I’ll give credit where it’s due in that Portuguese fest Reverence Valada 2016 has put together a lineup that’s impressive in both its scope and in the names involved. The Sisters of Mercy may not be my thing, The Damned may not be my thing, but even I know they’re good gets. And put that together with a resonant commitment to underground heavy psych in bands like LSD and the Search for God, Papir and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and there’s a molten foundation of weird upon which the whole thing can play out. In the restaurant business, they might call that the “concept.” I dig the concept.

The PR wire sent over info on the latest round of additions. There are many:

REVERENCE FESTIVAL: The Sisters Of Mercy, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and 8 more acts confirmed!

Portugal’s groundbreaking heavy, psyche and indie festival REVERENCE VALADA just confirmed a new batch of bands to play the festival this September near Lisbon. Please welcome The Sisters of Mercy, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Raveonettes, Fat White Family, A Place To Bury Strangers, Mars Red Sky, The Japanese Girl, The Black Wizards, Steak and Earth Drive to this mouth-watering vintage of the festival.

One of the most influential bands of the 80’s THE SISTERS OF MERCY return to Portugal this summer! Although they have remained very active, playing numerous shows throughout the past decade, the Leeds-based outfit hasn’t released a full-length since their 1990’s Vision Thing. For this headline show at Reverence Valada, the band will perform some all-time classics along with a handful of unreleased gems. Not to be missed.

Led by genius frontman Anton Newcomben, San Francisco’s THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE are one of the most respected bands in the modern psych scene, also known for delivering uncompromising energetic live shows. The band will celebrate their 25th anniversary this year at Reverence.

Blending ’60s psych garage with noise pop influences, Denmark’s prolific duo THE RAVEONETTES are already mentioned as a must-see of this year’s edition. In a mission to show the Reverence crowd what a “fresh and thriling” band is, their debut album Champagne Holocaust skyrocketed FAT WHITE FAMILY them on top of the British psych scene.

They don’t need any introduction, for their reputation precedes them: Brooklyn’s A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS are back to Reverence Valada for the second consecutive year, ready to entrance minds with their newest material Transfixiation.

After they graced the stages of SXSW, Hellfest, Roadburn, Desertfest and countless other events across the globe, French groundbreaking heavy psych trio MARS RED SKY will deliver the aerial yet loud tones of their new offering Apex III to quench the crowds’ thirst of fuzz. Napalm Records’ protégés and London’s most emblematic stoner rockers STEAK will also join the fun, making the Palm Desert blazing sun and sand a reality in Valada.

Known for being a pioneer event for everything psych and low-tuned in the peninsula, Reverence Festival also invited some of the finest local talents, with lo-fi garage psychsters THE JAPANESE GIRL, heavy fuzzadelic revelation THE BLACK WIZARDS and slow, low tunes addicts EARTH DRIVE.

– REVERENCE VALADA FESTIVAL 2016 –
September 8-9-10th in Parque de Merendas, Cartaxo (PT)
Weekend & day tickets available AT THIS LOCATION
– 3-day tickets (w/ camping) are on sale at €55 until April 30th only –

http://www.reverencefestival.com/
https://www.facebook.com/reverencevalada/
https://twitter.com/reverencefest
https://www.instagram.com/reverencefest/

Steak, “Rising” official video

Portugal’s Reverence Valada festival is set for Sept. 8-10 in Cartaxo. The fest has been unveiling its lineup in bunches, and it seems to be taking shape as it goes, incorporating acts from classic punk and modern indie rock along with heavy psychedelia, stoner jams and more. This time around, desert constructionists Blaak Heat have been picked up to be part of the bill — forgive the assumption, but a Euro tour seems likely — and they join a slew of bands from across a range of styles in being added, including Portugal’s own Sun Mammuth, who released their debut LP, Cosmo, last fall.

You can hear that record below, following the lineup info for Reverence Valada 2016 from the PR wire:

REVERENCE FESTIVAL: Thee Oh Sees to headline Black Bass curated night!

Portugal’s biggest heavy, psyche and indie music gathering REVERENCE VALADA FESTIVAL unveiled the full lineup for the first night of the festival. Like every year, a national promoter is curating this opening party, with Black Bass and Évora Psych Fest to invite THEE OH SEES and seven other bands to play Parque de Merendas in Valada on September 8th, 2016.

Led by electric frontman and multi-instrumentist John Dwyer, San Francisco’s garage psych-punk legends THEE OH SEES are back in Portugal to present their latest outing Mutilator Defeated at Last. Reknown for delivering hectic dance-inducing performances, there is none better than Thee Oh Sees to kick off the REVERENCE VALADA party!

Also from the U.S., CHAIN & THE GANG embody raw and soulful rock’n’roll at its best, with hell-raising vocalist Svenonius preaching rock sermons as if it was his last day on Earth… and yours.

In the garage psych rock field, Bordeaux-based J.C. SATÀN have proven to be a leading act in the French scene. With largely acclaimed full-lengths and insane boundary-free sets, the band have made a reputation of solid performers throughout the years. Originally from Paris and relocated in the Californian desert, heavy psych/krautrock trio BLAAK HEAT will grace the Valada crowd with a new album produced by Grammy Award-winning Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet). Not to be missed.

Also confirmed to play the first day at REVERENCE VALADA are Porto’s garage surf punk duo THE SUNFLOWERS, heavy psychsters SUN MAMMUTH and explosive garage punk trio 800 GONDOMAR.

– REVERENCE FESTIVAL 2016 –
September 8-9-10th in Cartaxo, South Portugal
Weekend & day tickets available at this location

Current lineup is as follows:
Killing Joke | The Damned | Mécanosphère | Ozric Tentacles | Dead Meadow | With The Dead | Silver Apples | Yawning Man | Nik Turner’s New Space Ritual Band | The Cult os Dom Keller | LSD & The Search for GOD | The Papermoon Sessions | Farflung | Papir | Radar Men form the Moon | Oresund Space Collective | Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs | Zone Six | Thee Oh Sees | Chain & The Gang | J.C. Satàn | Blaak Heat | Flavor Crystals | The Sunflowers | Sun Mammuth | 800 Gondomar

http://www.reverencefestival.com/
https://www.facebook.com/reverencevalada/
https://twitter.com/reverencefest
https://www.instagram.com/reverencefest/

Sun Mammuth, Cosmo (2015)

Portugal-based fest Reverence Valada 2016 pretty much had me at Zone Six, but they continue nonetheless to add to their impressive lineup of offbeat rock — Killing Joke, Ozric Tentacles — and various forms of heavy, from With the Dead to Yawning Man. This batch of additions features UK punk legends The Damned and shoegaze progenitors Dead Meadow along with Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, The Cult of Dom Keller and Mécanosphèere, but of particular note are San Francisco’s LSD and the Search for God.

The resurgent Bay Area act just released their first EP in nine years, Heaven is a Place, which you can stream in full below, and if you’re looking for some of that dripping-wet West Coast dream-psych, they do it with particularly resonant attention to tonality and an underlying pop touch. Something that piqued my interest, might pique yours.

Here’s the latest announcement from the fest:

The Damned, Dead Meadow and four other bands confirmed for REVERENCE VALADA in September!

Portugal-based heavy and psych festival REVERENCE VALADA have just confirmed six new bands to play their third edition, including British punk legends The Damned. The festival will take place in Valada from September 8th to September 10th.

British punk forerunners THE DAMNED will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their first single “New Rose” this year at London’s Royal Albert Hall in May, where they’re set to play in front of 5,500 fans. Formed in 1976 in London, they are considered as one of the most influential punk groups along the Sex Pistols and The Clash. This Reverence Valada appearance will be their first show ever in Portugal.

Formed in 1998 in Washington, DEAD MEADOW is one of the finest indie psyche rock acts of the modern era. Among their nine studio and live albums, we can count collaborations with Steve Kille, Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother), Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) and many more. Their latest widely acclaimed album “Warble Womb” was released in 2013.

DIY alchemists THE CULT OF DOM KELLER are creators of whacked out soundscapes and songs that seem to come from another universe, all from the confines of their sonic bunker. After gracing the stages of Austin Psych Fest and Roadburn, they will once again enthrall European fans with their appearance at Reverence Festival.

San Francisco’s LSD & THE SEARCH FOR GOD have developed a must-see reputation within the underground psychedelic/shoegaze/space rock community. 2016 will be the year they will tour Europe for the very first time.

Operating in “chaos rock” territories, MÉCANOSPHÈERE is an international music and art performance collective rooted in Portugal. Blending spoken word, concrete and cosmic music, ghost jazz, the 10-year band will offer a theatrical and versatile show at Reverence Valada. Our sixth band confirmed is UK’s sludge/doom/noisemongers PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS.

– REVERENCE FESTIVAL 2016 –
September 8-9-10th in Cartaxo, South Portugal
Weekend & day tickets available at this location

http://www.reverencefestival.com/
https://www.facebook.com/reverencevalada/
https://twitter.com/reverencefest
https://www.instagram.com/reverencefest/

LSD and the Search for God, Heaven is a Place (2016)