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

When I started this post, Poland’s Red Smoke Festival had just unveiled the first names for its 2024 edition, set for this July 12-14. That was Domkraft, Coogans Bluff, Earth Tongue and Narbo Dacal. You know how it goes, you get caught up with stuff, a couple days go by, and now there’s four more adds in Acid Rooster, Kanaan, Perilymph and Tuskar, so it’s safe to say the event is taking shape at a fairly good clip. I don’t know the announcement schedule or anything like that, but if you’re in Poland or thinking of making the trip, I imagine you also don’t need me to suggest following their socials, etc. Even if you don’t, I believe you are capable.

So does the festival, which admirably dispenses with some of the social-media-era hoopla around these things by making a slogan out of ‘The Less You Know the Better.’ They might be right, or at least there’s a philosophical argument waiting to be made there. Either way, there were YouTube and Facebook links for the bands, but again, I believe in your power to dig and would encourage you to do so. I only took them out because it looked funny on the page and this site does weird things with YouTube hyperlinks. Certainly all parties involved have online presences and audio, which even 30 years later kind of makes the internet feel like a miracle. Not to mention it’s how I know this fest exists in the first place.

Even so, I don’t know much more than this, so I suppose I’m doing alright in that regard:

First announcements for RSF2024

COOGANS BLUFF – Horns Rock’n’Roll Dance From Germany

Domkraft – Riffs Riffs Riffs Repeat From Sweden With Love

Earth Tongue – Odd But Gold Heavy Psych Fuzz From New Zealand

Narbo Dacal – (Be)Witching Metal From Poland

Acid Rooster – Endless Trippy Kraut Experience from Germany

Kanaan – Blazing Freeform Psychedelic Rock From Norway

Perilymph – Beautiful Psychedelic Sounds From Germany

Tuskar – Heavy Doomed Hammer From UK

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1316543752328569/

Save the date 12-14.07.2024

The Less You Know The Better

https://www.facebook.com/RedSmokeFest
https://instagram.com/redsmokefest
https://redsmokefestival.pl/

Domkraft, Sonic Moons (2023)

Acid Rooster, Flowers and Dead Souls (2023)