Somergloom Festival V Set for Aug. 7-9 with Sumac, Morne, Guhts, The Keening & More
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 28th, 2025 by JJ KoczanI guess among Boston-area summer underground fests, Grub, Sweat & Beers is where the shenanigans are at. Somergloom‘s vibe is darker — could it be the name? — and that becomes an underlying thread for their curated lineups. This year’s, with Sumac at the top of the bill as Aaron Turner of Sumac returns to Beantown for the first time (no, not really) since Isis was putting out demos with Godflesh art on the cover, runs a gamut in terms of sound from post-everything to grind, and as with the last few years, the bill is thoughtfully constructed.
The fest is set for Aug. 7-9, which I was like “oh crap that’s this week” but no, it’s next week. Because I have no idea what time is and maybe I’m a little bit grasping toward the end of summer. In any case, this will be the first time The Keening are in Boston, and there’s Nepalese-rooted grindcore outfit Chepang and Body Void, who’ve gone industrial? I had no idea. I bet that’s harsh as hell. Good thing one appreciates a bit of homework.
From the PR wire:
Somergloom Festival Returns for Year 5 – Aug. 7-9
Somergloom Festival enters its fifth year of doom and gloom with its most ambitious lineup to date. Formed in 2021 on the heels of the pandemic and a year without shows, each year Somergloom brings together a diverse lineup of artists from the underground heavy and dark music scenes in New England and beyond. From its early years in a parking lot, to local breweries and Somerville’s Arts at the Armory, Somergloom finds its home for year five at Crystal Ballroom in Somerville and Deep Cuts in Medford.
A collaboration of Somergloom founder and Artistic Director Stephen LoVerme and Executive Producer JJ Gonson of ONCE Somerville, Somergloom’s curatorial approach showcases the richness of the heavy music scene, centering around music that is introspective, creatively ambitious, and evoking a melancholic quality that we like to call “gloom.”
“Sadness and dark feelings are legitimate emotions. They’re part of a whole range of human emotion and experience. Some people will say, ‘I can’t listen to sad or depressing music because it just makes me feel bad.’ But for me, it’s always had the opposite effect. It lifts me up.” – Stephen LoVerme, Somergloom Artistic Director
This year’s lineup celebrates the vibrant and increasingly diversifying underground heavy music community, with artists from Boston’s own doom scene sharing the bill with established and emerging artists from Puerto Rico, the Pacific Northwest, New York, and across New England. This intriguing interplay of sounds and artistic approaches is something audiences can only experience at this kind of multi-day festival, when there’s a chance to experience 16 bands across three days.
Expressionistic metal ensemble SUMAC finish their tour of the northeastern US headlining Somergloom on Saturday 8/9 at Crystal Ballroom. Featuring Aaron Turner of foundational Massachusetts post-metal bands ISIS and Old Man Gloom, Russian Circles bassist Brian Cook, and Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn, SUMAC continues to push musical boundaries and genre expectations through bold collaborations and fearless experimentation.
Year five welcomes the return of sludge titans Body Void, who since headlining year one have fully embraced industrial noise and electronics as a key element of their world weary doom. Reflecting “the nightmarish reality of a country seemingly built only to exploit and punish,” Body Void’s vision of doom is both oppressively bleak and satisfyingly cathartic.
The Keening, the brainchild of ex-SubRosa singer and guitarist Rebecca Vernon marks its Boston area debut with an intimate solo performance by Vernon. On record, The Keening’s American Gothic inspired “chamberdoom” brims with lush orchestration; at Somergloom, audience members will experience Vernon’s “wintry murder ballads” at their purest and most direct.
The festival takes on a global scope with appearances by San Juan, Puerto Rico-based progressive metal outfit MOTHS and NYC’s Nepalese language and self-described “immigrindcore” band Chepang. Each band excels at their genre and infuses their culture into it, inviting audiences to look beyond borders to our shared humanity and reverence for the almighty riff.
Boston doom veterans Morne will make a rare local appearance, imbuing the festival with their trademark crust-tinged, brooding atmospheric doom. The rest of the lineup is stacked with artists from a diverse array of genres ranging from black metal to shoegaze to post-metal to gothic folk, each bringing their own unique life experience and artistic vision to their craft.
Over its first four years, Somergloom has hosted over 40 bands at 6 different venues. 2025 brings 16 bands to 2 new venues, supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, and continues to create a space for lovers of dark music to commune with one another in sound and let their gloom flag fly.
Thursday, August 7 at Deep Cuts, Medford:
Slow Quit
Main Era
GUHTS
Lesotho
Friday, August 8 at Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre, Somerville:
Body Void
The Keening
Lepra
Vudu Sister
Tears from a Grieving Heart
Saturday, August 9 at Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre, Somerville:
SUMAC
Morne
Chepang
Moths
A Monolithic Dome
Cowardice
Chainlacing
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