Last we left them, Denmark’s upstart Esbjerg Fuzztival was teasing six more bands to add to finalize its bill for May 2022. Hell if they haven’t done precisely that thing. I’ll note that while my immediate association with acts called Khan goes right to the Australian sludge band, there is a Danish Khan as well and I’m not sure which is being confirmed here. As of me writing this sentence — your yesterday — neither act had posted one way or the other.

However, I am definitely sure which Conan, Domkraft, The Spacelords, Kombynat Robotron and Syreregn they’re talking about, even if I wasn’t previously familiar with the latter, whose 2019 LP, Cogito Ergo Sum, was released by Kozmik Artifactz, starts with a reminder that there is no spoon, and can be streamed in its entirety below. These last six round out a killer lineup that as I’ve been saying all along is most definitely the biggest that Esbjerg Fuzztival has put together, and if you’re headed to Denmark in May — why not? — get yourself in shape for 12 hours of heavy across two days that well earn the bigger poster they needed. Right, frickin’, on.

The fest’s announcement follows here from social media:

“We’re gonna need a bigger poster”

Thanks for your patience! To celebrate we decided to announce the last bands for Fuzztival 22, and they are HUGE!

PROUD to present… CONAN, DOMKRAFT, KHAN, THE SPACELORDS, KOMBYNAT ROBOTRON & SYREREGN

We can’t even believe we managed to pull off this ambitious a lineup on just one stage over two days! Near non-stop music Friday & Saturday from 1pm—1am both days! We present to you our picks of the very best in Heavy Psych and Doom. So so much doom. So so much heavy.

Who are you excited to see live in May!?

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

Syreregn, Cogito Ergo Sum (2019)

As they started hinting toward announcements for 2022, the Danish fest Esbjerg Fuzztival made it known that they were shooting for the biggest edition yet. Bringing Truckfighters down from Sweden to headline the first night of the two-day proceedings does nothing at all to hurt that cause. Pulling bands from Norway, Poland, the UK, the US, Chile, Germany, now Sweden and of course Denmark itself, Esbjerg Fuzztival has made itself a genuinely international concern, and with more acts still to be unveiled — six more, including a Saturday headliner — it seems like anything else they want to bring in at this point is gravy to an already rock solid lineup.

Hard to believe it’s been five years since Truckfighters released 2016’s V (review here), but I guess it’s been a tumultuous few years. They had some controversy around that record, then announced a hiatus in 2018 that lasted just about a year before they started playing festivals and touring again, then 2020 happened. They recently announced a stint alongside fellow Swedes Asteroid and Greenleaf for March into April (holy hell I want to go) and provided any of it can happen at all, it looks like they’ll be getting back to their live-focused ways in 2022.

I don’t know if they have new songs or whatnot, or if they feel like they even need them, but 2021 marks 20 years since their start and they’re exactly the kind of band who can be announced as a fest headliner and make somebody’s night by kicking ass on stage as they so reliably do.

Esbjerg Fuzztival is a fest of short announcements. Here’s the latest:

We are PROUD to present our Friday night headliner… TRUCKFIGHTERS!

These legends of the desert need no further introduction! Full festival partout tickets are available now!

17 of the finest and fuzziest bands out there. Oh, and Vestjysk Ørken.

Full festival tickets available now. 1-day tickets available at a later time.

Lineup so far:
Truckfighters (Friday headliner)
Bongzilla
Dopelord
Weedpecker
Papir
Purple Hill Witch
Kal-El
Ritual King
Arteaga
Bogwife
Vestjysk Ørken
*Plus Six More TBA!

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

Truckfighters, Live in London (2016)

By my count there are still eight more acts to be announced for Esbjerg Fuzztival 2022, among them two headliners. That count also doesn’t include the potential three more who would/will join the lineup if/when — because it’s good to be optimistic about these things — the Danish festival reaches 400 tickets sold.

Among the groups added to the already formidable bill — which boasts Bongzilla and Weedpecker and the others below — you’ll note the inclusion of Papir, who are shortly to release their new album, 7, on Stickman Records. The fest posted at one point that it considered Papir the most underrated Danish band going. That’s a pretty fair assessment, the more I think about it. Having been fortunate enough to see them live, their chemistry is something unique even among the crowded sphere of heavy jammers, and while the Danish underground is pretty underrated as a whole — I’d extend that to include the likes of Gas Giant and Baby Woodrose — there’s no question Papir are a special group. Probably don’t need to say this, but I’m looking forward to that album, which is out in January.

The below isn’t from the PR wire, but I kind of assembled it from social media posts making the announcements. Esbjerg Fuzztival keep it short and sweet in revealing acts, which as someone who periodically writes announcements for other fests, I can appreciate.

To wit:

We proudly present… DOPELORD at Fuzztival ’22!

Full festival partout tickets available NOW!
Get yours before December 31st and help us add another night of fuzz and THREE more bands!

Fuzztival proudly presents… PURPLE HILL WITCH!

We proudly present PAPIR, RITUAL KING and BOGWIFE at Fuzztival ’22!

More bands TBA including two headliners!

Partout tickets now available. Day tickets available in 2022.

Remember to buy your tickets ASAP! If we reach 400 by new years eve we’ll add a FREE pre-party Thursday the 12th with THREE additional bands!

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

Papir, 7 (2022)

Esbjerg Fuzztival has persevered through cancelations and reschedulings and setbacks like everyone else, but they’ve done so without flinching and they’ve done so with a special fervency toward putting on the best show they possibly can under the circumstances. With Bongzilla announced among their first bands — I’m not even sure if they’re headlining — the promise for 2022 to be the Danish two-dayer’s biggest year yet seems like one they’re no less intent to keep. Right on. They’ve built a cult following and what seems to be a supportive community around it and that’s the ideal no matter who shows up on the bill. If you don’t have that vibe, all you’re doing is putting on a show.

They’re set for May 13 and 14 at the Tobakken Esbjerg in — you guessed it — the city of Esbjerg, which is on Denmark’s west coast, about three hours straight shot from Copenhagen. I don’t know where you fly into if you’re flying over, but it sure would be fun to find out. Ha. In any case, these people do good work and are fun to keep up with. I’ll hope to do just that as we get nearer to next Spring.

Tickets go on sale this weekend. Here’s the latest:

Esbjerg Fuzztival 2022

MAY 13 & 14 2022 \\ TOBAKKEN ESBJERG \\ Esbjerg, Denmark

Fuzztival is proud to present BONGZILLA!

Tickets and more band announcements soon! But let’s just say: ’22 will be our BIGGEST festival ever!

Fuzztival proudly presents… KAL-EL!

Do you like to groove and dance and be merry? Then you came to the right place! Nothing better than a day full of stoner rock to get those hips moving.

Hot from the Chilean highlands Fuzztival proudly presents… ARTEAGA!

Their distinct brand of satanic retro acid fuzz is not to be missed at their first show in Denmark!

Full festival partout tickets available October 31st! That’s THIS Sunday! We have plenty of huge bands still TBA! Don’t miss the party of the year!

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

Causa Sui, “The Drop” live at Esbjerg Fuzztival 2020