Posted in Whathaveyou on May 12th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Why yes, I am ready for the coziest heavy psych outdoor festival in Belgium. Or anywhere, really. But sure, Belgium specifically works, although I have to admit I’m not the most comfortable in the world when it comes to interpersonal contact, so despite the nerve currently pinched in my shoulder and the rampaging plantar fasciitis in my right foot, I’ll probably take a pass on that whole “cosmic masseur” thing. Unless of course that means there’s someone at Down the Hill 2022 performing mystical rites to sooth the very universe itself. In which case, by all means, cosmic massage on. Or it’s a DJ. Which it is.
There’s plenty to dig aside from that, though, between an on-site record store, the requisite merch shopping — I don’t currently own an Elephant Tree shirt, which feels like an error on my part — food trucks if you like eating, a fire in the evening if you like keeping warm, and so on. And that’s before you get to the bands, the list of which is topped by the aforementioned Elephant Tree, though I’d also like to point out Tia Carrera, who are rarely seen outside their native Texas, will play. Bad. Ass. Note Karkara and Djiin making the trip from France, El Perro on tour from the States, Sleepwulf and Second Oracle coming down from Sweden, and a host of Belgian natives, including Wolvennest right out front headlining. A righteous assembly.
Two-dayer tickets are on sale, as the poster and PR wire info below informs:
DOWN THE HILL 2022 – AUGUST 26 & 27
Ready for the most cozy heavy psychedelic outdoor rock festival in Belgium?
With… ELEPHANT TREE (Uk) WOLVENNEST (Be) EL PERRO (Usa) TIA CARRERA (Usa) SLEEPWULF (Swe) KARKARA (Fr) DJIIN (Fr) SECOND ORACLE (Swe) BISMUT (Nl) WHEEL OF SMOKE (Be) ATOMIC VULTURE (Be) BELOMORKANAL (Be)
+ DJ’s between the bands. + Afterparty(‘s)
COZY (BIG) FIRE PLACE in the evening. RECORD STORE during the day FOOD TRUCKS all day long! BAND MERCH FESTIVAL MERCH also online! www.downthehill.be/shop
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 13th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Am I crazy, or does demanding a refund after the Melvins drop off a festival bill seem completely over the top? I mean, I agree Desertfest Belgium 2015 should give their customers the chance to back out if they so desire, but who goes to a fest to see one band in the first place? And it’s not like the Melvins aren’t on tour nine months out of every single year. I guess it just wouldn’t occur to me to be like, “No Melvins? Fuck this!” but then, I’m not the hugest Melvins fan anyway. Maybe those people exist. Takes all kinds.
Desertfest Belgium 2015 looks pretty sweet with Orange Goblin and Fatso Jetson on top of the bill, and adding Ufomammut, Causa Sui, Valient Thorr, Carlton Melton, Child and Wheel of Smoke, as they have today certainly doesn’t hurt their case any. I don’t have tickets, but if I did, I’d keep them.
Kind of a bummer situation that seems to have led to the Melvins backing out, though. You can read about it below, as sent down the PR wire:
MELVINS FORCED TO CANCEL DESERTFEST 2015
We have to start off this announcement with some very unfortunate news: Melvins will not be playing the 2015 edition of Desertfest Belgium.
The band was forced to cancel their appearance at the festival due to an exclusivity contract for their shows at the 2015 Incubate festival in Tilburg. This fact unfortunately only surfaced after our public announcement had been made. We have tried to negotiate a deal that would be satisfactory for both events, but to no avail. Desertfest Belgium has no choice but to accept there will be no Melvins at our 2015 edition.
We want to stress that we at Desertfest were not made aware of this exclusivity deal at the time the booking was confirmed. Please understand that the band also has no choice in the matter.
We can only offer you our sincere apologies, and we hope we have your understanding and support in this most unfortunate turn of events. But in the case this makes you reconsider your purchase of an early bird ticket, we want to offer our supporters the chance to demand a refund.
Tickets will be refunded for two weeks on from today (until 27/7), contact us through contact@desertfest.be.
However, before you make such a drastic decision, you may first want to read this first:
NEW NAMES confirmed for DesertFest 2015!
UFOMAMMUT Ufomammut needs no introduction, as they have long established their status as one of the most potent, powerful and artistic contemporary doom artists in existence. They offer a unique brand of psychedelic sludge, blending primordial acid with sinister atmospheres and gloomy sounds of vintage electronics.
In fifteen years the band has performed at international music festivals like Roadburn, Hellfest, Dour Fest, Stoned from the Underground, Up in Smoke and many more… Their live show is supported by the internationally acclaimed video and graphic art of Malleus, whose visuals match the devastating impact of Ufomammut’s massive sound. http://www.ufomammut.com/
VALIENT THORR “My God they’re striking. All Hail Thorriors!” – Wayne Kramer, MC5. A wild-ass rock’n’roll band said to hail from the inner core of the planet Venus. Since crash landing on Earth in the year 2000 they’ve played well over 1500 shows all over the world, including stints at festivals like Download, Sonisphere, Hellfest, Graspop and Roskilde. http://www.valientthorr.com/
CARLTON MELTON They play live, loud, improvised, experimental, instrumental, psychedelic music that they record in a geodesic dome near the coast of Northern California. This should tell you everything you need to know about this bunch of rock royalty (including ex-members from cult band Zen Guerilla). Long Live Dome Rock! http://www.carltonmeltonmusic.com/
CAUSA SUI Causa Sui’s sound has been described as the sound of a giant wave rolling up through the last four decades of rock. Over the course of eight albums since 2005, they have developed an eclectic instrumental sound that owes as much to electric Miles Davis or Can as it does to more familiar stoner rock. They are now recording the follow-up to the highly acclaimed ‘Euporie Tide’ album from 2013. http://elparaisorecords.com/artists/causa_sui
CHILD Formed in the rock n roll underground of Melbourne, Australia in 2012, Child take pride in upholding the strong tradition of Australian rock that preceded them with the likes of AC/DC, The Easybeats, Rose Tattoo or Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Drawing influence from an ever growing sonic palette, you will find Child’s roots tightly entwined in and around the Blues whilst taking a heavier and more visceral approach. https://childtheband.bandcamp.com/
WHEEL OF SMOKE Wheel of Smoke (Leuven, BE) has been dwelling the Belgian underground rock scene with smoking mix of heavy, 70’s tinted rock, blended with a dash of grunge and postrock. They’ve shared the stage with many bands including Baby Woodrose, Hypnos 69, Sungrazer, The Machine, My Sleeping Karma… https://wheelofsmoke.bandcamp.com/
