I have no problem admitting to feeling overwhelmed looking at the full lineup and individual day splits for Desertfest London 2017. I mean, seriously. Look at that poster. What a way to spend a weekend.

Likewise, I have few grand reflections to offer in light of that overwhelming feeling, except perhaps to take a step back and be massively impressed at how much this event has grown in just six incarnations. Along with Desertfest Berlin, the London edition has become an anchor not only for the UK heavy rock underground — which is well represented here as ever in Elephant Tree, Black Spiders, Stubb, Vodun, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Terminal Cheesecake, Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, and so on — but for bands from abroad as well. You’ll note the three headliners: two American, one Norwegian, and the next line down on the poster is two Swedish, one American. Desertfest London 2017’s reach feels wider than ever. Staring at the final lineup, it’s clear just how much of a big fucking deal this festival has become.

Wish I could be there to see it.

Here’s the announcement of the individual day lineups from their website:

DESERTFEST 2017 DAY SPLITS AND DAY TICKETS ARE HERE!

Finally, the Desertfest 2017 day and stage splits are here, along with individual day tickets. It’s the point of the year where you can start planning the weekend, you can imagine the sets in your head and you can curse those god damned clashes.

Last things first, let’s get straight to that insane Sunday main-stage. To celebrate The Roundhouse joining the Desertfest family, we made their debut appearance something special. Not only will stoner doom icons Sleep be topping the bill, but the Roundhouse hosts a full bill of huge acts. Candlemass, with over three decades of underground acclaim to their name, bring the epic doom metal. USA’s Wolves in the Throne Room bring the atmospheric black metal. Traditional doom metal stalwarts Saint Vitus bring the classic riffs. And how about this for a ‘curtain jerker’? Bongzilla bring the raw weed metal for their second show of the weekend; more on the first later.

It’s not just about the Sunday though. Friday’s stage at the Electric Ballroom is headlined by returning heroes Slo Burn whose short run in the mid 90s furthered the then fledgling stoner rock scene. One band they surely had an impact on is Lowrider, who play Europe’s finest stoner rock alongside them. Ukraine’s Stoned Jesus celebrate their resonant album Seven Thunders Roar, and 1000Mods and Pontiak round up the main stage on the Friday.

The Electric Ballroom on Saturday will be swarming with Turbojugends as death-punk grandmasters Turbonegro turn Camden into party central. John Garcia sticks around for a solo show, sure to feature classics from his years of nonstop mastery in the stoner rock scene. Sheffield’s rock and roll five piece Black Spiders visit London for one last time on their farewell tour, with Satan’s Satyrs and Avon rounding up the main stage.

As ever though, it doesn’t stop at the main stages. Our regular partners have delivered three stages with diverse lineups. Human_Disease_Promo and When Planets Collide take over The Underworld on Saturday in a bill headlined by Bongzilla with a special set celebrating the band’s early work. The Quietus stage is led by synth wavers Zombi, and Nightshift Promotions bring an eclectic mix led by Hungary’s Apey & the Pea. To be honest, just stick a pin in the lineup poster and you’re guaranteed a good time.

For those who can’t make the full weekend, we have a limited number of individual day tickets. Priced at £40 for Friday tickets, £40 for Saturday tickets and £45 for Sunday tickets, links are below.

So there we have it. Our final lineup for Desertfest 2017. We hope you’re as excited as we are to get back to Camden this April and riff London to the ground.

DESERTFEST LONDON 2017 Final Lineup:
SLEEP
SLO BURN
TURBONEGRO
CANDLEMASS
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM
SAINT VITUS
JOHN GARCIA BAND
BONGZILLA
LOWRIDER
SCISSORFIGHT
BLACK SPIDERS
SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT
THE PICTUREBOOKS
STONED JESUS
SATAN’S SATYRS
INTER ARMA
WEAR YOUR WOUNDS
1000MODS
STEAK
AVON
DEATH ALLEY
DEAD LORD
BOSS KELOID
PONTIAK
YURI GAGARIN
HARK
VODUN
CHRON GOBLIN
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
THE WELL
MAMMOTH STORM
CELESTE
STUBB
MONOLITHIAN
WUCAN
VENOMOUS MAXIMUS
BRUME
APEY & THE PEA
ELEPHANT TREE
GRAVE LINES
IRON WITCH
EARTH SHIP
BACKWOODS PAYBACK
WIZARD FIGHT
BRULE
CLOSET DISCO QUEEN
GRAND MAMMOTH
CHUBBY THUNDEROUS BAD KUSH MASTERS
MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD
SAMAVAYO
WELCOME BACK DELTA
DEAD LETTUCE
MONSTERTONE
LEDFOOT
ZOMBI
TERMINAL CHEESECAKE
KHÜNNT
BASK
BRUXA MARIA

http://www.desertfest.co.uk/#tickets-section
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/desertfest-2017-tickets-27305267791
http://www.desertfest.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://twitter.com/DesertFest
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_london/

Dead Lettuce, Booze and Blues EP (2015)

Desertfest London 2017 joins the Spring festival season fray with its first round of lineup announcements. Set for April 28-30 in its traditional home of Camden Town in London, the sixth incarnation of one of the two founding Desertfests will include a headlining set from Turbonegro, as well as appearances from Samsara Blues Experiment, who seem to be set on making a return to activity as we head into the New Year that I’ll be very interested in seeing how it plays out, plus blues-cycle duo The Picturebooks, Virginia’s Satan’s Satyrs, tribalists Vodun, Yuri Gargarin, Mammoth Storm, and London’s own Elephant Tree, whose 2016 self-titled debut (review here) stands among the year’s best in heavy rock. Bit of a no-brainer there, so I guess you might as well get the announcement out of the way early.

Not really looking forward to six months of cartoon-titty posters, but so it goes. Here’s word from the fest:

DESERTFEST LONDON: first bands announced; Turbonegro to headline the 2017 edition!

After a momentous fifth year anniversary, DESERTFEST LONDON proudly returns in 2017. As the festival grows from strength to strength, each year offers up a new challenge to bring a truly unique and amplified weekend to Camden Town. Desertfest aims to not only expand in all areas, but also to exceed expectations, and this year’s lineup is set to do just that.

The first headliner for 2017 is one of the most ludicrously high voltage, straight-up party bands in the history of rock’n’roll: Norway’s very own TURBONEGRO will be bringing their blend of high octane deathpunk to Desertfest 2017, for their first performance ever at the festival!

Joining them on the bill are one of the most requested Desertfest acts, German psych stalwarts SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT, whose expert blend of stoner rock, psychedelic blues and Indian raga will bring some mind-bending goodness to the weekend’s trip.

THE PICTUREBOOKS will also be eagerly offering up their diverse alt-rock sound. The duo have pushed boundaries with their style – from drumming with mallets to building their own instruments, their live performances unquestionably follow suit and will not disappoint.

Virginia’s crème-de la-crème of thrash SATAN SATYR’S have effortlessly propelled themselves to cult status by paving the way for that true hard-attack heavy rock, making them stand out from a sea of peers who are just trying to hit half as hard.

VODUN are quickly gaining traction as one of those “must see” bands, and Desertfest is thrilled to show our loyal family as to why. An overwhelming talent of primal, genre-bending, heavy afro-soul rock – they’re not easy to describe, but being labelled one of the best new rock acts on the planet may help paint the picture. Swedish space rock cosmonauts YURI GAGARIN will also join the 2017 proceedings to launch revellers into a hypnotic otherworldly journey, alongside doom-drone power trio MAMMOTH STORM, who will be ready to batter out any cobwebs with a sonic tidal wave of riffs. Last but not least, is London’s very own ELEPHANT TREE with their melodic and weighty riffs that will rattle down on listeners like a stampede.

We are proud, and excited, for what next year has in store. But this is only the tip of the iceberg as there is much, much more to come. Stay tuned!

– DESERTFEST LONDON 2017 –
28th to 30th April in Camden, London
Weekend passes are available HERE

First bands announced:
TURBONEGRO, SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT, THE PICTUREBOOKS, SATAN’S SATYRS, VODUN, YURI GAGARIN, MAMMOTH STORM, ELEPHANT TREE

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/desertfest-2017-tickets-27305267791
http://www.desertfest.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://twitter.com/DesertFest
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_london/

Elephant Tree, Elephant Tree (2016)