I remember the original Desertfest and the time I first
walked into Camden, kind of knowing what to expect but still having that
feeling of stepping in to the unknown. Festivals weren’t a new thing, but
having the UK's version of a Roadburn was, and seeing that many good bands over
3 days all within a 2 minute walk, made it even more special.
Role on the years to the eighth edition and it still feels just as special, a little bigger now but still just as special. So after 8 years we've finally changed the routine as well. Driving instead of the train, a hotel further out of the madness and using the tube instead of our legs. I’m not usually one for change, but I wasn't looking back from day 1.
So here we go, Worlds End pub, expensive drinks, Greenlands Place for a wristband, the realisation that the sun wasn't coming out soon, the rain was imminent but nothing was stopping the growing amount of people here to worship at the altar of the riff.
It's time already and up we go into the dark of The Black Heart to find myself a good spot (always on the right) to see The Great Machine. I wasn’t that familiar with them, possibly the first Israeli band I’d seen live? Anyway, until about a month ago I hadn’t really dug into their 2 albums and 2 EP's, but now I can see why they are making a name for themselves, which has been helped even further by SOL Booking shows throughout Europe for them. The room is already full before they're on the stage and it doesn't take long before the crowd is lapping it up. It sways from the bass driven rock n roll vibe of Motorhead to some wild guitar work from the 70's with a ton of groove thrown in and lots of cymbals crashing. But as quick as it started, it was over. If anyone wasn't awake before the opening band, then they are now.
The first visit of the weekend to The Underworld was to see Sweden’s Vokonis. I remember reading a couple of months back about The Underworld getting some work done on it and the room had a slightly cleaner look, having less of a “nightclub floor” feeling than previous visits. Anyway, Vokonis kick it off with some low end heavy riffs that build and groove and build and then stop to throw in something atmospheric, before picking it back up with a guitar lead that takes you some place that also contains lots of crashing cymbals. The overall feel of their songs has a sludgy feeling of Baroness or Mastodon with layers of musical soundscapes without losing the stoner metal edge. They made quite a presence on stage which you can see in the video, with bassist Jonte Johanasson moving that bass, hair and flares non-stop. The crowd loved it.
The 100 yard dash straight back to The Black Heart saw more of a struggle getting in to see Cheshire’s 1968 as it was already rammed full. There has been quite a buzz around them for a while now after the release of “Ballads of the Godless” last year and after a good run of shows they’ve turned into a finely oiled machine now. If you don’t know them by now then you probably should. Retro-rock is a term that gets banded around a lot but live its more of an Alice in Chains plays Thin Lizzy. The songs take you off on a voyage of discovery with heavy grunge laden guitars with a classic rock rhythm feeling, matched with Jimi’s great voice. You can see how they come alive on stage and I don’t think it will be long before they move on to the next level. An imminent run of a few US shows including the Planet Desert Rock Festival and playing at the “Whisky A Go Go”, will certainly do some good.
Another rain dash back to The Underworld (it won’t be the last time today) for what is being billed the Riding Easy Records stage today. Knowing them, I half expected the label to have forced a 70’s Dodge Van through the back door and in the bar area. Blackwater Holylight take the stage to a full room and they’re a band on my “don’t miss” list for the weekend as I really like their s/t record and have never seen them live before, and they didn’t disappoint. Playing as a 5 piece now, they have a certain kind of heaviness that keeps driving through their songs, even in the quieter moments. Heavy Psych is the genre that probably encompasses their sound but they bring in influences from Sabbath to 80’s New Wave in to their song writing and I can hear an early QOTSA vibe in places. Lots of cymbals as well!
Leaving one venue with 5 girls making a ton of Heavy Psych, its straight back to The Black Heart to see 3 more girls doing the same, namely High Priestess. Hailing from LA with their s/t record out last year, they rock their own version of Heavy Psych that pulls influences from the likes of Kylesa but they also have some more haunting sounding parts ala Witchcraft that work well with the twin vocal harmonies, driving bass lines, driving guitar with everything being pulled together by some seriously powerful drumming, which you’ll see below. It doesn’t take them long to roll through their 45 minute set, leaving the punters wanting more still. Good stuff!
Back again to The Underworld to check out Alastor. I have to admit that they weren’t on my radar until I was doing my pre-festival homework, but checking out their latest record “Slave to the Grave” was well worth it. You cannot deny that classic Sabbath runs through their veins and their riffs sound like they could have been written in the 70’s. Live though, it really kicks in as there’s even more of a fuzz to their sound to back up that 70’s occult rock feel to it. Backing it up with a larger than life appearance on stage, killer vocals and a little corpse paint, I was more than convinced.
The now familiar rush across the road (again) had me there just in time to catch the Great Electric Quest. It started loud with feedback then the silk robe appeared then finally the San Diego rockers exploded. I remember a flag being waved and lots of shouting, then off we rolled. All denim clad, we were hammered with a dose of loud 70’s rock and lots of raised beer cans for the next 45 minutes. Shut your eyes and it could have been Priest or Thin Lizzy and this was just what a room full of (getting there wasted) rockers wanted!
A trip to King of Falafel served its purpose then I found myself deep in The Underworld again to check out Zig Zags. The LA punk metaller’s had already filled the venue and let rip on them with the constant onslaught of riffs that could have come from Motorhead or Black Flag. Short sharp blasts of fury continued for the hour, taking me back to the days of 80’s high top skate punk. The place went off!
Next up came the band everyone seemed to be here to see, R.I.P. I was lucky to get a decent spot as The Underworld was as full as I’ve seen it. Enter Portland’s finest bunch of rock n rollers. And there it was, the scythe microphone stand, larger than life, commanding those screams. Most of “In the Wind” was played to a rampant crowd and the denim, leather and hairy chest of “Fuzz” commanded the stage with his larger than life presence. If anyone was feeling the burn after day drinking, R.I.P. pushed you up to the next level. These guys are going places and they need to make model scythes for the merch table.
The finale of a hugely well received Riding Easy Records stage was saved for Ohio’s finest doom rockers Electric Citizen. Laura Dolan struts round the stage, clad in a full leather jumpsuit with her flowing locks swooping everywhere, and has a voice to back it up. Like a female Robert Plant with a little more swagger, she has a heaving venue in the palm of her hand. Backed up with a band that knock out Pentagram come Deep Purple come Sabbath riffs for fun, it’s an absolute pleasure to witness 60 minutes of magical musical energy. A fitting end to a fine day in The Underworld.
I know OM have just come on but I’m back over to The Black Heart to see Skraeckoedlan. “Eorpe” had been on my iphone rotation for a while now so I wasn’t missing out on the chance to catch them. As it had already started, the queue was already back down the stairs to get in, but a few “excuse me” and “pardon me’s” and I found myself wedged in down the right hand side. They fuzzed, they rocked, they rolled and they even threw in a bit of melody before the wall of riffs kicked in again. A worthy headliner to a very full room.
A quick power walk to the Electric Ballroom and as expected it was packed for OM, absolutely rammed full from the door to the bar to the stage. The electric blue haze that lit the room perfectly set a hypnotic atmosphere. Standing further back you could see the band through all the nodding heads, but again, the blue haze took away any sharpness in the definition of actually seeing the band, adding to the atmosphere. Picking out songs like “Cremation Ghat” and “Bhima's Theme”, the band could have played all night. It was a welcome alternative headlining band feel to the room, instead of the mayhem you had the low end chanting and droning to finish the first night off.
Like the last couple of years, just when you thought the night was over and the after party was an “after party” (thank you Desertscene), it actually turns out to be a band that’s the other end of the spectrum to what you have just watched. And we welcome…..The Shrine. Venice, California’s premier skate punks are back, now with Corey Parks on bass. They blast through an hour’s worth of classics as well as a few new ones from their “Cruel World” EP. The now wasted crown lap it up and it looks like it’s getting messy for a few. With Josh looking like Phil Lynott and Corey dressed like a female Lemmy, the 3 piece keep the party going long into the night.
We somehow find the tube station, the right tube stop to get off, witness some over the top teenage street gang complaining to the police about their party being crashed and day 1 is over.
Role on the years to the eighth edition and it still feels just as special, a little bigger now but still just as special. So after 8 years we've finally changed the routine as well. Driving instead of the train, a hotel further out of the madness and using the tube instead of our legs. I’m not usually one for change, but I wasn't looking back from day 1.
So here we go, Worlds End pub, expensive drinks, Greenlands Place for a wristband, the realisation that the sun wasn't coming out soon, the rain was imminent but nothing was stopping the growing amount of people here to worship at the altar of the riff.
It's time already and up we go into the dark of The Black Heart to find myself a good spot (always on the right) to see The Great Machine. I wasn’t that familiar with them, possibly the first Israeli band I’d seen live? Anyway, until about a month ago I hadn’t really dug into their 2 albums and 2 EP's, but now I can see why they are making a name for themselves, which has been helped even further by SOL Booking shows throughout Europe for them. The room is already full before they're on the stage and it doesn't take long before the crowd is lapping it up. It sways from the bass driven rock n roll vibe of Motorhead to some wild guitar work from the 70's with a ton of groove thrown in and lots of cymbals crashing. But as quick as it started, it was over. If anyone wasn't awake before the opening band, then they are now.
The first visit of the weekend to The Underworld was to see Sweden’s Vokonis. I remember reading a couple of months back about The Underworld getting some work done on it and the room had a slightly cleaner look, having less of a “nightclub floor” feeling than previous visits. Anyway, Vokonis kick it off with some low end heavy riffs that build and groove and build and then stop to throw in something atmospheric, before picking it back up with a guitar lead that takes you some place that also contains lots of crashing cymbals. The overall feel of their songs has a sludgy feeling of Baroness or Mastodon with layers of musical soundscapes without losing the stoner metal edge. They made quite a presence on stage which you can see in the video, with bassist Jonte Johanasson moving that bass, hair and flares non-stop. The crowd loved it.
The 100 yard dash straight back to The Black Heart saw more of a struggle getting in to see Cheshire’s 1968 as it was already rammed full. There has been quite a buzz around them for a while now after the release of “Ballads of the Godless” last year and after a good run of shows they’ve turned into a finely oiled machine now. If you don’t know them by now then you probably should. Retro-rock is a term that gets banded around a lot but live its more of an Alice in Chains plays Thin Lizzy. The songs take you off on a voyage of discovery with heavy grunge laden guitars with a classic rock rhythm feeling, matched with Jimi’s great voice. You can see how they come alive on stage and I don’t think it will be long before they move on to the next level. An imminent run of a few US shows including the Planet Desert Rock Festival and playing at the “Whisky A Go Go”, will certainly do some good.
Another rain dash back to The Underworld (it won’t be the last time today) for what is being billed the Riding Easy Records stage today. Knowing them, I half expected the label to have forced a 70’s Dodge Van through the back door and in the bar area. Blackwater Holylight take the stage to a full room and they’re a band on my “don’t miss” list for the weekend as I really like their s/t record and have never seen them live before, and they didn’t disappoint. Playing as a 5 piece now, they have a certain kind of heaviness that keeps driving through their songs, even in the quieter moments. Heavy Psych is the genre that probably encompasses their sound but they bring in influences from Sabbath to 80’s New Wave in to their song writing and I can hear an early QOTSA vibe in places. Lots of cymbals as well!
Leaving one venue with 5 girls making a ton of Heavy Psych, its straight back to The Black Heart to see 3 more girls doing the same, namely High Priestess. Hailing from LA with their s/t record out last year, they rock their own version of Heavy Psych that pulls influences from the likes of Kylesa but they also have some more haunting sounding parts ala Witchcraft that work well with the twin vocal harmonies, driving bass lines, driving guitar with everything being pulled together by some seriously powerful drumming, which you’ll see below. It doesn’t take them long to roll through their 45 minute set, leaving the punters wanting more still. Good stuff!
Back again to The Underworld to check out Alastor. I have to admit that they weren’t on my radar until I was doing my pre-festival homework, but checking out their latest record “Slave to the Grave” was well worth it. You cannot deny that classic Sabbath runs through their veins and their riffs sound like they could have been written in the 70’s. Live though, it really kicks in as there’s even more of a fuzz to their sound to back up that 70’s occult rock feel to it. Backing it up with a larger than life appearance on stage, killer vocals and a little corpse paint, I was more than convinced.
The now familiar rush across the road (again) had me there just in time to catch the Great Electric Quest. It started loud with feedback then the silk robe appeared then finally the San Diego rockers exploded. I remember a flag being waved and lots of shouting, then off we rolled. All denim clad, we were hammered with a dose of loud 70’s rock and lots of raised beer cans for the next 45 minutes. Shut your eyes and it could have been Priest or Thin Lizzy and this was just what a room full of (getting there wasted) rockers wanted!
A trip to King of Falafel served its purpose then I found myself deep in The Underworld again to check out Zig Zags. The LA punk metaller’s had already filled the venue and let rip on them with the constant onslaught of riffs that could have come from Motorhead or Black Flag. Short sharp blasts of fury continued for the hour, taking me back to the days of 80’s high top skate punk. The place went off!
Next up came the band everyone seemed to be here to see, R.I.P. I was lucky to get a decent spot as The Underworld was as full as I’ve seen it. Enter Portland’s finest bunch of rock n rollers. And there it was, the scythe microphone stand, larger than life, commanding those screams. Most of “In the Wind” was played to a rampant crowd and the denim, leather and hairy chest of “Fuzz” commanded the stage with his larger than life presence. If anyone was feeling the burn after day drinking, R.I.P. pushed you up to the next level. These guys are going places and they need to make model scythes for the merch table.
The finale of a hugely well received Riding Easy Records stage was saved for Ohio’s finest doom rockers Electric Citizen. Laura Dolan struts round the stage, clad in a full leather jumpsuit with her flowing locks swooping everywhere, and has a voice to back it up. Like a female Robert Plant with a little more swagger, she has a heaving venue in the palm of her hand. Backed up with a band that knock out Pentagram come Deep Purple come Sabbath riffs for fun, it’s an absolute pleasure to witness 60 minutes of magical musical energy. A fitting end to a fine day in The Underworld.
I know OM have just come on but I’m back over to The Black Heart to see Skraeckoedlan. “Eorpe” had been on my iphone rotation for a while now so I wasn’t missing out on the chance to catch them. As it had already started, the queue was already back down the stairs to get in, but a few “excuse me” and “pardon me’s” and I found myself wedged in down the right hand side. They fuzzed, they rocked, they rolled and they even threw in a bit of melody before the wall of riffs kicked in again. A worthy headliner to a very full room.
A quick power walk to the Electric Ballroom and as expected it was packed for OM, absolutely rammed full from the door to the bar to the stage. The electric blue haze that lit the room perfectly set a hypnotic atmosphere. Standing further back you could see the band through all the nodding heads, but again, the blue haze took away any sharpness in the definition of actually seeing the band, adding to the atmosphere. Picking out songs like “Cremation Ghat” and “Bhima's Theme”, the band could have played all night. It was a welcome alternative headlining band feel to the room, instead of the mayhem you had the low end chanting and droning to finish the first night off.
Like the last couple of years, just when you thought the night was over and the after party was an “after party” (thank you Desertscene), it actually turns out to be a band that’s the other end of the spectrum to what you have just watched. And we welcome…..The Shrine. Venice, California’s premier skate punks are back, now with Corey Parks on bass. They blast through an hour’s worth of classics as well as a few new ones from their “Cruel World” EP. The now wasted crown lap it up and it looks like it’s getting messy for a few. With Josh looking like Phil Lynott and Corey dressed like a female Lemmy, the 3 piece keep the party going long into the night.
We somehow find the tube station, the right tube stop to get off, witness some over the top teenage street gang complaining to the police about their party being crashed and day 1 is over.
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