Posted in Whathaveyou on October 7th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Am I crazy (granted) or are we a little early arriving at the place where Desertfest throws down 20-someodd bands — in this case 28 — added all at once to the lineup? I mean, 28 bands, even for a four-day festival, would be a festival lineup. So Desertfest London 2026 is basically showcasing an entire fest’s worth of fest as just part of its broader lineup, the first announcement for which came out just a little over a month ago. I’m not worried about the promo plan or anything, you understand. They know what they’re doing. But I usually think of this kind of thing coming in winter as a hopeful portent of spring. Here in the backwater US, we haven’t even changed the clocks yet.
But can you blame them for being excited? If I had Hermano, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Solace, Causa Sui, High Desert Queen, Steak, Abrams, Alunah, Moundrag, Bismut and the rest of this cohort — Dandy Brown pulling double-duty between Hermano and Lorquin’s Admiral; nice — locked in, I might splurge too. And hopefully I’ll have more to say on this subject, but Solace‘s booked return to the UK has me convinced their new album will be out by the time they go. Do me a favor and don’t prove me wrong.
There’s a lot to like here, and also just a lot for what’s a relatively straightforward list of names. Read ’em and weep:
OUR SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT IS HERE! We’ve got 28 juicy additions to our 2026 edition and this announcement one is truly one for the DF OGs right here: desert legends HERMANO will headline the Electric Ballroom at Desertfest 2026.
Back to show us all how it’s done, John Garcia and the California cult icons will be playing their first UK show in almost two decades and we know that they’ll receive the homecoming they deserve at Desertfest London.
↠ Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – returning to Desertfest stage for the first time in 8 years.
↠ Danish heavy psych heroes turned instrumental wizards Causa Sui make their Desertfest London debut!
↠ New Jersey stoner-doom veterans Solace playing their first UK show in over a decade.
And that’s not all, folks! We’ve still to announce our final headliner for our second stint at the Roundhouse, but in the meantime we’ve prepared a mighty offering that we know you’ll love in our latest round of artists set for 2026:
HERMANO Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Causa Sui Zig Zags Steak Band Solace Deaf Club Witchsorrow High Desert Queen MOUNDRAG KOMODOR Alunah CULT OF OCCULT Forlorn LORQUIN’S ADMIRAL OMO ALPHAWHORES Abrams Bismut Okay You Win UK Ironrat Kannabinõid MOLTEN SLAG HASHTRONAUT ISAK SUPERNAUGHTT Teiger Nomadic Reign
This Friday, June 27, marks the release of Lorquin’s Admiral‘s self-titled debut (review here) on Argonauta Records. It is not an album that makes you struggle to find the appeal. Sharp, thoughtful songwriting. Sweet desert melodies. Fuzz and groove coupled with mood and expression. The combination of elements is Dawn Brown (The Fizz Fuzz, etc.) and Dandy Brown (who this week is fresh off playing Hellfest as part of Hermano) working on vocals together throughout varied arrangements, swapping lead spots, duets, etc., with Marlon King and Nick Hannon of UK progressive heavy rockers Sons of Alpha Centauri building up the instrumental push behind them, tied together with drums by Steve Earle (Hermano, etc.). Plus the mighty Dave Angstrom (Hermano, Luna Sol, etc.) and Country Mark Engel (Hermano, The Fizz Fuzz, etc.) winding threads on lead guitar.
The collaboration between players in California, wherever, and the UK is rooted in Yawning Sons, which for my money remains some of the best desert psychedelia ever produced, and so Lorquin’s Admiral are of immediate interest. Accordingly, when I had the chance to review it earlier in the year, I jumped. It was summer vibes for February, but at that point in the year you take the warmth where you can get it and the nine-song/34-minute Lorquin’s Admiral has that whether it’s the chunkier riff of “Could Have Been Forever” or a swinger like “These Lovely Things.” In hindsight, now that we’re at the week of release, I’m not sure a review four months in advance — in my partial defense, the release date hadn’t been announced — is just kind of silly, but sometimes I have to take the opportunities I’m given because I don’t know if I’ll get the chance again to talk about a thing.
I’m not going to sit here and review Lorquin’s Admiral again. I stand by everything I said about the record and if you’re desperate to read the full thing as I expect absolutely no one to be, it’s linked above. What I’m gonna do instead is be with the album for a while. Put it on and just appreciate that warmth, and the spirit of the songs that doesn’t want to be anything other than what it is. There’s exploration happening here, in terms of the collaboration, but the songs establish trust almost immediately and the band just carry you front-to-back if you let them. Maybe it’s worth trying to let go for a few minutes. Nothing is universal, but the mellow-heavy-but-still-moves balance Lorquin’s Admiral strike is a pursuit that one hopes continues, and the reason why is the record itself. The pudding of proof, as it were.
Ultimately, if you haven’t already pushed play on the YouTube embed below, that’s where it’s at. You can hear the record in full for yourself and see how it hits you. The only real advice I have going in is take a breath first and let it come on slow and unfold a bit. Nothing wrong with diving in, but if you go too fast you’ll get ahead of where they’re meeting you. Relax if you can. I know that’s easier said than done sometimes.
Either way, please enjoy. There’s videos down below too, PR wire stuff. You know the deal. Here you go:
Lorquin’s Admiral, Lorquin’s Admiral album premiere
Building on the critically acclaimed writing partnership between Marlon King, Nick Hannon, and Dandy Brown (first established on the widely celebrated Yawning Sons album Sky Island), Lorquin’s Admiral encapsulates the essence of psychedelic rock while pushing the genre into exciting new territories. The band’s debut album highlights the stunning vocal interplay of husband-and-wife duo Dawn and Dandy Brown, and the commanding rhythms of celebrated drummer Steve Earle, creating an immersive sonic experience that is both heavy and hypnotic.
Adding to the album’s allure, guitar virtuosos David Angstrom (Hermano, Luna Sol) and Country Mark Engel lend their distinctive touch, enriching the record with lush, textured guitar landscapes. Angstrom’s contributions span seven tracks, while Engel’s masterful work graces two.
Tracklisting: 1. My Blue Wife 2. Inexplicable Things 3. Could Have Been Forever 4. Black Water 5. My Blue Husband 6. Aren’t We 7. Burn and Heal 8. These Lovely Things 9. To Temptation
Produced by Dandy Brown & Sons of Alpha Centauri Engineered & Mixed by Dan Lucas Mastered by John McBain
Recorded at The Joplin House, Kent, UK Additional Recording at: Sierra Sounds, Arvada, Colorado Brown’s Barn, Santa Rosa, California MK Studios, Maidstone, Kent
Lorquin’s Admiral, “Aren’t We” official video
Lorquin’s Admiral, “Inexplicable Things” official video
Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 11th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Lorquin’s Admiral make their self-titled full-length debut later this year through Argonauta Records. The band is comprised of vocalists Dawn Brown (The Fizz Fuzz) and Dandy Brown (The Fizz Fuzz, Hermano, solo), whose marriage becomes a character in itself as the album’s sides open with “My Blue Wife” and My Blue Husband,” respectively, as well as Nick Hannon and Marlon King, both of UK heavy progressives Sons of Alpha Centauri, who’d previously collaborated with Dandy Brown for the second album from Yawning Sons, the Yawning Man / Sons of Alpha Centauri offshoot first established late in the aughts.
As to why the moniker didn’t become ‘Centauri Fuzz’ or ‘Fizzy Sons,’ your guess is as good as mine. Lorquin’s Admiral take their name from a kind of butterfly, though, and one finds suitable bouncy float in the verses of a song like “Could Have Been Forever” early on or the later mellow swing of “These Lovely Things.” Songwriting is a big part of what they do. Cuts like the Dawn-led “Inexplicable Things” or side B’s “Burn and Heal” feel more specifically keyed in on desert rock; the winding lead line of “Inexplicable Things” comes across as speaking to a thread that began over 30 years ago, but that remains just a piece of what both song and album — which totals nine tracks/34 minutes — have on offer.
To wit, the start-stop blues of “Black Water” brings one of the seven total Dave Angstrom (Luna Sol, Hermano, Supafuzz) guest appearances on guitar, a duty shared with Mark Engel (Orquesta del Desierto), who has two. With Dandy on vocals, “Black Water” takes on a thoughtful strut, subdued even in its layered hook with tension in the shred looking to break out, which eventually it does, with class. The airy grunge in the lumbering back half of “Aren’t We” and the grounded Nirvana-ism of closer “To Temptation” are further ’90s ties, but there’s more than one kind of sentiment on display throughout Lorquin’s Admiral, and while it’s still definitely speaking to genre in desert rock, it’s also comfortable looking outside for inspiration. So, a bit of blues, a bit of punk attitude here and there. Not to the sacrifice of a welcoming sound, by any means.
Those who know Dandy Brown, Angstrom or ties-it-all-together drummer Steve Earle (also Afghan Whigs) from their work together in Hermano will find Lorquin’s Admiral dug into a natural tonality that feels as organic in the thicker “Burn and Heal” as in “My Blue Wife” or “Inexplicable Things.” It’s all pretty comfortable. As a contingent, they are not strangers to each other, and of course the same could be said of Hannon and King, so although they’re a ‘new band,’ the chemistry is explicable through context. Also songwriting. Also the warmth, be it of vocal melody in the varied arrangements shared between Dawn and Dandy — they swap lead spots and back each other; it’s never quite just one or the other, though balance Dandy wins out on songs fronted — or in the guitar(s) and bass tones backing them. The harmonized croon of “These Lovely Things,” for example, makes that song a late album highlight, but the abiding character that coincides with those harmonies comes from the nonetheless-crunching guitars.
Balance is the word. Also songwriting. Lorquin’s Admiral‘s Lorquin’s Admiral isn’t trying to catch the listener off guard or shock anyone with reinvention, but on a collaborative level, the record still excites by virtue of what this remote-working lineup of the Browns, Earle, Hannon, and King — plus Earle and Angstrom, who acquit themselves as essential personnel — have come up with being aligned to nobody more than anyone else. That is, Dawn and Dandy are singing, but the material belongs to Hannon and King no less, and while it’s not Sons of Alpha Centauri musically, neither is it The Fizz Fuzz or one of Dandy‘s other projects. Most of all, Lorquin’s Admiral sound like a band who could keep going, keep chasing down the path they set out here, and while there’s no guarantee that’ll happen since everyone involved here has other things happening, one hopes they manage to come ‘together’ in this fashion again. There are ideas laid out here begging to be explored.
I keep track throughout the year on stuff like this, so when I tell you I’ve put Lorquin’s Admiralin my notes among 2025’s best debuts — surely a category the entire field of which has yet to be revealed in February — understand I’m not speaking in hyperbole. I don’t know when it’s actually out, but keep an eye. In the meantime, it’s Valentine’s this week, so here’s a thing that was obviously made with love.
Please enjoy:
Lorquin’s Admiral, “Inexplicable Things” video premiere
Argonauta Records proudly announces the debut album from Lorquin’s Admiral, a groundbreaking heavy-psychedelic collaboration that promises to captivate audiences across the globe. Featuring a stellar lineup of current and former members of Afghan Whigs, the Fizz Fuzz, Hermano, Luna Sol, Orquesta del Desierto, Sons of Alpha Centauri, and Yawning Sons, the band delivers a unique blend of soul-stirring harmonies, mesmerizing riffs, and unforgettable hooks.
Building on the critically acclaimed writing partnership between Marlon King, Nick Hannon, and Dandy Brown (first established on the widely celebrated Yawning Sons album Sky Island), Lorquin’s Admiral encapsulates the essence of psychedelic rock while pushing the genre into exciting new territories. The band’s debut album highlights the stunning vocal interplay of husband-and-wife duo Dawn and Dandy Brown, and the commanding rhythms of celebrated drummer Steve Earle, creating an immersive sonic experience that is both heavy and hypnotic.
Adding to the album’s allure, guitar virtuosos David Angstrom (Hermano, Luna Sol) and Country Mark Engel lend their distinctive touch, enriching the record with lush, textured guitar landscapes. Angstrom’s contributions span seven tracks, while Engel’s masterful work graces two.
Drawing inspiration from desert rock pioneers while seamlessly incorporating elements of blues, psychedelic, and alternative music, Lorquin’s Admiral appeals to fans of Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Fatso Jetson, as well as admirers of the Cranberries, Screaming Trees and Garbage. The band carves out a unique space in the heavy-psychedelic scene, proving that rock music remains a powerful and evolving force.
Tracklisting: 1. My Blue Wife 2. Inexplicable Things 3. Could Have Been Forever 4. Black Water 5. My Blue Husband 6. Aren’t We 7. Burn and Heal 8. These Lovely Things 9. To Temptation
Produced by Dandy Brown & Sons of Alpha Centauri Engineered & Mixed by Dan Lucas Mastered by John McBain
Recorded at The Joplin House, Kent, UK Additional Recording at: Sierra Sounds, Arvada, Colorado Brown’s Barn, Santa Rosa, California MK Studios, Maidstone, Kent
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 15th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Named for a type of butterfly, California’s Lorquin’s Admiral have taken a suitably winding course to bringing their debut full-length to fruition. The project has its roots in the collaboration between UK heavy progressives Sons of Alpha Centauri, once instrumental and seemingly always down to work with somebody news, and Dandy Brown of The Fuzz Fuzz, Hermano, and so on.
Both parties took part in the last Yawning Sons LP, and Lorquin’s Admiral would seem to have come about from there, with Country Mark Engel and Hermano and Luna Sol‘s David Angstrom adding guitar, Dawn Brown (who has worked with Dandy across a few projects, including being life-partners) sharing vocal duties and Steve Earle (The Afghan Whigs, Hermano) on drums. I don’t know if they’d call themselves a supergroup so much as nobody’s first time at the dance, but the results are pretty super in songs like “My Blue Wife,” “Could Have Been Forever,” “Burn and Heal,” “These Lovely Things,” and so on, with an emotive crux and varied arrangements around a central fuzz and desert-style sound.
Heads up on it, I guess. I’ve heard the record and I think might be premiering a single in about a month (it currently has a question mark next to it in my notes, so I’ll need to check/confirm that it’s a go) as the Hermano family tree continues to grow and Lorquin’s Admiral take flight therefrom. One way or the other, more to come.
For now, this from the PR wire:
Lorquin’s Admiral Signs with Argonauta Records for Highly Anticipated Debut Album
Argonauta Records proudly announces the signing of Lorquin’s Admiral, a groundbreaking heavy-psychedelic collaboration that promises to captivate audiences across the globe. Featuring a stellar lineup of current and former members of Afghan Whigs, the Fizz Fuzz, Hermano, Luna Sol, Orquesta del Desierto, Sons of Alpha Centauri, and Yawning Sons, the band delivers a unique blend of soul-stirring harmonies, mesmerizing riffs, and unforgettable hooks.
Building on the critically acclaimed writing partnership between Marlon King, Nick Hannon, and Dandy Brown (first established on the widely celebrated Yawning Sons album Sky Island), Lorquin’s Admiral encapsulates the essence of psychedelic rock while pushing the genre into exciting new territories. The band’s debut album highlights the stunning vocal interplay of husband-and-wife duo Dawn and Dandy Brown, and the commanding rhythms of celebrated drummer Steve Earle, creating an immersive sonic experience that is both heavy and hypnotic.
Adding to the album’s allure, guitar virtuosos David Angstrom (Hermano, Luna Sol) and Country Mark Engel lend their distinctive touch, enriching the record with lush, textured guitar landscapes. Angstrom’s contributions span seven tracks, while Engel’s masterful work graces two.
Drawing inspiration from desert rock pioneers while seamlessly incorporating elements of blues, psychedelic, and alternative music, Lorquin’s Admiral appeals to fans of Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Fatso Jetson, as well as admirers of the Cranberries, Screaming Trees and Garbage. The band carves out a unique space in the heavy-psychedelic scene, proving that rock music remains a powerful and evolving force.
Lorquin’s Admiral Signing Statement:
“We are incredibly excited and honored to be a part of the Argonauta stable of bands. When we were looking for a place to call home for the Lorquin’s Admiral album, our goals were simple: to find a team that had a track record of not only getting behind and developing their artists but also a label that believes strongly in expanding and promoting bands that push the envelope and explore multiple paths of expression. Gero and Argonauta have been doing just that for the past thirteen years, and it is thrilling to have our debut album released by a team that stays loyal to their roots while looking to the future with ears and eyes tuned to the unique and spirited. We can’t thank Argonauta enough for believing in what we’ve created, and we look forward to everyone having a chance to hear it.”
Stay tuned for the release date of Lorquin’s Admiral’s debut album and follow Argonauta Records for updates, singles and exclusive previews.
