Posted in Whathaveyou on October 7th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Am I crazy (granted) or are we a little early arriving at the place where Desertfest throws down 20-someodd bands — in this case 28 — added all at once to the lineup? I mean, 28 bands, even for a four-day festival, would be a festival lineup. So Desertfest London 2026 is basically showcasing an entire fest’s worth of fest as just part of its broader lineup, the first announcement for which came out just a little over a month ago. I’m not worried about the promo plan or anything, you understand. They know what they’re doing. But I usually think of this kind of thing coming in winter as a hopeful portent of spring. Here in the backwater US, we haven’t even changed the clocks yet.
But can you blame them for being excited? If I had Hermano, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Solace, Causa Sui, High Desert Queen, Steak, Abrams, Alunah, Moundrag, Bismut and the rest of this cohort — Dandy Brown pulling double-duty between Hermano and Lorquin’s Admiral; nice — locked in, I might splurge too. And hopefully I’ll have more to say on this subject, but Solace‘s booked return to the UK has me convinced their new album will be out by the time they go. Do me a favor and don’t prove me wrong.
There’s a lot to like here, and also just a lot for what’s a relatively straightforward list of names. Read ’em and weep:
OUR SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT IS HERE! We’ve got 28 juicy additions to our 2026 edition and this announcement one is truly one for the DF OGs right here: desert legends HERMANO will headline the Electric Ballroom at Desertfest 2026.
Back to show us all how it’s done, John Garcia and the California cult icons will be playing their first UK show in almost two decades and we know that they’ll receive the homecoming they deserve at Desertfest London.
↠ Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – returning to Desertfest stage for the first time in 8 years.
↠ Danish heavy psych heroes turned instrumental wizards Causa Sui make their Desertfest London debut!
↠ New Jersey stoner-doom veterans Solace playing their first UK show in over a decade.
And that’s not all, folks! We’ve still to announce our final headliner for our second stint at the Roundhouse, but in the meantime we’ve prepared a mighty offering that we know you’ll love in our latest round of artists set for 2026:
HERMANO Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Causa Sui Zig Zags Steak Band Solace Deaf Club Witchsorrow High Desert Queen MOUNDRAG KOMODOR Alunah CULT OF OCCULT Forlorn LORQUIN’S ADMIRAL OMO ALPHAWHORES Abrams Bismut Okay You Win UK Ironrat Kannabinõid MOLTEN SLAG HASHTRONAUT ISAK SUPERNAUGHTT Teiger Nomadic Reign
I heard the noon bell ring in Netphen, and made it to the AWO grounds in time for the start of the pre-show yoga session. I did it last year as well, at least one of the days, and it was a good flow. I’ve been doing yoga at home with the intent of building a habit, but you know how that goes. It’s so much easier to not do the things that are good for you.
Hot in the sun though. There was a big snail nearby that I showed to Pete from Elephant Tree, who’s a regular and a volunteer hanging out here each year. I felt like I was five years old for how excited I was. Pete took the picture.
What I didn’t realize was how much time had passed, so when Volker Fröhmer came out to introduce the first band of the day, it was a jolt back to reality. And since I’d heard the screams in their line check, I knew reality was about to hit hard.
Insert clever segue here:
Häxer
From Norway, and the drummer had the Høstsabbat tshirt to prove it. I had my favorite one on yesterday; missing that festival as I have had to these last couple years it’s pretty worn in, so it’s only in light rotation; special occasions. Häxer brought punker punishment. Flourishes of extreme metal, brutal high-register screams — dude sounded like he could go all day doing that shit, which is fortunate because they’re playing again later on the small stage — and uptempo charge to the opening of the day. It’s a hot one but there’s shade available for when it’s needed and abundant water. Having been rushed at the start of their set — which turned out to be wholly appropriate to the music — I found a spot to catch up and watched as the singer crowdsurfed mid-verse and the band blasted through the kind of boozy punkmetal that’s become a staple of the Norwegian underground. Thrash and punk and black metal were always threaded. Häxer highlighted just how potent a blend that can be. Even the bass was anthemic. Probably not what I’m reaching for on a mellow afternoon at home, but undeniably on their shit onstage.
Wedge
Another of the many firsts for me this weekend. I’ve loosely followed Wedge since the Berlin trio’s inception, circa 2014, and they remain a vital presence in the German scene, so it wasn’t quite the ‘finally!’ sigh of relief that was catching My Sleeping Karma the night before had been, but I knew enough to look forward to their set and felt justified in that as they played, working in and out of boogie traditionalism with a sound that’s grown and expanded over time. Again, I found a spot in the shade and watched the crowd fill in over the course of the band’s time, veering into soulful psych with a foundation that’s still classic and an overarching mellow spirit that felt just right for the day. It wasn’t a comedown from Häxer, though the songs were lower and slower, more melodic, etc., as the crowd became a sea of nodding heads in the sunshine, which is always fun to see. They’re more than four years removed from their latest album, Like No Tomorrow (review here) and I’ve no PA what they have planned going forward, but the way they jammed out sure made it seem like they were having a good time, so maybe one of these days an announcement will come through. They killed it in the meantime. The kind of band you want to see again.
Zig Zags
L.A.’s Zig Zags released their fifth LP, Deadbeat at Dawn, just at the end of last month, and although I haven’t heard the album, the title-track was recognizable. This is the power of punk, and it’s not a minor consideration in Zig Zags’ sound, but very purposefully not the limit of it. They weren’t the first band of the day to celebrate the hybridization of punk and thrash metal, but they made it live, for sure. They’ve been around for a bit at this point — five records, if you want to measure time that way — and I have to think they alienate as many people as they might ensnare with their sound. If you’re a headbanger or a punker exclusively, Zig Zags are blasphemy, but if you’re the rare kind of cat who can get down with both, they’re type band, and sure enough, I know people in Los Angeles who swear by them. I get it. They’re an act who make complex ideas feel simple, obviously approach what they do without a milligram (or an ounce in the States) of pretense, and every now and then, they locked into a Slayer riff or a rolling nod — speedy, but there — and that was right on as well. Maybe they’re not alienating so much as something for everybody. Also notable, the mist cannon, which I’ve absolutely been shot by point blank in the photo pit in years past, made an appearance by the show of the stage. It was greeted as a liberator and I was happy to spend Zig Zags’ declarative “Punk Fucking Metal” adjacent to the spritz.
Battlesnake
The inevitable answer to the question of who the dudes walking around the backstage in vestments were, Sydney, Australia’s Battlesnake — entirely new to me — reveled in blasphemy, pairing upbeat push with a heaping dose of shenanigans amid double-guitar harmonies and the weekend’s first — perhaps only — keytar. The songs, which were at least half the point of the show, were varied around a foundation in classic metal, and if ‘fun’ was a subgenre, that might be the closest description. A couple slowdowns, a couple speed-ups, and the energy onstage to sell all of it, they weren’t shy in letting a little chaos in alongside the tight songwriting and a pastiche that went from doom to thrash, and with that in consideration, they slayed, in terms of presentation and craft, as well as that one breakdown from whichever song it was. They would seem to be in Europe for the summer, with UK and continental shows sandwiched by being here and Hoflärm on August, but the riffs packed the lawn, the theatrics made it a good time, and they continued the day’s subtle theme in communing with metal of yore from a fresh point of view. If you’re the type who really likes heavy metal that takes itself too seriously, avoid. Didn’t seem to be an issue with the Freak Valley crowd. Go figure. They’ll definitely make an impression on tour.
¡Pendejo!
Mostly Dutch, ¡Pendejo! are connected to Spanish music and culture via frontman El Pastuso, who doubles as part of what to my knowledge will be the weekend’s only horn section. The combination, horns with heavy riffing and Spanish-language vocals, is the essential component in what they do, along with the encouraging shove that typifies their doing it. Completely on another wavelength sound-wise from Battlesnake, they nonetheless maintained the electricity and the good times fostered by the preceding act and were catchy whether you spoke the language or not. I wandered a bit after doing photos and came to land in the same spot as during Battlesnake, so I guess you can mark that a win, since shade. The shenanigans carried over as the band stood blasted out pulse-raisers like they were going out of style — they’re not — and though I missed 2023’s Volcán, they lived up to my expectations from their prior material, and it was a perfect moment for the diversion in the centerpiece position of the day, with four bands before and four after. They earned that spot though. Working up there, they were.
Early Moods
The intensity of the afternoon starting to wain, Early Moods line checked their guitars with “Heaven and Hell,” which, man, that’d be a cover to hear. The L.A. doom metallers have been out with Zig Zags on a European tour, and though I’ve seen them before, in the interim, they put out 2024’s sophomore record, A Sinner’s Past (review here) and done a buttload of touring — like Pendejo, they brought their own banner — and so were less the upstart kids taking on not only doom, but epic doom of the Candlemassian strain than a seasoned touring act who know what they’re about and ready to steamroll whatever should happen to be in their path. This particular evening, that was Freak Valley. They were in control from the outset and suitably severe in their delivery, digging into the angles of their transitions as well as the nod of the verses. They were a band who started with a strong idea of what they wanted to do, and they’re still relatively young, but they growth they’ve undertaken was as palpable from the stage as it was on the album last year, and they felt like they were setting themselves up for the longer haul. Easy to appreciate an outfit who can bring doom to life in such a way. The crowd also went off, so they’ve got that going for them as well.
Sacri Monti
It had been a minute or two, Sacri Monti. The San Diego heavy psych rockers were starting about three weeks of Euro touring, which will take them to Stoned From the Underground and Poland’s Red Smoke Festival, among others, before they’re done. They were out with Elder in the US this Spring as well, supporting their 2024 full-length, Retrieval (review here). The last time I saw them was at Roadburn 2018, where they were part of a collective of featured acts from San Diego, where the scene at the time was vibrant. Nowadays I tend to think of them as survivors, having not only made it through that weekend intact, but pursued their own ends on tour and in the studio instead of posing out for Instagram or working on their ‘brand.’ They’re still rooted in a 1970s style, but have taken on progressive flourish and intention behind that, and it was a pleasure to see them again after seven years, not the least with Mad Alchemy’s lightshow on the giant stageside screens. I’d been looking forward to it and wasn’t the only one. They’re veterans at this point, but they still sound like a growing band. That’s how it goes sometimes, in the best of scenarios.
Motorpsycho
With 90 minutes at their disposal, Norwegian prog legends Motorpsycho have the longest set of Freak Valley 2025, and considering the back catalog of well over 100 releases, that’s probably reasonable. They started psych and jammy, which it turned out what was I needed, before turning more toward structure and complexity, and neither am I going to complain about that. I was dragging — no reason to lie — but they were more immersive than I’d been expecting. Another one I’ve seen before, once or twice, at least, but it’s been a while. The thing with Motorpsycho is they’re always moving forward. Yeah, that’s resulted in a lot of albums and whatnot, but more, it’s resulted in a band who’ve been at it since 1990 and never stopped evolving. The rarity of that is not to be discounted just because you don’t know where to start in their discography. The people up front got there early and clearly knew very well why they were right to do so, and Motorpsycho played the sun down to bring some relief from the heat, which was due. I’m not an expert or anything, but I do my best, and beat as I was, even I understood the profundity of what I was seeing and hearing. Lush, gorgeous, theirs.
The Ocean
I don’t recall ever seeing The Ocean before, but I remember when they came were on Metal Blade, and I’m certainly aware of the excellent work frontman Robin Staps does with Pelagic Records, so they’re kind of in the orbit, loosely. They took the prog of Motorpsycho and metallized it, intersplicing post-metal crush with melodic reach and nuance. I didn’t stay, but they were tearing it up when I left and it was still packed, so it was me, not them. Reasonable. The Ocean have been a professional band for over trio decades at this point, and they had the lighting to prove it as well as the extended changeover after Motorpsycho, during which Häxer took their turn on the small stage for their second set of the day (had a mosh going and everything). I hung in for a couple The Ocean songs until the strobe put me over the top and I went to catch a cab back to the room, finish writing, sort the day’s photos, and most importantly, sleep for every second possible. Oh, but heads up, they had room mics over the drums and crowd mics at the front of the stage, so if a live album surfaces, don’t say you weren’t warned.
—
I’m going to leave it there because that’s what my eyes closing while I type means. Back at it tomorrow for the last day of the fest. Grateful to be here. Super-grateful there’s another yoga session before the day starts.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 14th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
First names are out for Freak Valley 2025, and though I wouldn’t take the invitation for granted, it does warm my heart to think of The Devil and the Almighty Blues bringing their heavy preach to the AWO grounds in Netphen, standing on that stage, introduced by the esteemed Volker Fröhmer with a hearty “viel spaß!” or seeing the horn-laced shenanigans of Pendejo, the classic doom metal roll of Early Moods or the cosmic futurism of Kombynat Robotron, Travo who I never thought I’d ever see, ever, but whose record I very much dug, and Zig Zags, Wedge, Lurch and Scott Hepple and the Sun Band.
Richmond, Virginia’s Windhand — who just released a demo collection on Creep Purple called Songs From the Satan House and whose bassist, Parker Chandler (also Cough), quit the band about a week ago with some less than complimentary things to say about his experience — are the top name thus far on the bill, and aside from their needing new low end representation, it seems likely they’ll be at Freak Valley as part of a tour. Could Early Moods or Zig Zags join? It’s possible but not definite. Seems likely The Devil and the Almighty Blues will be on the road as well from their home in Norway, as they’ve also been confirmed for Desertfest London and Desertfest Berlin 2025, as well as Sonic Whip 2025, after playing Desertfest Oslo and others this year.
If they end up filling the dates between fests with club shows, that’s a fair amount of touring without a new record, so maybe Spring will bring news of a new The Devil and the Almighty Blues as well, or maybe those guys have just hit the point where they can show up for whatever reason and there’s a slot for them. If you’ve ever seen them live, that’s wholly justified.
Either way, a lot to like here in the variety, in the names themselves, and in the thought of taking in another wonderful weekend standing in the grass at Freak Valley, which is starting to feel an awful lot like a home when I get back each year. Hopefully that includes 2025 as well. Here’s the announcement, which I would usually have written, but I whiffed on because of the Quarterly Review. I’ll try and catch the next one if they’ll let me. Text and poster hit socials on Friday:
🌵 Get ready, Freaks! 🌵
The countdown to Freak Valley Festival 2025 has officially begun, and we’re beyond stoked to announce the first wave of bands set to blow your minds and melt your faces!
Brace yourselves for the crushing doom of Windhand, the blues-drenched heaviness of The Devil and the Almighty Blues, and the psychedelic thunder of Wucan! If that wasn’t enough, we’re cranking up the intensity with the raw power of. ¡Pendejo! , the crushing riffs of Early Moods, and the punk/metal chaos of Zig Zags.
But that’s just the beginning! Prepare to lose yourself in the cosmic grooves of Kombynat Robotron, get wild with the retro rock of Wedge, and let Travo, Lurch, and Scott Hepple and The Sun Band take you on mind-bending sonic journeys.
This is just the start, so get ready for more epic announcements soon. Mark your calendars, tune your ears, and prepare for the freakiest weekend of the year. Freak Valley 2025 is coming… and it’s going to be legendary!
See you in the valley! 🤘
Regular Tickets will first be available 14.October at Die Tintenpatrone in Siegen-Weidenau
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 5th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
What am I even supposed to say here other than ‘yes please?’ As Desertfest London 2019 rounds out its lineup and once again demonstrates its willful growth year after year, I’ll tell you this: there are a lot of bands listed below, and a lot of good bands. And if you’re reading this and you’re in London or you’re fortunate enough that you’re going to be in London for this festival, I know you’re hip to where it’s at. I get that. But seriously, if you don’t know, there re a few really must-see bands here, and it’s not all Amenra headlining. That’s great, and I’m sure it’ll be super-intense and very cool and all that.
But I’m telling you: don’t sleep on seeing High Priestess, BlackWater HolyLight, Worshipper, Salem’s Bend, Skraeckoedlan and Great Electric Quest. Some of those names are kind of buried near the bottom of this announcement, but really, you’d only be doing yourself a favor if you caught them. Let’s put Zed in that category too, and when they’re done, tell them I said hi. You probably already know all this, but I just wanted to highlight the point, since there’s a lot here and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I get that too.
Kudos to the Desertscene team for focusing on what matters — the music — even amid pulling double-duty in putting together the first-ever Desertfest NYC, the lineup for which is still in progress. This fest looks amazing and I wish I could say I was going. Quite simply, it’s been too long.
Here’s the announcement:
Amenra to headline Saturday at DESERTFEST LONDON 2019 + day tickets and 28 more bands announced!
Showcasing the best of what the underground has to offer is at the core of DESERTFEST LONDON and this year’s line-up is the most eclectic, yet satisfying to date by ticking those “wish-list old school desert rock” boxes with Fu Manchu and Witch at The Roundhouse, whilst pushing the boundaries of heavy with the likes of HHY & The Macumbas and Grave Miasma. Year after year it’s about offering up a diverse bill that allows for discovery, whilst celebrating the musical foundations of the festival, and the final Saturday headliner and remaining 28 acts do just that.
DESERTFEST LONDON /// 3-5th May, 2019 in London Weekend and day tickets on sale at this location
Desertfest are honoured to reveal that the incomparable AMENRA will celebrate their 20-year anniversary across the London weekend this May, bringing their uniquely atmospheric sound as headliners of Saturday’s mainstage and, for the first time in the UK, an even more intimate side of the band takes place at The Underworld on Sunday with solo performances from CHVE & SYNDROME. We would be proud to have Amenra headline Desertfest on any year, but to have them on the year they celebrate their 20th anniversary makes it all the more special for us and also the band themselves.
Desertfest are also pleased to announce a stage takeover from the mighty Riding Easy Records, the righteous west coast label will not only bring the sun (we hope) but a hefty dose of fuzzed out riffs from their roster. Headlined by rock’n’rollers ELECTRIC CITIZEN who refuse to be pigeonholed with a 70s proto-metal sound that chimes into psychedelic realms. Street-doom killers R.I.P will hit the UK for the first time and vocalist Fuzz is ready to bring it hard and loud. Completing the stage showcase are 80s punk heavy metal hybrids ZIG ZAGS, hazy Swedish doom newcomers ALASTOR and the low and slow psych goth-rock sounds of BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT.
If that wasn’t enough Desertfest also adds thunderous space-rock psychedelic masters MONKEY3 to upcoming proceedings, the unforgiving primitive metal sounds of THE SECRET and LA party starters THE SHRINE, who haven’t graced DF with their amped up stoner-skate vibes for well over 5 years.
We also welcome back our long-time partners Human Disease Promo/When Planets Collide for another takeover of The Underworld on Saturday. Topping the bill, the riff muscle of Savannah, Georgia is brought back to The Underworld by the mighty bruisers BLACK TUSK. Dropping in straight underneath we’re living the doom dream of olde with Chicago legends in THE SKULL. Glasgow gives us two offerings this year in the form of explosive riff n roll filth-party heads ACID CANNIBALS, and to lower the tone whilst severely twisting some melons we also welcome their fellow city dwellers HEADLESS KROSS. As ever we chose to open up with a cataclysmic attack, hence why we’ve invited Brighton’s bleak hardcore oblivionists KALLOUSED to set the day into fittingly venomous motion. Bring your ear plugs, it’s gonna be a floor shaker!
And finally, Desertfest round off with the brilliant SKRAECKOEDLAN, BLANKET, SALEMS BEND, SURYA, HIGH PRIESTESS, ZED, KUROKUMA, GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST, PSYCHLONA, VIDEO NASTIES, ONE FOR SORROW, WORSHIPPER, MOUNTAIN CALLER & 1968 all added to the monumental 2019 line-up.
DESERTFEST LONDON /// 3-5th May, 2019 in London All tickets on saleat this location
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
So, uh, in addition to the kickass poster art — which so good that I’m happy to look at it twice with the banner above and the vertical poster below, Desertfest Berlin 2019 pretty much rules as regards lineup as well. Granted, you could put “ham sandwich” on a card under Fu Manchu and Om, and I’d pass on the sandwich but still call that a really good show, but Wovenhand, All Them Witches, Witch, Colour Haze, Kikagaku Moyo, Naxatras, Earthless, on and on. I mean, come on. This is serious business. I know it’s the holidays and people are kind of checked out, but just look at this fucking thing. Plus, you know, the art.
Their latest announcement is duly celebratory:
FU MANCHU ++ THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY BLUES ++ ZIG ZAGS ++ SWEDISH DEATH CANDY confirmed for DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019!!!
HoHoHo dear desert festers! Perfect in time for Xmas, we would like to make a very special gift, and are more than proud to reveal 4 more bands for Desertfest Berlin 2019. And holy moly, it still feels like a dream but it’s getting real! Since our very first edition, we wanted them to play our stage, 8 years later it finally happens: Fu Manchu are going to play live at our beloved DESERTFEST BERLIN!!!
Since their inception, FU MANCHU has built itself a fanatical army of loyal enthusiasts all drawn to the group’s guitar-driven sound and carefree lyrics centered on old muscle cars, choppers, vans, skateboarding and science fiction. Over their impressing career, FU MANCHU has released 12 albums and has performed to sold out audiences all over the world. 2019 sees desert rock legends Scott Hill, Brad Davis, Bob Balch and Scott Reeder embarking on new adventures, with EXCLUSIVE SHOWS ONLY at DESERTFEST BERLIN + LONDON! “Germany is one of our favorite places to play and the crowds are always amazing. We’re stoked to be coming back to Berlin as part of Desertfest!” the band comments. And so are we to welcome FU MANCHU in 2019!!!
The Devil And The Almighty Blues will be armed with vintage Gibson guitars and tube amplifiers to take over DESERTFEST BERLIN! The Norwegian quintet’s blues- based rock is so heavy without becoming metal, slow without being doom, bluesy without being straight up and boring. Please welcome THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY live at the ARENA BERLIN, when they will also unleash upon us a brand new album in the Spring of 2019!
Grab your pack of Zig Zags desert rockers, as we will bring you the Los Angeles- based sci-fi power trio live on stage! With their scuzzy fusion of punk, metal and stoner sounds, these guys will deliver the ultimate soundtrack to get high on their sounds. Be prepared for a rad and insane live set!
Tunes as thick and heavily layered, powerful and melodic at the same time, Swedish Death Candy are rounding up today’s special Christmas announcement! Following their formation in 2014 and thundering live shows later, the four-piece psych band quickly began to grab attention from rock fans all over the globe. For a good reason: The variety within the band’s individual backgrounds, skill sets and influences has led the band to be truly unique – and one that is vital for today’s current scene.
Friends, we hope you are as much excited about this very special Christmas present as we are. But that’s not all, DAY TICKETS + FIRST SPLIT OF LINE-UP for each day are also now available and to plan your trip to Desertfest Berlin 2019: www.desertfest-tickets.de
The DESERTFEST-crew would like to wish all desert rockers, friends & families a peaceful Christmas and a heavy happy New Year. Stay safe, enjoy the festive season and we will see us all again soon at the capitol of the almighty riffs: DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019!
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 19th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
I was this close — this frickin’ close — to going to SonicBlast Moledo earlier this year. It was an enviable lineup, and when I saw the pictures after the fact, it only confirmed for me how much I wanted to have been there. So it goes.
Will I get that close to SonicBlast Moledo 2019? Probably not. Opportunities like that don’t come along every day or every year, and I know that. Still, in part because I’m a glutton for punishment — also for peanut butter — I’ll be doing my best to keep up with the lineup as it’s announced for next August’s edition of the beachside fest in Moledo, Portugal. Already, as I think you can see, they’re well on their way to destroying and winning hearts and minds.
To wit, a first lineup announcement that brings Om to Europe for the summer (they’ll be there in Spring too; I have to wonder just how long the band is spending abroad or if they’re racking up frequent flier miles), Orange Goblin, My Sleeping Karma (some day I will see that fucking band), Windhand, The Obsessed, Minami Deutsch, Zig Zags and Dopethrone is as righteous as it is varied, and it sets a pretty wide open sphere for what the rest might bring. I don’t have an inside track on that or anything, but 2018’s SonicBlast was certainly awesome looking and I see no reason why 2019 would be any different.
Tickets are available and I’m sure it’ll sell out. Words from the fest:
First bands for SonicBlast Moledo 2019! Let’s start the pilgrimage.
We’re so stoked to announce the first bands for SonicBlast Moledo 2019! Aug. 8-10.
Let’s start the pilgrimage.
OM, Windhand, Orange Goblin, MY SLEEPING KARMA, The Obsessed, Dopethrone, Minami Deutsch and Zig Zags are ready to burn the beach! 3 days that you’re never ever forget!
Om (usa) + Orange Goblin (uk) + My Sleeping Karma (ger) + Windhand (usa) + The Obsessed (usa) + Dopethrone (can) + Minami Deutsch (jp) + Zig Zags (usa) +++ many more tba +++
Artwork by Branca Studio
Tickets are now available at here. (Also available in Portugal, through BOL physical point of sales: Fnac, Worten, Ctt’s…)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 24th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
With the advent of the Psycho Smokeout in Los Angeles next April 20, Psycho Entertainment partners with RidingEasy Records and enters the fray of a busy Spring festival season, pushing Elder and Monolord into headliner positions that both deserve and importing other Psycho veterans like Amenra and Belzebong alongside RidingEasy groups Here Lies Man, Electric Citizen, BlackWater HolyLight, R.I.P. and Zig Zags. If you don’t see the significance of this, think of all the fests happening in Europe at the time, whether it’s Roadburn just one week before or Desertfest the first weekend of May. Lineup-wise, the first-ever Psycho Smokeout would seem to be more in line with the latter than the former, but still, it’s a packed Spring for those up for a bit of intercontinental travel.
However, a killer lineup is a killer lineup, and the Psycho Smokeout has one. Looks like it’ll just be the one day — fortunate that April 20 is a Saturday in 2019 — and I’ll assume it’s two stages, though I don’t have confirmation of that or really anything other than the groups playing, which, frankly, is enough for the moment. April’s a ways away, so there may be changes and whatnot, but especially if this takes off, it’s an important happening in the market and bound to turn heads.
RidingEasy‘s announcement and the lineup info follow:
The rumors are true! We’ve teamed up with Psycho Las Vegas For the first annual psycho smoke out on 4/20 in LOS ANGELES. We’ll be vending and loads of our bands are playing including but not limited to Monolord R.I.P. Electric Citizen Blackwater Holylight Here Lies Man Zig Zags and more!!!!
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 22nd, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Oh, how do they ever pack so much rock and roll onto such a tiny platter. Sweet Times Vol. 6 is the latest installment in an apparently ongoing series of seven-inchers curated by Who Can You Trust? Records, and in the span of a barely-started-before-it’s-over 11 minutes, it brings four bands who sound like they’re in the process of heralding a new movement in underground heavy. Consider, if you will, the punks.
But not like the pop-punkers. Consider the early punk and hardcore. Consider young Black Flag and the semi-metallized, bass-present push of earliest C.O.C. That’s what Oakland’s Dealer would seem to be after with “Casino,” while their side A compatriots Char-Man go full-on Ramones with the jangly and uptempo “Freak Rock.” Australia finds representation in the relative sprawl of Hydromedusa‘s three-and-a-half-minute “Falco,” which is more modern in production, but still derives from a blend of heavy rock and classic thrust and arrives topped with biting vocals, and side B caps with the garage-fueled careening of Zig Zags, whose raw chorus in “Blood” reminds of Death Alley tapping into Motörhead, but is even meaner and presented as raw as can be. In other words, it sounds awesome.
Is a stage being set for a new wave of retro punk? Maybe the lessons of groups like Off! are beginning to take hold and some of those bands who a few years back might’ve hit into shuffling early ’70s boogie have now moved onto to what followed and ultimately displaced the initial heavy rock movement. Think ’76-’81 instead of ’70-’74, and you might get a pretty good idea where Sweet Times Vol. 6 is coming from in terms of style.
You can hear a track premiere for Dealer‘s “Casino” at the bottom of this post to get yourself acquainted, and the 7″ is available to order from Who Can You Trust? Records now.
Ok… you can finally order your very own copy of this greasy, filled to the bursting point, barrel of rock ‘n’ roll goodness!!
Four shiny new tracks by Dealer, Char-Man, Hydromedusa and Zig Zags!!! …WHAT ELSE TO SAY ?!
A raw diamond… a glimmer of light among today’s vintage/retro/nostalgia rock and roll mediocrity… the silver lining you needed more than anything else in your life… maybe that one thing that gives you hope for a brighter future and keeps you going?!
GIVE IT A TRY…
At least you’ll have a sweet time – ANY TIME !!!
This time the artwork has been handled by the one and only Jesse California and i can’t wait to hold the physical thing in my hands, as the whole package is going to look more than sweet!
„SWEET TIMES – Volume 6“ features brand new recordings by Dealer (former Sexless) from Oakland, California… (If you haven’t yet, go and check out their full-length on Wicked World Records!!), Char-Man (feat. Zarian from Lecherous Gaze on vocals!), Hydromedusa (the self-described Rock & Roll parasites from of Adelaide, South Australia!) and (if that wasn’t enough already…) there’s also a shiny new ripper from Zig Zags that’ll find you senseless after the last note, hidden in the deepest corner of the run-out groove!!! OH MY…
