FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Desertfest London 2018
Running for its seventh year, Desertfest is back as one of the UK’s best underground festivals for all things doom, stoner, psychedelic, sludge and everything inbetween. Set across multiple venues in Camden, the beating heart of the UK’s alternative music scene, this year’s festival takes place between the 4th and 6th of May and plays host to a plethora of fantastic bands all weekend. With such a staggering lineup, we have broken down the lineup and highlighted the bands you just need to see, so read on for our big preview of this year’s Desertfest!
Friday
Friday’s headliners GRAVEYARD are back after a short split, and are bound to get the crowd moving again after a long day with their Swedish psych and blues sound – we may even hear a teaser or two to get us excited for their upcoming album Peace, released on the 25th May. Audience members can expect powerful, clear vocals and a guitar tone that sounds like it has been pulled straight from the late 60s.
But GRAVEYARD are not the only band to look forward to on Friday’s lineup. Kicking off the festival is Suffolk based sludge/stoner band OLD MAN LIZARD, bringing an energetic live performance and some dark, heavy riffs to the stage as a taste of things to come. Joining them in The Underworld venue are BLACK MOTH, a stoner band who just released their heaviest album so far, Anatomical Venus, and so are likely to hit hard and fast, and JEX THOTH, offering occult themed theatrics to complement their psychedelic, hypnotic musical presence.
Other bands join the festival at several other famous London alternative venues, including DOPELORD with their own brand of fuzzy, crunchy doom. This fuzz also breaks through the acid rock of London based SWEDISH DEATH CANDY earlier in the day.
One band to look out for during all of this psychedelic madness is PLANET OF ZEUS. Hailing from Athens, Greece, vocalist Babis Papanikolaou promises gritty southern-rock influenced lyrics with the rest of the band producing sludgy, dirty riffs that are unmistakably unique to the group. PLANET OF ZEUS manages to bring sludgy stoner songs that you can dance to, and their live performance is likely to do just that.
If you can manage to pull yourself through the sludge and into The Electric Ballroom, the venue offers up other bands to shake up the vibe. Earlier in the day anthemic black metal band WINTERFYLLETH bless the stage with their histories of British folklore that switches between almost violent and deeply melancholic. Joining them much later on, to get those so inclined pumped up for the after party is NAPALM DEATH. The four-piece grindcore outfit bring heavy, distorted beats to the mix to round off the first day of Desertfest with a bang.
Words: Chloe Leonard
Saturday
With Friday kicking off Desertfest with one hell of a lineup, belter after belter, Saturday looks to do the same. With HIGH ON FIRE and WEEDEATER being the top listed bands on the Electric Ballroom stage, the late evening is shaping up to be a right corker. HIGH ON FIRE can be expected to unleash some earth shattering riffs from their debut album, The Art Of Self-Defense and the acclaimed Surrounded By Thieves. Not only that, but WEEDEATER is a force to be reckoned with, and that shows considering they are playing both the Saturday and the Sunday! Titans of their trade and known by the masses, they are certainly not one to miss.
Throughout the day there are some hefty hitters taking to the stage, all across Camden’s many venues. Desertfest has brought with the m plenty of bands of the same vein, but in such a wide scope that it caters to everyone’s needs and wants. Starring the likes of MONOLITHIAN with their (relatively) fast but low and crunchy riffs, TELEPATHY bringing discordant guitars and eerie solo’s, MADE OF TEETH’s aggressive riffing and screams raise the power levels of the venue, PUPPY knocks it down a tad for an easy-listening experience, and BLACK RAINBOW crank it up with groove laden riffs and licks in preparation for the last hours of the day.
From the start to the finish, one can expect a marvellous menagerie of stoner, sludge and psychedelic rock and metal, catering to the taste of all punters. For example, those with a more exotic palette would most likely enjoy DARKHER, a hauntingly ethereal trip through both the mind and spirit, or on the flip side, AKERCOCKE delivers heaviness with each track, accompanied by an interesting but fitting vocal styling. All in all, Saturday is locked and loaded for a variety of acts, and you would find it hard to not enjoy at least half of the day, no matter your preference.
Words: Christopher Harding
Sunday
Sunday, as with every final day for festivals all over the globe, is a saddening experience, signalling the end of a much-enjoyed weekend by all. However, while it may be the final day, and the least filled, it is certainly looking to be one of the mightiest, with a colossal set of bands poised to unleash some nasty riffs and dirty bass-lines. The two headliners of that night, well what can be said, they are fantastic and legends among legends.
First off, we have the ridiculously talented and long-running space-rock gods, HAWKWIND, known for being one of the first bands of its kind and of course, propelling the legendary Lemmy Kilmister into the limelight. Ending on what one can only describe as a high, are the mighty MONSTER MAGNET are almost certainly going to be bringing some of their many hits with them such as Powertrip and Space Lord, alongside some cracking new tracks off of their recently released Mindfucker album. These guys really are a force to be reckoned with, so make sure to catch them, as they are the last band of the weekend before the after party kicks off!
Starting the day off slowly is BISMUTH, a crunchy and fat riffing doom band from Nottingham, warming up the masses for one hell of day. In quite a juxtaposition to that is LO CHIEF, a southern blues inspired band that cranks up the distortion when necessary, they really are a hidden gem. Throughout the final day, many lesser known, though nonetheless talented bands take to the stage, such as PIST, a high tempo and energetic quartet, the stoner rock trio, KING BUFFALO enter the fray with clean vocals and trance inducing guitar-work, as well as FISTER, known for their stodgy, meaty riffs and impactful drums, to name but a few.
Of course, MONOLORD and ELDER are ones to always try to catch at least a glimpse of, their musical talent is crazy to put it lightly. The headliners are absolutely cracking on Sunday and should not be missed by any means. As is usual, you can expect an after-party worth of praise, saying goodbye to Desertfest for one more year, knowing that a great time was had by all.
Words: Christopher Harding
And there we have it! Whilst we have given you the lowdown on who we reckon you can see, the choice is entirely up to you. Let us know in the comments below who you are most excited for at this year’s Desertfest!
Desertfest London takes place from 4th-6th May 2018 in Camden Town, London.
For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.