten Cate (Battlefield of Dreams, Brabo Leone), audiovisual artist Boris Acket (Joep Beving, Fred Again..), lighting designer Freek Ros (Wende, Altın Gün), visual artist Tarik Barri (Thom Yorke, Nicolas Jaar) and audio designer Reinier Rietveld (Craigie Horsefield). The show's dystopian themes feel more timely than ever. Alongside three exclusive conceptual performances, the band will also play a wider run of live dates across the EU and UK.
Picture by Kees De Klein
DE STAAT BECOMES DE STAAT Live
Jul. 3, 2026 - Down The Rabbit Hole 2026 - Beuningen, Netherlands
Sep. 25, 2026 - De Casino Concertzaal - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Oct. 2, 2026 - De Staat Becomes De Staat | Koninklijk Theater Carré - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Oct. 3, 2026 - De Staat Becomes De Staat | Koninklijk Theater Carré - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Oct. 27, 2026 - Karlstorbahnhof - Klub K - Heidelberg, Germany
Oct. 28, 2026 - Gebäude 9 - Cologne, Germany
Oct. 30, 2026 - KENT Club - Hamburg, Germany
Oct. 31, 2026 - Lido - Berlin, Germany
Nov. 1, 2026 - Futurum Music Bar - Praha, Czech Republic
Nov. 2, 2026 - Ampere - Munich, Germany
Nov. 4, 2026 - Komplex - Zurich, Switzerland
Nov. 5, 2026 - Usine à Gaz - Nyon, Switzerland
Nov. 6, 2026 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France
Nov. 7, 2026 - Cactus Café - Brugge, Belgium
Nov. 9, 2026 - Thekla - Bristol, United Kingdom
Nov. 10, 2026 - Band on the Wall - Manchester, United Kingdom
Nov. 11, 2026 - The Grand Social - Dublin, Ireland
Nov. 13, 2026 - King Tuts Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Nov. 14, 2026 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, United Kingdom
Nov. 15, 2026 - Scala - London, United Kingdom
