Every Desertfest is different, but within every Desertfest, every day is like a new planet just picked up on the radar. We’ve had hardcore mixing with folk metal, industrial metal sharing a time slot with stoner rock, and today you have a classic blend of old school psych rock, Americana blues and a mighty dash of everything from death metal to shoe gaze. We’ll get to Clutch in a moment. I want to shoutout DSF for their tremendous job once again in bringing together up-and-coming bands of all genres for an audience eager to discover them and world class acts that have maybe never before shared a lineup. How exciting is that? Let’s get into it.
Midhaven
Here is Desertfest’s first ever Indian act and a clear early morning (it is 2pm) showcase of why representation matters. Because yes, Bloodywood selling out shows around the world is an incredible achievement, but you need more than just lone wolves to create an audience and a financially viable live music touring circuit. All bands live in an ecosystem. You need a wolf pack. And Midhaven more than prove themselves worthy. The quartet rip into the set shredding at full speed, cracking jokes, telling stories, but it’s the slow psychedelic ‘Zhitro’ (off their debut album Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt) that hits a truly special nerve with the crowd. Sinuous and patient, it’s a bold move for the first Underworld show of the day, but for sure a welcomed one, given the number of hangovers being nursed on site. As it builds its layers, I can see the audience drawing in, closer and closer to the stage. It’s a nine minute song. We are hooked to every second. And hey, I’m a sucker for women on drums. Rux
Red Eyed Cult
Red Eyed Cult are a staple of London’s stoner rock scene, having played practically all of the capital’s stages. However, there was one major gig they finally unlocked on a Sunday: completing the lineup of the mighty Desertfest. Their festival debut met an Underworld crowd filled practically to the brim with swaying bodies, all led by the band’s hazy, trance-inducing rhythms. The classic influences of Sabbath and High on Fire shone through, proving them to be a solid, well-rounded act that everyone absolutely adored. For anyone who worships smoky riffs, the set felt like a wild ride that stuck with you for the rest of the afternoon, leaving the crowd with the munchies. Nat
Teiger
Absolute darling Teiger makes their Desertfest debut, being no strangers to Black Heart or the London heavy scene. Theirs is an obvious pallet cleanser mix of progressive rock shimmering with cosmic vibes, and Talie Eigeland’s voice, equal parts dreamlike allure and commanding presence, purifies the space like a breath of fresh sea air, like magic. It works. The crowd neither moves nor speaks. You can hear a pin drop to the quiet end of the yet unreleased ‘Mist’. You can feel the vibrations in your feet on the bass swells and cymbal skitters of my personal favourite song, ‘The Thinnest Wall’. Holding space for silence can be a tough ask from a festival crowd, but the early time slot on a Sunday means the energy is more reflective, almost introspective. To the opening strums of ‘Glory Box’, there are knowing sighs and surprised cries from the audience, and a sway overtakes us all. By the end of the set, it’s a proper tight fit in there. They made it so nobody could look away. Teiger’s latest single ‘Bloodwork’ is out on June 25th, you can pre-save it now. Rux
Steak
Steak is usually considered the top of the food chain when it comes to restaurant meats – but is the band a filet? Or closer to a rump? It’s been 3 years since this outfit was last on stage in town, and it’s great to see them back cooking for us today! Immediately you can tell there’s a huge Chris Cornell influence here, with two incredibly strong vocalists in the band that have superb levels of grit in their voices. It can be heard in their latest single ‘Cometh’ that popped out into the world just before the festival. It sounds tremendous on the big stage of the Roundhouse. Catch Steak live on tour this June, on tour with All Them Witches – it’s gonna be psych rock heaven. Grace
The Grey
Their set started with every band’s nightmare: technical difficulties that left us without the guitarist for a good chunk of the first song. Saved by the incredible support of the sound team, they returned after a short break to a wild cheer from the crowd. We had all gathered there to be absolutely obliterated by the sheer weight of their crushing sound. The Grey constantly tests your ability to handle extreme volume, yet within that wall of noise, they craft an intense tension that beautifully releases at the end of each track. It feels like being left to simmer in their melodic, winding rhythms and riffs, with the bass serving as a heavy, thumping metronome. There is a deep darkness in their material, almost as if you are being swallowed by a black hole, only to be spat back out absolutely re-energized, a brand new human. Tradition in their performances is to dedicate their final song to anyone currently carrying the heavy burdens and struggles of life, reminding everyone in the room that we are not alone, even facings the most challenging mental health battles. Nat
Truckfighters
Fast paced, energetic, high speed, high volume. It’s easy to get sucked in if you’ve never heard this Swedish outfit before. Such was the case with myself when I first saw them a few years ago in Stockholm and became immediately hooked! The single lone guitar sounds utterly massive, with maximum fuzz blaring out through the venue. It’s not long before guitarist Dango rips his shirt off as sweat flies everywhere off his body – jumping around stage like he’s escaping on a prison break, putting on a proper show for the crowd. Needs must there’s just three blokes in the band, and they arguably sound bigger than any other band at the festival! With new record Masterflow now available everywhere (their first in 10 years!), Desertfest felt like a celebration of the act who can only be described as madness in the best of ways. Grace
Howling Giant
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee – Howling Giant are playing the mid afternoon slot at the Underworld today! It’s impressive how many international bands the bookers got in and especially of such high-quality like these guys. The music is highly melodic, and clearly well rehearsed as the band sounds tight together on stage – not bad for their first time in the UK! One song I very quickly fell in love with was ‘Canyons’ off of their latest record Crucible & Ruin (which came out in October last year). It’s easy from this one song alone to see why they got booked for Desertfest this year, as despite being locally relatively unknown, they fit right in amongst the music here – and are easy to fall in love with thanks to their fuzzy riffs. Grace
Of all the bands, Howling Giant won me over from the very first chug. Tight and snappy, they get right into the thick of a groove within seconds. As all American bands at the festival this year, their touring experience in the States shines through and through – they’re in such perfect sync with each other, both letting loose with the fans and holding it down, riff and rhythm together. Maybe the best headbang of the whole festival for me. Rux
The Sword
Many people in my music circle were talking about The Sword, so naturally, I had to check out what the hype was about! I often feel incredibly lucky that my musical focus revolves around fresh acts, newcomers, and the underground, because being able to appreciate a classic, influential sound for the very first time is a genuine treat. Everyone thought The Sword was done after they announced their retirement back in 2022. To the immense joy of their fans, however, that goodbye didn’t last long. I guess playing on stage is addictive; you simply cannot stay away when you truly love your craft. Their live set beautifully captured the two distinct eras of their identity, seamlessly merging downtuned, heavy stoner-doom with a fiery 1970s hard rock flair. It created an incredible instrumental contrast. On one hand, sections of the music made you feel as if you were soaring into another world on a winged pegasus, wielding a mythical blade. On the other hand, it felt like plummeting down a trembling, lava-filled volcano, completely crushed beneath the weight of their massive riffs. Nat
Clutch
Hailing all the way from Maryland, we now reach the final headliner of the festival, it can only be Clutch who straight away introduce themselves through star signs with song ‘X-Ray Visions’ off of 2015’s Psychic Warfare. Clutch are a band that come across as having little ego with a humble stage presence despite still being full of rock and roll energy after 35 years of playing together. And with 13 records under their belts, there’s plenty of material to choose from for tonight’s show! And they do dart around their entire discography, playing one or two tracks from an album before moving on.
Even with that variety and opportunity to absorb some deeper cuts in the live environment, there’s always a big focus on breakout record ‘Blast Tyrant’ at a Clutch show. Given it’s their most popular record, you’ll hear no complaints from the crowd as they scream and cheer along. Favourites like ‘Profits of Doom’ and ‘The Regulator’ get brought out much to our pleasure. You know the riffs are getting intense when vocalist Neil Fallon pulls out his guitar too on ‘Electric Worry’ – another live show favourite that’s as catchy as it is groovy – and easy to sing along to with its iconic hooks. The set did feel a touch lower energy than a usual Clutch headline show, but perhaps the rush of the festival slot setup added some stress into the mix.
“You guys are super duper” exclaims Neil as we get treated to a couple more tracks from the four piece before the festival closes its doors for 2026. After 3 days of fuzzy riffs, rock, roll, kebabs, and soaking in the atmosphere in Camden – one of the most culturally significant areas on the planet for this style of music – it’s hard to believe that it’s over. At least until next year… Grace
When are they not great? Any Clutch set that leans into their heavy maelstrom energy, drops some Blast Tyrant goodies and brings out the blues for ‘The Regulator’ is a win from me. I really shouldn’t have been in that moshpit, but how could I resist? It’s Clutch! Always fun, always relaxed, always super professional, they’re the kind of band you can see forever and ever and they’ll always give their 100%. Neil has a great time prowling the stage, in character as the narrative voice of every song, and the crowd responds in like, sending crowd surfers and beers flying to the barricade. Could not have asked for a better closer. Rux
Blackwater Holylight
I never knew the Underworld could sound so good! I might be a little biased, as I personally adore Blackwater Holylight. We finally had a female-led act headlining one of the festival’s bigger stages, and dare I say it, perhaps we could have even more of that next year?
The band was wrapping up their European tour after releasing their brilliant fourth studio album, Not Here, Not Gone, which will most likely land a spot in my top 10 releases of the year. What they craft is best described as doomgaze, a fantastic merging of both the heavy and the ethereal worlds. Their power should not be underestimated; the heavy sections genuinely pin you to the ground, crushing you into dust before their vocals scatter you around like a gentle wind. An instrumental section featured a mid-set switch between the guitarist and bassist, proving they absolutely know their craft. We were treated to a complex composition of various technical riffs and melodies, ranging from intense blast beats to fuzzy stoner riffs. Even though they held the late-shift slot on Sunday night, they packed the room. Many fans actually raced over, skipping Clutch just to ensure they could get in. As I looked toward the stage, letting the sound swallow me like an ocean wave crashing ashore, I felt incredibly grateful to experience this act in a room filled with the familiar faces of London’s Desertfest family. It left me wondering about next year’s reunion, already dreaming of the endless possibilities for future lineups. Then, it was time to go home. Nat
Huge thanks to everyone for reading along, to the bands for showing up and melting faces all across Camden and to Desertfest London for having us! We’ll be back next year and stay tuned, as there are more DSF goodies ahead!