“Singer Jeroen is a revelation, raw and powerful with some major issues to air. This bashed-up boy and his brilliant young band could well fly to the moon.” Louder Than War
“Infectious pieces that are far from contained.” So Young
Dutch punks Real Farmer have today released their new single, Missing Link, via Strap Originals (14th November). You can listen and watch the video, directed by Roger Sargent here: https://realfarmer.os.fan/
Missing Link is the first new music since the band’s EP RF II came out via Strap Originals in May of this year and comes amid the band’s biggest UK shows to date. The song is lifted from the band’s upcoming second album Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right, which is slated for a spring 2026 release.
Having just played Pitchfork Paris and Protomartyr supports in the Netherlands and Germany, the band played the first of three Babyshambles support slots in Coventry Empire last night (13th November), with Norwich – LCR (14th November) and Brixton Academy (16th November) to follow.
The remainder of Real Farmer’s 2025 live dates are as follows below and come as a full UK and EU tour for spring 2026 is to be announced.
November
14 Norwich – LCR (supporting Babyshambles)
15 Brussels – Totally Enough Festival, Le Botanique
16 London – Brixton Academy (supporting Babyshambles)
29 Amsterdam – UIUI Fest #3, Cinetol
On the new single Missing Link it feels like Real Farmer are more in charge of their expression than they’ve ever been. There’s still the battering ram drums and punk spirit that’s always been there, but through dabbling with a new armory of guitar effects and shifting the balance between the lead vocals and bassist Marrit’s hypnotic backing vocals onto a more equal volume footing, it feels like new territory. This is their least austere number yet – embracing the boogie whilst frontman Jeroen’s stonking delivery of a poetic tirade indicates a life on the edge.
To record the video, Real Farmer travelled to Margate, Kent and linked up with music photographer and video maker Roger Sargent, who is renowned for the iconic sleeve of The Libertines’ second album. The video sees the band’s lead singer Jeroen Klootsema and bassist Marrit Meinema portraying primal, blood-thirsty cave dwellers.
On the video, director Roger Sargent says: “The dawn of misogyny, a brutal selfish act. It started with a missing link between humans and animals. Trying to depict human evolution and exploitation. For us to thrive something else needs to die.“
After completing the video shoot, Real Farmer performed live in Margate’s Dalby cafe – the cafe famed for the viral image of Peter Doherty tucking into a giant fry-up.
Missing Link was produced by longtime ally Niek Van Den Driesschen and recorded at Far Out Sound Studios in Rotterdam – the Dutch city where the band’s bassist Marrit Meinema and drummer Leon Harms reside as singer Jeroen and guitarist Peter continue to live further north in Groningen, where the band started out. It was mastered by Melbourne-based Mikey Young, who works mostly with garage, psych and punk (Amyl and the Sniffers, Preoccupations, The Chats).
2025 has been a busy year for the four-piece – they played a slew of festivals, including Primavera Sound, The Great Escape, Eurosonic, Primavera Sound and The Libertines’ Gunnerbury Park festival. In addition to completing their first UK headline tour and playing dozens of shows around Europe.
Real Farmer’s acclaimed debut album Compare What’s There was released via Strap Originals last year and caught the adoration of the likes of So Young, Beats Per Minute, Louder Than War, God Is In The TV, Anthony Fantano, Clash, Radio One’s Jack Saunders, 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Apple Music 1’s Matt Wilkinson.
RF II EP followed with its lead single Big Stepper earning a premiere on Craig Charles’ 6Music afternoon show.
The band emerged from the vibrant Groningen DIY scene in the north of the Netherlands and released their first EP on the renowned Subroutine Records (Tramhaus, The Homesick). The signing to Peter Doherty’s Strap Originals was off the strength of those early releases and their reputation as a fierce live act.
Real Farmer are: Leon Harms (drums), Jeroen Klootsema (vocals), Marrit Meinema (bass, backing vocals) and Peter van der Ploeg (guitar, backing vocals).
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