Festival Review: Deserfest // London // May 2026
Desertfest provides a heaven for any stoner rock fans with some of the best curated music in the entire scene; featuring mammoth headline sets from newly tipped metal icons Green Lung and old guard Clutch; you’ll rarely see the Roundhouse bouncier.
In terms of a divisive weekend – both politically; and sporting, with separate marches from both sides of the political spectrum and an FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Chelsea both happening in London on the same weekend; you’d be forgiven for thinking that Desertfest’s organisers might have picked the wrong weekend. But I’ve rarely felt more welcoming in the corner of Greenland Road that is taken over for the weekend; adorned with Bristol-sponsored beer; tattoo walk-ins, and record/merch labels. The metal tees, battle jackets are out en force – confusing the Camden tourists. This is the setting that Desertfest; a takeover of the Dev, the Black Heart; Underworld, and of course, The Roundhouse, finds itself in.
Day One is reserved for bands like Cwfen, Witchsorrow, Gnome, Hermano and Moloch to take their stage at these venues – the action remains at the Electric Ballroom for the opening day, and it quickly becomes apparent that if you want to get into any of these acts in the smaller Black Heart and the Dev you have to be there for the act before – which speaks to Desertfest’s success story that it has now outgrown the capacity of many of the traditional metal venues that adorn Camden (if Camden Assembly isn’t considered as a venue for next year; Desertfest are missing a trick). The Roundhouse is just the right size for giants like Green Lung and Clutch; but stick someone like Ian in the Dev; and they’re queuing around the building preventing anyone from getting in. Thankfully; Ian are loud enough that we get a bit of their set from outside – it’s powerful; and the East London quintet make their presence felt in the post-rock scene. They’re playing at Arctangent and there’s a lot of crossover between the two festivals – I saw Green Lung there last year for one, and that means a festival like Desertfest is going to be right up my alley every year. 2025 was special; with the likes of Amenra, Conan and Pallbearer – 2026 no different.
The weekend kicks off proper by the time we get to the Roundhouse for Elephant Tree. Their gloom and despair of an atmosphere sets the town; but they find room for joyous occasion and mix in some head-boppers that get the crowd moving. The psychedelic doom rock outfit are in a mood to create a party and here to have a good time. It’s a marriage celebration for one of the members (whose wife is in the audience); and a birthday party in one. The band joke that birthday boy Peter Holland is in his twenties; but whilst those days may be gone – to their credit; Elephant Tree have more energy than most 20-something bands; able to pull off a hell of a stage presence and get the heads of the Roundhouse banging. The vocals echo early Pink Floyd and that’s no small counterpart – progressive psych at its most unstoppable and triumphant with music designed to ascend to the heavens when you’re listening to it; the set drifts into psych at times and it’s instantly easy to fall in love. By the time we get to 2016 release ‘Aphotic Blues’ – Elephant Tree have a packed-out Roundhouse that are headbanging along. Hollands’ bass with signature vocals add a layer of depth to the mix, working with Sam Hart and Jack Townley as two of the founding members still alive and kicking. They can draw out such raw emotion that almost bring the audience to tears. As last-minute replacements for Church of the Cosmic Skull go – Elephant Tree is some going.
Second act on is the mighty Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, who will be referred to; as they often are, by Pigs x7 for this review – and they have plenty of people in the pit chanting ‘Pigs’ during the downtime. It’s a band with a loyal following who can genre cross with ease – last time I was at the same festival they were; it was Mutations, supporting Lambrini Girls in Brighton. This time – at the Roundhouse; they’re back in their wheelhouse. From the moment the Newcastle band come on stage – everyone present just goes fucking nuts and it’s hard not to resist the pull of the mosh. One of the safest of that size I’ve ever been in, and one of the sweatiest – their pull is irresistible and the constant build keeps the crowd energised. It’s psych rock with heavy metal; mixed in with a tad of noise – arguably a contender for one of Britain’s most exciting heavy acts to emerge in the last decade. There are touches of Deafheaven here – more diverse and have early Mastodon energy to match. One thing’s for certain: pure, unadulterated chaos is on the agenda for the evening.
They pull from ‘Death Hilarious’ and ‘Land of the Sleeper’ for the main bulk of their set; with 6 songs taken the 2025 release that feels like pure sludge metal of the best kind. It allows for a ridiculously inventive battle-ready war-cry, showing their sonic range that translates perfectly live. ‘Wyrm’, as a set opener, makes the tension palpable in the room as it almost acts as a form of rage-induced catharsis. They are a band that have that power to make you feel surrounded by familiar faces; friends and family alike even though you’re in a room of complete strangers who you’ve never met before; as everyone in the pit is warm, hugging, welcoming – when crowd surfers go down, they’re pulled straight back up again; in venues of this size; the atmosphere is rare to see everyone operating on the same wavelength. As shows go Pigs x7 lead a celebration of one thing and one thing only: sheer noise. The euphoria for a lead-in is hard to match – and their range means that one second; they have touches of Sunn 0))) and Electric Wizard, the next, Black Sabbath – a lot of Back to the Beginning tees are worn in the pit – in full flow that ramps up their amps to the maximum volume possible. Anyone without earplugs is feeling it by the end of the night – Pigs x7 are that kind of band.
Saturday headliners are hometown heroes Green Lung who have much of their roots in British folklore and are stalwarts among the iconography of Stonehenge and the druids of old. It adds a touch of mystique to them that makes them different from almost any band – and it’s such a tall order for Green Lung to follow that you almost wonder whether they are capable of matching the sheer proweress of Pigs x7. Luckily; any doubt is quashed from the moment that frontman Tom Templar steps foot on stage – this is pure flamboyance that showcases their status as deserving as not only the future of metal but also worthy of that first headline slot: occult witchcraft in pure Black Sabbath mode: elevated to headline status by a forward-thinking festival that would rather introduce fans to the next generation of metal rather than chase past glories. You either get bands like Architects who have failed to capture the headline status afforded to them with an undersold 02 act and then being bumped back down to second billing behind Korn less than a year later; or you get Green Lung – who are on the bridge of an explosion that make you question whether or not come December and the new album the Roundhouse return will be too small a venue for them.
Songs that the fans love and adore are all there ‘Maxine (Witch Queen)’, ‘Woodland Rites’ are there; mixed with the final song: ‘Let the Devil In’ that goes all out into chaos that twinkle in the starlight like a band that’s best watched at midnight in a cloudless sky; say – at Stonehenge, where a similar monument adorns the iconic Roundhouse wall. The images drenched in folklore history set the mood – new single ‘Evil in this House’ goes down a storm when deployed early on; and the way Green Lung through the set with such a strong start shows that they’re really ready to take their stage to the next level. The riffs are fast, heavy and epic – and the romp of ‘Maxine (Witch Queen)’ allows the band do go full theatrical with it. It’s rare that you’ll see an outfit so committed to their mythology and iconography that makes them different and that is what metal as a genre needs right now: something like Green Lung to give it a shot in the arm; a new generation of a headliner that will follow in the wake of Sleep Token’s rapid-fire explosion. Their Arctangent set in 2025 was magnetic and alluring; their meteoric rise unquestionable; the small fields in Somerset their natural home. They’ll be back: and next time as headliners.
Day two takes our lessons learnt from the queue chaos of the first two days and we’re able to apply it to make it into Panama-originated outfit Alphawhores, who bless them, didn’t expect an at-capacity Black Heart for their soundcheck. The central American outfit are unique for their country – their massive riffs allow them to really make a tone in the way that backs up their striking imagery – promo art looks like they’ve stepped off the poster of 2019 film ‘Monos’ – by Alejandro Landes. Their parallel breakups and jamming in 2021 has led them to a louder band than what they have had in the past and it’s shown on stage – a doom atmosphere that benefits from a meticulous rhythmic approach and snarling riffs to back it up. There are echoes of Melvins and Baroness here in their approach and songs like ‘House of Doom’ and ‘Pirate Mode’ really allow them to flex their stuff for those who make the effort to risk avoiding the lure of the big acts on at the Roundhouse.
Of course; naturally; it being Desertfest, we can’t resist the pull of the Roundhouse for long and make our way up for Truckfighters. The two-man Swedish outfit never run out of fuel and are a legendary band that get their energy live and their heart in the right place. They are debuting 2026 album ‘Masterflow’ but have enough of the old hits to keep the fans happy; and like yesterday, the mosh energy is electric and it’s very much the same people involved giving it their all. Like their new album their live set remains unpredictable and you can never guess where they are going to go next; but one thing’s for sure – the energy is off the charts. Oskar “Ozo” Cedermalm embraces the cosmic melodies with a sense of rawness that flesh out the band’s work with its exciting riffs that will change the sheer mind of anyone present. ‘Carver’ is a highlight of the album and it’s a highlight of the live set – layered in there with a mix of psych to keep the stoner rock elements fresh and exciting and that’s reflected in a live set that never comes up for air.
The Sword are the penultimate act of the weekend and for a Sunday night; you’ve never seen the Roundhouse bouncier. With over 20 years of existence under their belt they are practically royalty in the heavy rock scene and people at the barrier have been camping out all day to see them. This whole weekend is bands showing how much the riffs can add to a scene: and this magic ritual of swagger and confidence has seen them get where they are today. It’s a unity of the night and the dark – dropping choice cuts of ‘Cloak of Feathers’, ‘Maiden’, Mother & Crone’ and more, and with the enthusiasm reflected in the room they are capable of making sure that just when you think they have delivered all they have – new tracks are played in. The slow move makes you think you might avoid a mosh: BUT the pace accelerated and by ‘The Night the Sky Cried (Tears of Fire)’, things are in full effect. It’s purely dynamic, mesmerising brilliance that few bands with the long-lasting pedigree of The Sword can offer and it’s easy to see why they have a devoted fandom that follows them everywhere throughout the years.
Finally; closing out the night, the energy somehow gets bouncier and rowdier for metal icons Clutch. Each headline set runs from 9:30 to 11, so it’s a full blown set – much more daunting a prospect than earlier in the day, but Neil Fallon dares the audience to not care about the fact that it’s a Monday and throw caution to the wind. They oblige. Obviously the hit is ‘Electric Worry’, but there’s more than that to the stoner-rock icons – who have been around since 1991 and show everyone tonight why they have earned that reputation. It’s pure chaos from front to back; side to side of the Roundhouse and the sheer high-octane energy gives you arguably one of the best shows you’ll have seen. Foot-stompers shackle and rattle the surface of the Roundhouse and the encore has them in overdrive for the night – they seize the crowd by the throat and keep them in a trance. Jean-Paul Gaster’s drums are tight, focused and the rhythmic section is a masterclass of tension – delivery theatrical without loading into parody. Fallon’s vocals and stage presence allow him to act like preacher to a choir – every lyrical flourish feels deliberate and well performed. It’s a band that have plenty of time to refine themselves on stage and it pays off – capable of hurling a live grenade into the room and igniting the atmosphere in a way that just doesn’t let up.
I expect many in that room will be tired; exhausted, and quite possibly hungover on the trek back into work the following day – but for everyone who went for the whole three days; every stoner-rock fan who went for all three days; it’s the experience of a lifetime that they won’t easily forget. Same again next year Desertfest? Yes please.
Words by Miles Milton Jefferies
