It looks like The Ghouls will get to keep their Rock and Roll Rumble crown for another year.
The Boston rock competition — a longstanding spring tradition — ordinarily would be making an announcement about its newest slate of competitors at this frosty time of year. But in lieu of a “Class of 2025” announcement, today (February 14) the Rumble’s Instagram page shared that the annual battle of the bands-style clash will not resurface until 2026.
“Doing some resetting of Rumble things, with a plan to return in 2026,” the post stated, coupled with a Valentine’s Day-themed rendition of the competition’s logo. That means 2024’s champions, Lowell’s alt-rock firecrackers The Ghouls, will hold the Rumble crown through next year.
It’s not the first time in recent years that a Rumble winner has inadvertently extended their reign. 2019 victors Set Fire held their title for four years while the event went on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition returned in 2023 and found a new home at Sonia, moving from Somerville’s now-shuttered ONCE Ballroom to the former T.T. The Bear’s Place space and effectively rekindling the Rumble’s relationship with Central Square.
Despite the break, the Rumble remains the longest-running rock competition of its kind in the United States, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
Read our review of the 2024 finals here, and check out the full announcement below.