Desertfest Oslo 2024 Set for May 10 & 11
Makes total sense, a Desertfest in Oslo. The Norwegian underground has blossomed in the last decade to be one of the most vital in Europe, with the ever-present black metal remaining a staple of the national diet as heavy rock, prog, psychedelia, noise rock, post-hardcore/post-metal, etc. have assumed a forward-looking generational position. It is, you might say, a growth market. And Desertscene in London and Sound of Liberation, which together helm the Desertfest brand, know an opportunity for growth when they see it. Ask Antwerp, Belgium. Ask New York.
Norway today is packed with up and coming acts, including some of Europe’s brightest prospects in Slomosa and Kanaan, as well as bands like Saint Karloff, Superlynx, SÂVER and a ton of others who don’t begin with the letter ‘s,’ and that’s before you get to a Norwegian cross-subgenre institution like Enslaved or the whole Bergen-based Apollon Records prog rock scene. And never mind international acts. New bands emerging, veteran acts continuing to do relevant work, it’s fertile ground for a heavy fest, and if one or any of the above wound up on the bill for Desertfest Oslo 2024, it would only be fitting, but no information has been given in that regard as yet.
That’s right. The website is launched, but there’s no real information to be had beyond the dates the festival will take place, which is May 10-11, making Desertfest Oslo a Springtime complement to Høstsabbat, held each October, and close if not concurrent to Desertfest in London and Berlin. I don’t know the dates for Berlin, but May 10-11 is a week before London happens. It may be that a whole bunch of tours next May in the Desertscene/Sound of Liberation sphere are about to make a big swing north. We’ll see how it goes.
So, I don’t have any idea who’s playing yet — first announcement next month, reportedly — but as far as I’m concerned, the simple existence of an email list is news in this case because of the potential that 10 years from now we’ll still be talking about this fest. Not a guarantee, of course, but possible for sure, and if so, this will be the beginning of that. So here’s the dates, as posted by Desertfest Oslo team:
DESERTFEST OSLO
10TH – 11TH MAY 2024
ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT
SEPTEMBER 2023
https://www.facebook.com/desertfestoslo
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_oslo
https://www.desertfest.no/
