Posted in Whathaveyou on February 6th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Check out Down the Hill 2025 bringing in a few classic proggers. Gong, Focus? Seven That Spells are playing too. Being no slouches in the heavy prog department themselves, I bet those guys are gonna freak out to see Gong. I get it.
This is the full lineup for Down the Hill this year. The Belgian-based fest did two, and so everybody is included here to best of my knowledge. I don’t know about you, but I look at the poster, who’s gonna be there with bands like Monkey3, Skyjoggers with Sula Bassana sitting in on guitar, Travo, Neptunian Maximalism and The Bevis Frond alongside The Atomic Bitchwax and Pendejo and Godsleep and I think you get an immediate sense of vibe in and out of progressive and psychedelic and driving heavy rock and roll, a bit of sludge snuck in.
I don’t imagine I’ll be there to see it, but it looks good from here. I’ve been in Belgium once, just long enough to transfer trains and screw up ordering coffee. Perhaps redemption someday:
🔥 DOWN THE HILL – FINAL BAND WAVE UNLEASHED! 🔥
You thought it couldn’t get any crazier? You thought the first wave was intense? Buckle up, because we’re about to send seismic shockwaves through the valley!
THE FINAL WAVE OF BANDS IS HERE!
Modder – Crushing sludge that will swallow you whole! Astodan – Cinematic post-rock to lose yourself in. Atonia – A musical force defying borders and genres. Neptunian Maximalism – NNMM – Psychedelic doom-jazz from another dimension. Pendej0 – Horn-fueled stoner madness straight from the gutter. The Atomic Bitchwax – New Jersey’s high-octane rock ‘n’ roll power trio! Tangled Horns – Dirty, dark and dangerously addictive. RONKER – Belgium’s own speednoise wrecking crew! Sula Bassana & Skyjoggers – A cosmic trip like no other. Focus the band – Prog legends bringing timeless rock mastery. Hedvig Mollestad Trio – A jazz-rock firestorm you can’t escape. Gong – The psychedelic pioneers return to take you on a cosmic ride!
But wait, let’s not forget the first wave of killer acts that have already been announced!
Apex Ten – Hypnotic, space-infused krautrock madness. Capitan – Heavy-hitting rock that grabs you by the throat. Godsleep – Greek stoner grooves set to shake the earth. Hemelbestormer – Cosmic post-metal that bends time and space. Motorikofficial – Krautrock propulsion at its finest. TRAVO – Fuzzed-out psych sounds that hypnotize. Wheel of Smoke – Riff-driven journeys through sonic dimensions. Seven That Spells – The masters of high-energy psych explosions. monkey3 – Swiss instrumental rockers taking you to the stars. The Bevis Frond – Legendary psych-rock brilliance from the UK.
🔥 DOWN THE HILL 2025 is set to be the most explosive edition yet! 🔥
🎟 Tickets are moving FAST! Don’t miss your chance to witness this lineup LIVE! 🎟
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 5th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I mean, it’s not like the 2024 lineup for Desertfest Antwerp — aka Desertfest Belgium — wasn’t already stunning, but go ahead and throw Conan, Causa Sui, Ruff Majik, Birds in Row, Valley of the Sun, Delving, Daevar, Coilguns, and the others below into the mix and that definitely doesn’t hurt. The headliners speak for themselves — Monster Magnet are a call to show up, Fu Manchu will be supporting their new record, which is out this month, and Russian Circles are Russian Circles — but as you dig into each line of the poster below, you can see there isn’t really a point where the hits stop coming. I won’t claim to be familiar with the likes of Tangled Horns, Giac Taylor, Throatsnapper or Divided, who are also newly tacked onto the bill, but as they join the likes of Spaceslug, Stoned Jesus, Messa, Child, and others on my personal hope-I-see-before-I-die list, it’s striking both how broad and how rad this lineup is on the whole.
And yes, that’s the extent of the insight. This looks killer. I’ve only been through Belgium once, and it was to change trains. I was there just long enough to try and fail at ordering coffee in French, but if there ever was a reason to want to head back and give that another shot likely to the same result, this would likely be it. Rezn and Seedy Jeezus and Mondo Drag? In the parlance of our times: “let’s go.”
Ticket link and the relatively brief final announcement from the fest follow here, emojis intact, as seen on social media:
Hold fast for the 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐩 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 lineup is complete! ⚡ Forged in blood and sweat, we present you with the final additions to the bill:
Conan / Birds in Row / Causa Sui / Valley of the Sun / Coilguns / delving / Ruff Majik / Red Scalp / Tangled Horns / Divided / Throatsnapper / Giac Taylor / Daevar
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 6th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Set for Aug. 13 and 14 in Geel, Belgium, Yellowstock X is sort of where the summer festival season meets the fall festival season in Europe, thus reinforcing the notion that there is at this point no such thing as a festival season at all, and awesome shows are just a year-round occurrence. Either way, the lineup for the 10th edition of the fest is a striking international assemblage, from Kadavar confirmed to headline to the psych jams of Hills, The Midnight Ghost Train‘s bluster-blues, Zone Six‘s space rock triumphs, Greenleaf‘s hard-driving choruses and on and on.
With bands from Russia to the US, as well as Belgian acts like Flying Horseman, the why-would-you-call-your-band-this Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat, Tangled Horns and The Glücks, it looks like a well-curated mix of groups and should make for a great precursor to the busy autumn ahead.
Complete lineup and headliner announcement follow, courtesy of the fest:
The Line-up is complete!!! We are siked to have the almighty KADAVAR to headline Sunday August 14th at Yellowstock Festival 10th Anniversary Edition!!! These retro rockers combine the finest 70’s Rock with enough Psychedelic & Stoner grooves to let y’all band or move!! IF you don’t know’m yet make sure to check’m out!!
Spread the words boys & girls; mothers & fathers; Psychedelic MoFo’s and all the rest!! See you at Yellowstock 2016!!!
ALL BANDS CONFIRMED KADAVAR (Ger) MICHAEL ROTHER plays NEU!, Harmonia and selected solo works (Ger) HILLS (Se) GREENLEAF (Se) THE OSCILLATION (Uk) THE MACHINE (Nl) K-X-P (Fin) SIENA ROOT (Se) ZONE SIX (Ger) THE FLYING EYES (Usa) FLYING HORSEMAN (B) PAUW (Nl) THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN (Usa) TERMINAL CHEESECAKE (Uk) BIRTH OF JOY (Nl) KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT (B) LAY LLAMAS (It) THE GRAND ASTORIA (Rus) BLOWN OUT (Uk) THE GLÜCKS (B) MANTRA MACHINE (Nl) TANGLED HORNS (B)
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Belgium-based Yellowstock festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and following its initial lineup announcement earlier this month with The Machine, Greenleaf, Hills, The Grand Astoria and so on, Yellowstock 2016 has seen fit to add two more groups to the bill. This time around it’s Belgium’s own Mantra Machine and Tangled Horns, the former of whom were also recently confirmed for Roadburn. Yellowstock 2016’s lineup is pretty strong internationally, as you can see below, but it’s very much in their character to support the domestic Belgian scene as well, so all the better.
I’m sure there’s more to come on this one, but until then, here are the exclamatory announcements from the fest:
Yellowstock Festival 10th Anniversary Edition!
Aug. 13-14
“Interstellar fuzzed out instrumental stoner jams from beyond” yeah that’s how Amsterdam’s Mantra Machine description on their bandcamp page but… listen for yourself!!! Sweettttt spaced out & heavy jams from these instrumental guys!! We’re stoked to have’m at our 10th anniversary!! This summer!! Yessaaahh!!
Bammmm!! One of Belgium’s best new Stonerrock-like bands from this very moment just confirmed to play Yellowstock Festival 10th Anniversary Edition!! Yessss it is Tangled Horns!! Grunge-y Stoner-like sounding band; a must see live band!! Pure energy; Tight as F*ck!! Hell Yeah!
TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS!!!!! TICKETS available now at:http://bit.ly/1prkFxW EARLY BIRD TICKETS: SOLD-OUT!!!
First bands confirmed! Michael Rother plays NEU!, Harmonia and selected solo works (Ger) HILLS (Se) GREENLEAF (Se) THE OSCILLATION (Uk) K-X-P (Fin) THE MACHINE (Nl) THE FLYING EYES (Usa) THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN (Usa) TERMINAL CHEESECAKE (Uk) KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT (B) LAY LLAMAS (It) THE GRAND ASTORIA (Rus) BLOWN OUT (Uk) THE GLÜCKS (B) MANTRA MACHINE (Nl) TANGLED HORNS (B) + many more soon!
We are back with 2 full days of music!! Campsite!! and lots more coming soon!!
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 4th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
After losing the Melvins a couple weeks ago, Desertfest Belgium 2015 has hardly had time to look back, such have been the rigors of putting together such a kickass assemblage. This time around, it’s the reunited Bongzilla who join the marquee names of Orange Goblin, Fatso Jetson, Dozer and Goatsnake, and North Carolinian sludge stalwards Sourvein, who played both Desertfest London and Roadburn in 2014 but have spent the bulk of 2015 working on their new album and Metal Blade debut, Aquatic Occult, with Mike Dean at the helm.
In addition to those two, Swedish mega-plodders Monolord, Dutch progressive heavy instrumentalists Monomyth, and Antwerp hometown heroes Tangled Horns have been put in the lineup, making the three-day Desertfest Belgium 2015 an even more impressive front-to-back run. I’m saying I’d like to go. I probably already said that. I’m saying it again. I doubt I will, but I’d like to.
Imagine the chance to see Ufomammut and Monolord back to back. I’d love to see how the timetable for those three days is going to shake out:
Bongzilla, Sourvein, Monolord and more to play DESERTFEST BELGIUM this October!
The DESERTFEST BELGIUM just confirmed some truly heavy names for its second edition in Antwerp! How about some Southern sludgey goodness with the legendary BONGZILLA and scene mainstays SOURVEIN? In addition to that double team of awesomeness, we are proud to add Sweden’s crushing doom meisters MONOLORD, Dutch trance space rockers MONOMYTH and local Antwerp pride TANGLED HORNS to the list.
Bands already confirmed are: Goatsnake, Orange Goblin, Bongzilla Fatso Jetson, Dozer, Moon Duo, Greenleaf, Valient Thorr, Ufomammut, Causa Sui, Siena Root, Monolord, Sourvein, Glowsun, Carlton Melton, Monomyth, Child, Ruby The Hatchet, Planet Of Zeus, Tangled Horns, Psychonaut, The progerians, Wheel Of Smoke, Sunder, Fever Dog and 3rd Ear Experience. More acts to be announced soon…
DESERTFEST BELGIUM 2015 October 9-11th at Trix Muziekcentrum – Antwerp 3 day tickets (96€) on saleHERE
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 29th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Holy shit, Roadburn. Where the hell are you putting all these bands?
I knew there were a few more adds to come from Roadburn 2015, but to get another 20-plus in a single shot is something of a surprise. Take it as a reminder of the scale of this thing and of the beast that Roadburn 2015 has become and how, with five stages across three venues, it seems ever more on the march to consume the whole town center of Tilburg in the Netherlands. To call it astounding feels like underselling it.
Today, in addition to posting this massive round of adds to Roadburn 2015, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be covering the festival for the seventh time and, for the second year in a row, serving as editor of the in-fest ‘zine, the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch, working with The Sleeping Shaman’s Lee Edwards as in 2014 to bring a daily publication to life for each day of the fest. I’m thrilled to be involved in the Roadburn crew in this small way again and can’t wait to get to work again with Lee and a host of writers way more talented than myself at putting this thing together. In fact, I think I’ll get started now.
While I do that, here’s the latest from Roadburn. If you’re wondering why I grabbed the Moaning Cities Bandcamp stream for the bottom of the post out of all the bands added today — Abrahma, BardSpec, Death Penalty, Robert Hampson of Loop, the entire nation of Belgium, etc. — it’s because every year there’s one band at Roadburn that I wind up kicking myself in the ass for missing, and going by what I’ve checked out so far of Moaning Cities‘ Pathways through the Sail, I don’t want it to be them. Call it a reminder to myself.
Okay, here’s that info:
New additions announced including ‘Roadburn Festival Introduces’ act, and artists for curated event
Roadburn Festival is pleased to announce new additions to the 20th edition of the festival. The festival will take place April 9th-12th in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Both day tickets and weekend tickets are currently on sale.
More details confirmed for curated event
Roadburn 2015’s curators Wardruna’s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik and Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson have almost completed the line up for their event on Friday April 10. Loop main man, Robert Hampson and Swedish psych heroes, Agusa will both perform alongside Focus, Death Hawks, Sólstafir and others. BardSpec – the Ambient project/band from Enslaved composer/guitarist Ivar – will also perform at the event. Einar will present a workshop which will delve into his approach to music and the extensive creative concept behind Wardruna´s ongoing ‘Runaljod’ trilogy as well as his approach and study of the runes and other Norse esoteric arts. He will demonstrate a selection of the oldest Nordic instruments, play fully accoustic Wardruna music and there will also be time for questions from the audience.
For information on Robert Hampson,CLICK HERE For information on Agusa,CLICK HERE For information on BardSpec,CLICK HERE For information on Einar Selvik,CLICK HERE
‘Roadburn Festival Introduces’ & Belgium focus
This year, ‘Roadburn Festival Introduces’ will focus on Belgium. Over the years, Belgium has become a hotbed of musical creativity, ranging from indie to garage rock, and virtually everything in between. Whether it’s a dark, psychedelic slant, an insatiable need to worship thee riff, or even developing a cult of their own, only to lure us into their spiraling-netherworld… there’s something about these bands that embodies the spirit of Roadburn. The mysterious and yet bizarre Belgian band, Briqueville, will connect with the Roadburn community at the 013 on Saturday, April 11th.
In keeping with the Belgian theme, Brussels-based Moaning Cities, will bring their fuzzed-out, and sitar-driven psychedelia to Stage01 on Thursday, April 9th. In collaboration with one of Belgium’s foremost bookings agencies, RuffStuffMusic, we offer Your Highness, King Hiss, Tangled Horns, Ashtoreth, and Miava an outlet in front of the receptive and open-minded Roadburn crowd on Saturday, April 11th at Cul de Sac. These up and coming talents richly deserve their place in the Roadburn line up and we’re thrilled to host such exciting, cutting edge bands as these alongside Roadburn’s established acts.
For more information on Briqueville,CLICK HERE For more information on Moaning Cities,CLICK HERE For more information on RuffStuffMusic: Your Highness, King Hiss, Tangled Horns, Ashtoreth, and Miava,CLICK HERE
New Additions to Line Up
The lineup for for Cul de Sac, the intimate music cafe, and Roadburn’s official fifth stage, located across from the 013 venue, is shaping up very nicely. We’re aiming to present four to five bands on each of the four days, Thursday through Sunday.
It is with enormous pride that Roadburn gets to announce a truly unique performance as Gnaw Their Tongues will bring their groundbreaking noise/doom/black metal assault to the festival on Sunday April 12th. Joining them will be torchbearers of French heavy rock, Paris-based Abrahma, Tilburg’s very own IZAH, and high octane Swedish rockers, Hypnos.
Today, we’re also excited to report that Verbum Verus, the Dutch black metal band, known for their intense live performances, will shroud Roadburn Festival in darkness with their hymns of praise on Thursday, April 9. We’re very pleased to announce that Big Naturals, Salope, City of Ships and Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell will complete the Friday lineup at Cul de Sac. And, given how fond we are of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, we’ve invited them to do two performances; they will also play the Green Room on Sunday, April 12.
Back over at the 013, we will have the riff-heavy Death Penalty playing on Saturday, April 11th – featuring ex-members of Cathedral and Serpentcult, this is going to be one show you don’t want to miss.
For more information on Gnaw Their Tongues,CLICK HERE For more information on Abrahma, IZAH & Hypnos,CLICK HERE For more information on Verbum Verus,CLICK HERE For more information on City of Ships, Big Naturals etc,CLICK HERE For more information on Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell,CLICK HERE For more information on Death Penalty,CLICK HERE
