Stacked lineup for Esbjerg Fuzztival 2026 in Denmark, which is expanding beyond its two-dayer presentation with a pre-party on Thursday, May 28 that will be overseen by the fest’s house band, the instrumentalists Vestjysk Ørken, whose third LP will be out by the time they hit the stage. Yawning Man and Fuzz Sagrado headline, with Howling Giant, Craneium, Child, SoftSun, Deville and others providing strong backing for the fest-proper, for which the lineup is now fully announced. That’s as opposed to the pre-show, which still has question marks on the poster below for two more bands playing.

Whoever they get, the Fuzztival always delivers a sense of vibe and already we see it doing so here while showcasing variety in a heavy underground context. I mean, they have Child and Childrenn — what more could you want? Kidding aside, even two bands like Craneium and Howling Giant, both of whom I would describe as melodic and progressive heavy rock, are aproaching those ideas from different angles, so while it’s 14 acts for two days, each one is bringing something of their own to the proceedings.

From social media:

ESBJERG FUZZTIVAL – Full Festival Announcement!!

We are PROUD to be hosting the legends of the desert YAWNING MAN as our Saturday night headliner! What an absolute treat that we have been looking forward to for a long time!

Also proud to be adding SoftSun to the poster! The project between Gary Arce (Yawning Man) and Pia Isaksen (Superlynx). We can’t wait!

14 bands over two days – but wait, there’s more! The Fuzztival Pre-Party on Thursday the 28th we will host 3 additional bands TBA. First band on stage will be Vestjysk Ørken – while they have opened the festival for the past 8 editions, the tradition is now coming to an end, and they are moving to the pre-party instead! Don’t miss out, as their third album is releasing in April, so they will have fresh tunes for us!

https://www.fuzztival.com/
https://www.instagram.com/esbjerg_fuzztival/
https://www.facebook.com/esbjergfuzztival/

Yawning Man, Pavement Ends (2025)

A lot of good news in the second lineup announcement from Freak Valley Festival. Beyond the always-significant presence of Messa, who I’m pretty sure will be making their first appearance at the fest (pardon me if I’m wrong on that), and the implication of European returns next summer for both Nashville’s Howling Giant and Australian blues rockers Child — who along with Brown Spirits here and the previously-announced Tranquonauts make it three Aussie/part-Aussie acts on the bill; if there’s a quota, I don’t know about it, so they may not be the last — it’s awesome to see Freak Valley dig deep and bring Italian psych conjurers Upupayāma to the proceedings, while Long Distance Calling highlight the meditative instrumental progressivism that’s long been a staple of the festival’s presentation. It’s a killer batch of names, is I guess the point I’m making, even before you get to Zerre or J-psych rockers Super Jet Kinoko.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend Freak Valley for the last four editions. If that luck holds and I get to be there for number five, there are a few here who’ll be among my most anticipated of the hopefully-sunny June weekend.

The following was posted on socials (hence the atsigns) like half an hour ago:

⚡️2nd Band Wave Announcement🫵🏼

Freaks, the next wave is here and it’s a heavy one! Get ready for a wild mix of doom, psych, and trash metal at Freak Valley Festival 2026!

@messa_band bring their dark, soulful take on doom metal, full of atmosphere and emotion!

@longdistancecalling will take you on a powerful instrumental journey through epic soundscapes and dynamic melodies.

@childtheband from Australia deliver pure heavy blues rock, raw, soulful, and full of fuzzy groove.

@howlinggiant blast off with their cosmic stoner rock — big riffs, big energy, and a lot of heart.

@zerre.thrash hit hard with raw noise and distortion, channeling pure intensity straight to the gut.

@upupayama create dreamy, folk-inspired psych sounds that feel like a trip through the Italian mountains.

@brownspirits bring hypnotic krautrock grooves and vintage tones straight out of Melbourne’s underground scene.

@super_jet_kinoko invite you to explore deep, colorful layers of Japanese psychedelic rock.

And don’t forget: tomorrow night at @vortex_surfer_musikclub, @gyasitheband & @iahbanda &@transonic.science will be playing live. At the show, you’ll also be able to buy up to two Freak Valley 2026 tickets per person!

Design: @branca_studio

http://www.freakvalley.de/
http://www.rockfreaks.de/
https://www.instagram.com/freakvalleyfestival/
https://www.facebook.com/freakvalley

Upupayāma, Mount Elephant (2024)

Howling Giant, “Beholder I: Downfall” official video

Child, Soul Murder (2023)