Yeah, okay, so I didn’t get to post last Friday’s Høstsabbat announcement. I don’t really have an excuse, I just didn’t see it until after I’d closed the week — which I definitely did early, because fuck it — and then it was Monday, Tuesday with the Quarterly Review still and then it was Wednesday and on Wednesday you might as well wait till Friday since you know another announcement’s coming anyway. If that seems like a long and arduous choice, the reality happened much faster. It was like 20 seconds on Friday of thinking about it and here we are.

That’s no slight against industrialized LLNN offshoot John Cxnnor — who have played Roadburn in between last week’s Høstsabbat announcement and the top portion of what’s below, which is from today — whose set I have zero doubt will blow my mind. Reminder too that LLNN will also be playing, so hey, while you’re in Oslo, might as well unleash another round of devastation.

And for a fun bit of other-side-of-the-spectrum-ness, today’s add is Villagers of Ioannina City, whose contemplative, Mediterranean folk-informed heavy rock I was fortunate enough to catch last year at Freak Valley Festival (review here). They might be the most ritualized rock act to take the Høstsabbat stage since Sunnata in 2019, but they’re less likely to wear robes and actually have a kind of poppish charisma and are more forward musically. But they’re cool either way, so bonus.

Høstsabbat posted the following:

VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY

The sun shines beautifully on this very Friday, and so does our next announcement.

In massive contrast to the industrial, hard-hitting heaviness of last week’s announcement, Danish duo John Cxnnor, who by the way crushed the main stage at Roadburn yesterday, today’s addition brings a different kind of depth and light to our anniversary lineup.

Villagers of Ioannina City has swept over the underground like a mild, mediterranean breeze.

The brilliant use of bagpipes, kaval and clarinets highlights their bombastic, yet meditative sound in a warm and folky manner, pawing way for heavy, psychedelic fuzz outbursts coming straight from the Greek mountains.

Their explosive live appearances at numerous festivals over the last years have had them on everyone’s lips, and it’s with massive pride we can announce their first ever visit to Norway.

Please welcome Villagers of Ioannina City to Høstsabbat 2023!

JOHN CXNNOR (DK)

Oh yes, for the first time in Høstsabbat history, we are welcoming a band strictly based on electronics. Please do not fear. Heaviness is what we´re all about, heaviness always wins, and todays announcement is no exception. The band of the day is an act we have been buzzing to announce, as they will showcase a brand new kind of heavy for all of you Sabbathians.

The praise in the wake of their appearances at Roskilde and Roadburn last year was just beyond, and breathtaking to witness, just as the shows themselves. All this leading to a return to the infamous Roadburn Festival next week, for another commissioned project. Go see them if you have the chance, you will not regret. Adding to their quality, JOHN CXNNOR is a loose cannon in the live environment. They always bring vocalists, but you never know who.

JOHN CXNNOR is made up of the Danish Sejersen brothers, also known for forming half of the brilliant sci-fi sludge pioneers in LLNN.

The level of detail and finesse in their industrial soundscaping is unreal in both their outfits, but in particular, those lower frequencies bursting out from the JOHN CXNNOR experience will cuttle your tummy to the extreme. JOHN CXNNOR will terminate the Crypt, mark our words.

Please welcome JOHN CXNNOR to Høstsabbat 2023!

TICKETS
https://bit.ly/HS-festivalticket23

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
https://spoti.fi/3tkuMZl

NEWSLETTER
https://bit.ly/HostsabbatNews

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Høstsabbat Spotify Playlist

Names like David Eugene Edwards and Julie Christmas are bound to draw eyes, along with Deafheaven, but dig into the lineup announcement for Roadburn 2023 and you’ll find even more genre-spanning righteousness from the e’er forward-looking Dutch fest, which recently unveiled its pretty-people-doing-stuff thematic artwork by William Lacalmontie. Burst and Chat Pile stand out to me immediately, and Norna whom I recently saw for the fist time, but LLNN will kill it in their commissioned collaboration, and a special set from Wolves in the Throne Room is an idea that has a proven history at Roadburn of being, well, special.

I didn’t get to go to Roadburn 2022, which if we’re being honest is a lack in my life that I’ve felt throughout the entire year since. I don’t imagine they’re bringing back the daily ‘zine for 2023, having now thrived without it for the first time in however many years it was. But if I can get back over for next April, I’m going to do everything I can to try and make that happen. Assuming I can walk by then, I’ll carry amps from one end of the loading bay to the other, I don’t care. Just please let me be in Tilburg again.

This is the first announcement. More will follow. This is always one of the best and most hopeful times of the year.

From the PR wire:

Roadburn announces first names for 2023, including Deafheaven, Julie Christmas, and David Eugene Edwards

Roadburn has announced the first names for the 2023 line up ahead of tickets going on sale later this month. The festival will take place at the 013 venue, Tilburg, The Netherlands between April 20-23, 2023. Tickets will go on sale at 7pm CET (6pm GMT, 1pm EST, 10am PST) on November 15.

Roadburn Artistic Director, Walter Hoeijmakers comments:

“We are very thrilled to see Roadburn 2023 coming together, especially in a world turned upside down and all the challenges facing the live music industry. Roadburn 2023 is shaping up to be a very exciting edition of the festival even while navigating the underground post-pandemic. This year’s Roadburn won’t see a curator as there are so many obstacles and pitfalls to overcome; it would be hard for a curator to fully realise their artistic and musical dreams. We at Roadburn will make sure the 2023 edition will be as adventurous and explorational as always, and it will be an anchor point as usual. It will be a very current edition, reflecting the world as it is now.”

—

Line up announcements:
Deafheaven will fly in to Roadburn to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their groundbreaking sophomore album, Sunbather, by performing the album in full alongside a second set where they will play their latest incredible album, Infinite Granite.

Originally scheduled to perform at Roadburn 2020, Julie Christmas will finally perform next April as a European exclusive set. With a diverse back catalogue and the promise of new material on the horizon, this will be a must-see show.

Also drawing from a rich back catalogue, Roadburn will welcome back David Eugene Edwards, who will be performing cuts from his 16 Horsepower, Wovenhand and solo discographies.

Wolves In The Throne Room will enhance their already immersive performances with additional audio and visual components to create a special, exclusive set titled Shadow Moon Kingdom.

Another postponed Roadburn debut will finally come to fruition as Brutus will perform off the back of their stunning new album, Unison Life.

Big Brave warranted a rare back-to-back Roadburn booking and will be performing their upcoming new album nature morte at Roadburn 2023.

The Soft Moon has made such an impact over the years, but their latest album, Exister, takes things to a new level. They will be performing the album in full at Roadburn 2023.

Giles Corey will be making their live debut with a full band at Roadburn; originally scheduled for 2020 this underground phenomenon will bring catharsis and emotion in abundance.

Chat Pile have made an immense impact in a short space of time, and Roadburn has snagged the exclusive European debut of this much-hyped quartet.

Candy will be performing their blistering new album, Heaven is Here in full at Roadburn.

KEN Mode are doing their bit for the thriving noise-rock resurgence of 2022, and they’ll be flying in for a one-off show at Roadburn 2023.

The genre-defying experimentalism found on Show Me the Body’s latest album Trouble the Water will be brought to life in the flesh with their Roadburn debut next April.

Recently reformed and raring to go, Roadburn will host Sweden’s Burst, bringing the sound of early Scandinavian post-metal to Tilburg.

Norna will also represent Sweden with a crushing take on sludgy post-hardcore.

Commissioned Music:

Roadburn has been commissioning artists to create and perform original compositions at the festival since 2018. 2023 will see an array of such commissioned projects – this year with a particular focus on giving a platform to underground artists – the first of which is announced today.

John Cxnnor performing All My Future’s Past.
Brothers Ketil and Rasmus Sejersen grew up in Denmark’s hardcore scene and the influence of that is felt in the music they create as part of LLNN, but it also infiltrates their work under the John Cxnnor moniker. For this commissioned project, they will enhance the industrial electronics of the John Cxnnor project with the contributions of fellow musicians from the hardcore scene they were shaped by.

Collaboration with Schouwburg Tilburg:
For the first time, Roadburn is collaborating with Schouwburg Tilburg to embrace dance as part of the Roadburn landscape. Dance Of The Seven Veils will be brought to life by director Aïda Gabriëls with musical accompaniment courtesy of Colin H. Van Eeckhout (CHVE, Amenra), Pieter-Jan Van Assche (Innerwoud) and soprano Astrid Stockman. Tickets for this event will be sold as an upgrade to Roadburn tickets, with a discount for Roadburn attendees.

More information on all these announcements can be located HERE: https://roadburn.com/line-up/

Roadburn’s official visual artist for 2023 is William Lacalmontie, more information about his collaboration with the festival can be found HERE: https://roadburn.com/william-lacalmontie-the-official-roadburn-2023-visual-artist/

Weekend tickets and accommodation options will go on sale via roadburn.com at 7pm CET (6pm GMT, 1pm EST, 10am PST) on November 15. 4-day tickets will be priced at €244, 3-day tickets at €214, and single day tickets at €79 (all costs inclusive of fees and service charges).

https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/
http://www.instagram.com/roadburnfest
http://www.roadburn.com

Julie Christmas, The Bad Wife Live in full