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

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Upupayāma, Mount Elephant (2024)

Howling Giant, “Beholder I: Downfall” official video

Child, Soul Murder (2023)

Desertfest Berlin 2019, Desertfest London 2019 and the first-ever Desertfest New York have all had lineup announcements this week. That’s by no means a little bit of Desertfest, but of course the Berlin lineup remains a beast unto itself. Along with sharing the likes of headliners Om and Wovenhand and Mondo Generator, etc., Berlin welcomes Wino back to Europe with an acoustic set as well as Kakagaku Moyo from Japan — who’ll just happen to be in the same building as Earthless, with whom they’ve jammed live before and might well again. With Naxatras fulfilling the great Greek psychedelic prophecy and Long Distance Calling rounding out this second announcement, Desertfest Berlin 2019 remains a landmark that, like its London counterpart, has only continued to become more expansive and encompassing.

To wit:

OM ++ WOVENHAND ++ LONG DISTANCE CALLING ++ KIKAGAKU MOYO ++ MONDO GENERATOR ++ WINO ++ NICK OLIVERI ++ NAXATRAS confirmed for Desertfest Berlin 2019!!!

Desert rockers, we are psyched to reveal new names for our 8th edition in the capitol of Germany, Berlin. While our annual festival already unveiled highclass acts such as J Mascis’ Witch, Colour Haze, All Them Witches, Earthless and many more, today DesertFest Berlin pursues the announcements of 8 further and more than exciting bands which have been added to the eclectic 2019 line-up!

Formed by the rhythm section of our all beloved Sleep, legendary OM will make their return to Europe! It’s been a long time since the band released their last album ‘Advaitic Songs’ back in 2012, but your wait and hunger to experience the band live is finally over: OM are going to hypnotize the entire ARENA with their unique, one and only omvibrating sounds!

Bringing you the probably best Americana and Alternative Country tunes you can get, DESERTFEST BERLIN is thrilled to welcome Wovenhand (official) in 2019! Led by former 16 Horsepower frontman David Eugene, WOVENHAND gave the real birth to mix folk, gospel and rock ‘n roll. Expect a unique and very special live show!

Long Distance Calling have always roamed on unexplored territory. Their timeless, atmospheric instrumental rock not only inspires traditionalists with a penchant for guitars, vinyl and compact discs, but without their epic records even no serious streaming playlist is complete. At DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019, the band will make us forget about the digital world. They will transfer us into the real world of finest instrumental rock sounds, only an act like LONG DISTANCE CALLING could ever create!

DESERTFEST BERLIN will also bring back Scott “Wino” Weinrich to Europe! The St. Vitus frontman will be performing a very special acoustic set at the 8th festival edition in Berlin. With his solo project of the dark rock till Outlaw Country tunes alongside rare cover versions, you may never know what WINO will be playing live on stage, but you can be sure: This legend will provide a live appearance we won’t forget too fast!

Punk and metal hybrid unit from Los Angeles, Mondo Generator, fronted and formed by Nick Oliveri (QOTSA, Dwarves, Bloodclot, Kyuss) is going to break loose with the DESERTFEST BERLIN crowd next year. Since the band is no stranger to the Desertfest’s family, you know what to expect, sweaty T-shirts in crazy pits included!

And while we got him in Berlin already, the DESERTFEST BERLIN crew invited Mr. Nick Oliveri to put on his infamous DEATH ACOUSTIC set! Double-action by the one & only NICK OLIVERI, who not only released his critically acclaimed ‘N.O. Hits At All’-series with HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS over the past few months, but will be also bringing his N.O Hits At All live and in death acoustic manners on stage! Get ready for some fun, desert rockers!

Last but not least, DESERTFEST BERLIN is proud to welcome two of the hottest irons the current underground rock scene has to offer: Japanese up & coming Kikagaku Moyo as well as Naxatras round up today’s second band announcement! They balance heavy, crushing jams with softer, more contemplative moments: Tokyo-based KIKAGAKU MOYO, your new favorite psychedelic rock band, perfectly incorporates the elements of Krautrock, Indian ragas and acid folk, currently and well-deserved selling out one venue after the next! The Greek power trio NAXATRAS delivers a trippy journey to the very roots of the psychedelic sound, paying tribute to rock titans such as Pink Floyd and Hawkwind, doom rock overlords Black Sabbath, as well as funk pioneers Funkadelic or legendary guitar-hero Jimi Hendrix. The relentless touring activity of the band, with recent sold out shows all over Europe, put NAXATRAS once and for all on the map as one of the biggest hopes of European psychedelic music!

Friends, we hope you dig this new killer announcement as much as we do! Desertfest Berlin 2019 will take place between May 3rd – 5th 2019 at the riverside in the heart of Berlin, the ARENA BERLIN. The festival will not only provide a new sound-and payment-system on the ground, but also more space PLUS a chillout- and live zone on the ‘Hoppetosse’ boat! Better be quick to start your trip to Berlin, as you don’t want to miss this amazing line-up and witness one of the best festival editions you have ever been to!

TICKETS available at: www.desertfest-tickets.de

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Om, Advaitic Songs (2012)