All three of these bands had releases out in 2024. In the case of London heavypunkers Thee Alcoholics, they had two. Poland’s Sunnata released Chasing Shadows (review here) and Scottish psychfreaks The Cosmic Dead proffered Infinite Peaks (review here) last Spring, and both have set about supporting the records ever since. The three bands join the lineup for Nijmegen’s Sonic Whip Festival alongside a righteous host of acts from various genres, from Frankie and the Witch Fingers‘ heady garage-psych-punk to Temple Fang‘s farthest-out soulful prog, to Orsak:Oslo‘s Scandidrone and Osees‘ how-do-they-do-it-oh-yeah-cocaine-and-ADHD chicanery, among others.

Two days, all killer. Elder, Slomosa and The Devil and the Almighty Blues sharing the stage with Graveyard. Khan and Dutch prog-boogie upstarts Heath holding it down next to Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol and Lord Buffalo. Whether it’s those two from the US, Khan from Australia or others from around Europe, there’s 23 acts on this bill and each one brings something different to the proceedings than the others. Yeah, there are elements shared — it’s a genre-based heavy fest; not a new concept — but if you get a sense of personality looking at the assembled names of the final Sonic Whip 2025 lineup below, I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

There have been a few ‘Live at Sonic Whip’-type releases the past few years as well. If anybody wanted to get that The Devil and the Almighty Blues set on tape, I’m pretty sure a live album from those guys would make the world a better place. See also everybody.

From social media:

LINE-UP SONIC WHIP 2025 COMPLETE

With the addition of the exploratory Scottish spacerockers The Cosmic Dead, ritualistic Polish doomsters SUNNATA and raunchy noise UK five piece Thee Alcoholics the line-up for this year is now complete. Three killer bands next to twenty other amazing acts making the 2025 edition surely one not to be missed!

Tickets & info: https://bit.ly/Sonic-Whip-2025

https://www.facebook.com/Sonicwhipfestival
https://www.instagram.com/sonic_whip/
https://www.doornroosje.nl/festival/sonic-whip/

Sunnata, Chasing Shadows (2024)

The Cosmic Dead, Infinite Peaks (2024)

Thee Alcoholics, Bear Bites Horse Sessions (2024)

If this week has felt like little more than catching up with fest announcements and doing-myself-a-favor heavy psych reviews, yeah, I think you’ve basically got the picture of what’s been going on. Of course the holidays are a factor, but even in the quietest of weeks — and this and next are the quietest weeks, traditionally, though the music industry used to shut down from December through February when it ruled the world and anyone could afford an off-season — there’s stuff happening for me to be behind on, and so here we are with Sonic Whip 2025 in Nijmegen bringing on Slomosa, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Help and The Janitors.

Going by the results so far to the Year-End Poll, people are ready for Slomosa to have as busy a year as they apparently will in 2025, and Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol‘s European Not-Vacation has been teased for a few months. That they’d be anchoring club shows at fests makes sense; it’s how things are done these days and I honestly don’t know how much time they’ve spent in Europe at this point. And Khan coming from Australia is incredible, no less because the Melbourne, Australia, psychcrushers are also slated to appear at Hoflärm 2025 in August, which means they could be in Europe for much of the summer. That would be a hell of a trip.

All that’s very exciting, but The Janitors are my real lesson here, as I hadn’t heard them before and they’ve been around for a long time and the record they put out this year, An Error Has Occurred, streaming below, rules. Enjoy it along with this from social media:

NEW NAMES SONIC WHIP 2025

All ready and set for the holidays? We for sure are, but not before adding some truly fine gems to the Sonic Whip 2025 line-up; Slomosa, The Janitors, Help, Khan and Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol!

Slomosa can’t wait to make their appearance again with their hard hitting Norwegian tundra rock. As are The Janitors who will conjure their heavy fuzzed out drones, a truly Swedish psychedelic aural wormhole, cool and mega-trippy. Which is nothing like Help, these guys from Portland bring throat-shredding, veins-bulging, shirt-soaking hardcore noise punk. The Aussies from Khan on the other hand deliver evocative, hazy psychedelica with intricate stoner riffs. And last but not least Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol. This trio from Texas create the most brilliant doom sludge pop psych combination you propably will hear this year… It’s big, it’s dumb, it’s fucking rifftastic!

That’s not all, daytickets are available now as well at a reduced price, available until January 12th. Snag these while they are still hot. The new year will also bring more cool names including the second headliner!

Tickets & info: https://bit.ly/Sonic-Whip-2025

https://www.facebook.com/Sonicwhipfestival
https://www.instagram.com/sonic_whip/
https://www.doornroosje.nl/festival/sonic-whip/

The Janitors, An Error Has Occurred (2024)

A lot to like in the batch of new names added to Sonic Whip in the Netherlands this coming May. The 2025 Nijmegen edition of the festival has announced Dutch upstarts Heath will play — reasonable — and brought on Graveyard, who immediately go to the top of the bill and are playing for the first time — and punctuated noise rock masters Whores., the ambient Orsak:Oslo, as well as Utrecht heavy punkers Rats and Daggers and Los Angeles’ own Frankie and the Witch Fingers for those who’d dare a little fun while they have a good time.

As Lord Buffalo are also added, I can’t help but wonder if the Austin-based outfit won’t do a tour around this appearance, and if so, I believe that’s their first European jaunt. Don’t quote me on that, I could be wrong. Either way, I’ll try to keep an eye for dates and, if they’re going to make a run of it, with whom.

The announcement was short and sweet, the lineup is righteous and by all accounts I’ve heard, Sonic Whip is an amazing time. Barring some never-gonna-happen fiscal miracle, I won’t be there to see it, but if you get to go, enjoy. Tickets are available. Here’s what they had to say on socials:

NEW NAMES SONIC WHIP 2025

We’re thrilled to announce Graveyard for Sonic Whip 2025! The appearance of the Swedish band will mark their debut at our festival. Judging by their blistering performances lately they are on fire! Also present on 16 & 17 May; US garage psychrockers Frankie And The Witch Fingers, noise-punk-sludge juggernauts Whores., Norwegian atmospheric kraut-jazz-psychrockers Orsak:Oslo, cinematic & melancholic rockers Lord Buffalo from the US, Dutch psych revelation Heath and upcoming sonic punkrockers of Rats and Daggers.

The line-up is shaping up nicely with Elder, The Devil and the Almighty Blues, Temple Fang and Karkara being announced earlier on and there’s still more to follow! Keep your eyes peeled.

Get your tickets for Sonic Whip 2025 via https://bit.ly/Sonic-Whip-2025

https://www.facebook.com/Sonicwhipfestival
https://www.instagram.com/sonic_whip/
https://www.doornroosje.nl/festival/sonic-whip/

Graveyard, 6 (2023)

The Nijmegen-based Sonic Whip Festival has unveiled the first five acts for its 2025 edition. Elder are all over the place — here, Desertfest in London, Berlin and Oslo, plus club shows — and The Devil and the Almighty Blues will be making the rounds. If you’ve never seen them, just know that they deliver a lot of both devilry and blues from the stage. It’s early to get a sense of the full shape of the thing, but with Temple Fang, Karkara and Den Der Hale rounding out, Sonic Whip 2025 presents a varied face within the realms of that which is heavy and psychedelic. I look forward to finding out who else is taking part, as the Spring European touring circuit begins to take shape months before the year has even started.

Also, as Burning World Records recently announced it was restructuring business to lean more into the distro side of things rather than new releases — fair enough — it specifically noted that the label would continue to release live outings captured at Sonic Whip, so it’ll be fun to see what if anything emerges from next May’s fest. For those of us who’ve never been, such things are only fuel for daydreams.

From the PR wire:

FIRST NAMES SONIC WHIP 2025 AND START TICKETSALE

Two days full of roaring guitars with steaming bass lines, pounding drums and other sonic, psychedelic excesses. That’s what you can expect during Sonic Whip 2025 on Friday 16 May and Saturday 17 May.

We are delighted to share the first few names; Elder, The Devil And The Almighty Blues, Temple Fang, Karkara and Den Der Hale will hit the stage for next year’s edition. There are many more artists to be announced. Join us on this sonic journey, because it’s going to be a killer party again!

A limited amount of early bird weekend tickets is available now. Get yours when you can. Day tickets will be available on a later date.

Tickets & info: https://bit.ly/Sonic-Whip-2025

https://www.facebook.com/Sonicwhipfestival
https://www.instagram.com/sonic_whip/
https://www.doornroosje.nl/festival/sonic-whip/

The Devil and the Almighty Blues, “These Are Old Hands” live at Desertfest Oslo 2024