The fourth annual Blue Moon Festival will take place next July into August, and granted neither is an unknown quantity, but having the likes of Fu Manchu and 1000mods on a bill together feels like a boon to just about anybody’s evening who might be in attendance. Ditto that for Dead Meadow, Acidsitter, Skyjoggers and everybody else in the first lineup announcement, which was made toward the end of last week.

I would expect this means Sons of Arrakis will be back on tour in Europe next Summer, and that Fu Manchu will look to get out as well. No idea on Fu or 1000mods, or Dead Meadow for that matter, but it seems likely they’ll be on the road too, which means (1:) look out for where else they’ll be and (2:) be grateful the festival exists to sustain the band plus a whole lot of others coming through. You know how these things work. I’m excited to see summer take shape.

From the PR wire:

BLUE MOON FESTIVAL – FIRST BAND ANNOUNCEMENT

A new cycle begins. As the moon shifts and the air thickens with distortion, Blue Moon Festival 2026 unveils its first transformation. This year’s edition — Metamorphosis — brings together a powerful constellation of heavy, psychedelic and genre-defying artists from across the globe. A lineup shaped by riffs, ritual, noise, vision and pure underground spirit.

FU MANCHU

Stoner-rock legends known for desert-driven riffs and the fuzz-soaked sound that shaped an entire genre.

1000MODS

Greece’s modern stoner heavyweights, delivering massive grooves and hypnotic riff walls.

DEAD MEADOW

A psychedelic rock institution blending dreamy atmospheres with warm, vintage fuzz.

MEPHISTOFELES

Occult doom drenched in lo-fi grit.

SKY JOGGERS

Fuzzy heavy-psych powered by relentless motorik energy.

SONS OF ARRAKIS

Sci-fi-driven heavy desert psych straight from Canada.

ZERRE

New Wave of Würzburger Thrash Metal.

GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE

Avant-prog/psych explorers pushing boundaries.

CURSED TO OCCULT

Ritualistic doom invoking the underground spirits.

NARBODACAL

Progressive Doom Warriors from Poland.

ACID SITTER

High-energy psych rock maniacs.

July 31 – August 2 2026

Strombad Cottbus

We’re beyond proud to bring these legends to Cottbus and invite you all to be part of the next chapter of the Blue Moon.

https://www.bluemoonfestival.de/
https://www.instagram.com/blue_moon_festival
https://www.facebook.com/bluemoonfest

Fu Manchu, “Eatin’ Dust” live in Pioneertown, CA, 05.31.25

German trio Grandloom follow a stylistic course that seems to be hitting some kind of new echelon of prominence in 2011: namely, instrumental heavy psychedelia. The Cottbus threesome – guitar, bass, drums – rest in an in-between spot on the spectrum. They’re not as progressive as was 35007, not as riffy as Karma to Burn, not as desert-minded as their countrymen in Colour Haze, but one could just as easily argue they take influence from all three of those acts as well as some of Kyuss’ more spontaneous moments. The six mostly-extended tracks of Grandloom’s self-released debut studio full-length, Sunburst (which was preceded by 2010’s 5 Dollar Jam EP and 2009’s Live at Bautzener Tor), finds the Stoned From the Underground veterans following semi-plotted courses to meandering heaviness, occasionally relying on build structures or repeated parts, but not being afraid to throw a song into the ether and seeing how far out it goes. Though Sunburst begins straightforward with the opening movement of “Orbit Wobbler,” that soon proves to be pretty far out.

Without a vocalist and without any other kind of synth or noise contributions to fill out their sound, the onus is really on the three members of Grandloom to carry across their tracks with chemistry and fluidity – otherwise Sunburst simply falls flat. The record isn’t without its wandering moments, and occasionally in listening I’m left feeling they haven’t quite been able to pull a song like 12-minute closer “Earthvalley” as far back as they need to, but for the most part, they seem aware of the balance between quality jams and songwriting, and are able to walk that line well. The shortest inclusion here is second cut “Woodbridge” at 4:20, and it follows “Orbit Wobbler” with relatively straightforward stoner riffing that would have been no stretch to fit verses over, despite guitarist Thomas’ liberal soloing. It’s here though that bassist Hans begins to make his presence known in the rhythm section alongside drummer Rischi, offering fills that not only run alongside Thomas and contrast in the Butler/Iommi tradition, but are genuinely responsible for much of Sunburst’s character as the album develops. Hans’ playing becomes a major factor in the sound of the band, and much to both his and its credit.

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