UK’s leading heavy rock festival, Desertfest, has come back louder than ever for their eleventh edition this 2023 in London. The annual festival, based in Camden, has now confirmed a compelling line up that any headbanger would be wise not to miss. It has been confirmed that the shows will undergo from the Friday, 5th of May until the Sunday, 7th of May, showcasing a full combination of heavy genres such as stoner rock, psychedelic rock, doom, sludge, heavy metal etc.
The underground shows will be held, as usual, in six iconic rock venues around the heavy-loving neighbourhood, this year compromising of The Roundhouse, The Electric Ballroom, The Underworld, The Black Heart, The Devonshire Arms and Powerhaus Camden. Some of which are a new edition to the yearly festival.
We’ve been granted news of the final bands to have joined the line-up, and once again, we have not been let down. The roster includes great bands such as, on the first day, the French post-metal band Year Of No Light playing their first gig in London since 2013, the hardcore-punk foursome Bad Breeding from the unbowed Stevenage, Electric Funeral covering Sabbath tunes and many more.
The second day, expect to be plastered by another series of significant rockers, together with one of Sweden’s first and most enduring stoner rock bands Dozer, the so-called ‘fathers or the desert’ Fatso Jetson and the American band Corrosion of Conformity bringing a slower, blues-tinged heavy metal to the table, who have not played on UK soil since 2018.
Following up on Sunday’s final blast we find the heavy groove trio Nebula, Antwerp’s stoner rock legends Gnome, the British riff-driven Uncle Acid and The Deadbeat, Japanese experimental-rock band Boris and many, many more.
It is a relished festival, which comes back round every year with great feedback from its regular fans. Desertfest winds way back to 2011, when its first event was ever made, always happening between the months of April and May. The first event, originally took place in London. However, after receiving such a response, as well as high demand, the event was extended to also take place in Berlin a couple months afterwards. In 2014, Desertfest Antwerp, Belgium was announced. Following its steady growth, the festival now also takes place in Ghent and even made it across the pond to New York.
Not only is it a publicly loved festival, however, it is also considered a safespace for repeatedly welcomed bands who return to the stage each year. Seen almost as a family reunion for most artists, they consider it to be a highlight of the year, in reconciliation with other fellow artists having played alongside each other throughout the years. The band Lowrider share in an interview last year; “Desertfest is always so relaxed and welcoming, it’s our third time here. We know lots of the other bands and it almost feels like an old school class or family reunion. The build up to Desertfest has been incredible, the most excited I can recall since waiting to get a Nintendo at Christmas when I was about 10-years-old!”
Tickets for both weekend and day passes are now available to buy online here.
