FRIDAY 17TH MAY
Norwegian three-piece GRAND ATOMIC speak little, yet inflict riffiously bodily harm on a mid-afternoon Underworld with their psychedelic blend of doom-laden heft, commanding swagger and cold, calculated orchestral sludge deliverance.
Nick Oliveri and MONDO GENERATOR always know how to best give the people what they really want; punk rock aggro, circle pits, emotionally caustic backhanded vocal sarcasm and of course, a taste of the true desert with some soaring Kyuss covers and QOTSA bangers. Rip-roaring.
Brant Bjork, Ryan Güt, Mario Lalli… What more do you need to know?! The BRANT BJORK TRIO‘s effortless jams transcend the Ballroom, turning it into an actual ballroom once again as hips sway, necks cray(ne) and riffs lay in this feast of Californian stoner royalty. Like Bob Marley’s favourite donuts, they’re jammin’, all right. Yeah…
Time for German legends COLOUR HAZE to psych out the Ballroom with a heavier than usual pastiche of delicious colours, cavernous riffs, tidal wave washes of cymbals and taut bass-laden integrity as Stefan Koglek’s charges empower the crowd through a mass of fuzz-swept ingenuity.
Here we go again! Bremen boys MANTAR are back in town; wielding their classic black n’ roll swagger, brewery-sized riffage, guttural microphone-spewn bile and all dished out in shovels whilst the tantric duo pour with enough sweat to almost force the Underworld into stumping up for a new drainage system. Almost… These astral kannibals will never, ever disappoint us. URGH!!
SATURDAY 18TH MAY
Cosmic Norwegian stoner doom commandos KAL-EL hit a packed Underworld hard, early doors, with a solid slab of punchy outer-worldly psych-outs packed with juicy space riffs. The cheeky Northern fivesome SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF make their long-awaited Desertfest debut with their glorious flurry of punchy, swaggering grooves, soaring eclectic vocal lines and chunky low-end chug. Trampled under The Hoof, we are indeed.
Lori S and co may have had to battle through a host of awful technical issues, including a 30-minute delay to Roundhouse proceedings, however ACID KING still they deliver in sludge-laden spades of soaring doom anthems. This Electric Machine can never be derailed, and the end result is their ever glorious tapestry of sky-high emotional heft.
We can’t think of many bands who’ve sounded instantly more at home on debut in the cavernous Roundhouse than Chicago’s might doom titans BONGRIPPER. Whether it’s the colossal, time-warping crunch of ‘Empty’ or the blackened bombast of ‘Satan’, there’s no-one who matches the slowed-down dissection of brutality from our favourite masters of the crawl.
(Precisely five minutes before Duskwood detonate the Black Heart…) “Wanna go catch DUSKWOOD?!” “Yep, we absolutely do!” The Yeovil-based four-piece slam into the tight upstairs confines of everyone’s favourite pub and deliver the performance of their lives. Sounding every bit like the missing link between Unida, Dozer and Orange Goblin, the riffs pour forward all night long as frontman Liam’s glorious vocals leave a gasping crowd quite literally bouncing off the BH rafters.
For some folks, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES are perhaps an odd choice for a Roundhouse Desertfest headliner, but within seconds of these ’80s kings of crossover rap-thrash-funk hitting the monstrous stage, it’s very clear that for those who dig it, this is a masterstroke Desertfest move. New star drummer Jay Weinberg expertly powers the (always full!) throttle on his charges who bounce off every surface the stage affords them, as Mike Muir and co deliver all their greatest hits to a hungry, headbanging house. Pledge Your Allegiance? We absolutely do!
SUNDAY 19TH MAY
Italian space-doom supremos UFOMAMMUT are back once again and sound heavier than a black hole falling out of the Camden sky, intent to swallow us all. Urlo’s otherworldly vocal lines wash up against Poia’s grandiose riffage like a tsunami hitting a coastline. Encapsulatingly huge, as ever.
The gorgeous bluesy, stoner scrawl of Washington’s KADABRA beckons us back into the Underworld for a ‘lil bit as these humble, subtle masters of rock more than pull their weight on a packed out bill of Sunday awesomeness. Another massive, slow nod-along is taking place over at a packed out Electric Ballroom as the popular four-piece of MONOLORD crush forward to kick out the everlasting groovy jams of ‘Empress Rising’ and other such atmospheric, swirling, sorcererous bangers.
The gritty Northern Brits of PSYCHLONA hammer the Underworld mob hard with blow after blow of their chunky, low-end fuelled classic psych riffage. Fun, cruising bangers like ‘Blast Off’ are well-received and seem a perfect match for those sharing our weary Desertfest Sunday hungover vibes.
I can’t hear myself think, I can’t feel myself breathe, I can’t see anything beyond the swirling, claustrophobic background visuals and I can’t imagine a better way to get pummelled into my Monday morning than with industrial metal masters GODFLESH‘s brutal genius. The Birmingham duo, plus the world’s loudest laptop acting as a drum-machine of course, shut down Desertfest 2024 for good with each tearing riff after gruff scream after relentlessly chest-bursting bassline. The legendary Avalanche Masters, in more than just name, sound absolutely cataclysmic as ever tonight and remind us all of what “heavy” really is.
There’s still time for a final blast of stoner rock pomp over at the Underworld as dead rock commandos NIGHTSTALKER chug, shake, rattle and groove us through their scratched, worn, smooth and well-oiled back catalogue.
With only Cancer Bats’ BAT SABBATH‘s tribute to Black Sabbath back at the Underworld or alternatively the legendary DJ Harris and several more slow pints and nonsense chats over at Back Heart Alley to wind us down, we dust ourselves off, pat ourselves on the back and head home with a twinkle in our eyes and a smile on our faces as we toast up to another epic year of this unique, beautiful and hazy festival that I think we’re all proud to call “home” to our scene here in the UK. Same time, same deal, same volume, same hangover, same old friends next year, then?! Oh lawd yeah!! See you there, or see you somewhere sensible!
Last modified: 22 June 2024
