London’s Desertfest sees swathes of doom, psych and stoner rock fans descend upon five venues throughout Camden for three days. Greenland Place, outside The Black Heart, is closed off for the weekend; the narrow lane becoming a bustling epicentre of merch, media, drinkers, chatters and smokers. The juxtaposition of vaguely lost tourists and occasionally dazed rockers is a source of constant amusement, as festival-goers weave between the unsuspecting crowds from venue to venue.
Words: Ellie Odurny // Photos: Jessi Lotti, Sam Huddleston and Tim Bugbee
CAPRICORNS
Friday’s largest gig space is the Electric Ballroom, which is where instrumental quartet Capricorns have reunited for their first live show since disbanding in 2008. There’s no sign of rustiness, however, as they deliver an accomplished mix of doom-laden, math-rock-tinged tracks to an appreciative audience. An impressive twin guitar stance and synchronised head-banging exudes confidence, with rumbling bass and solid drums driving the rhythm through the doomy, fuzzy riffs. The earlier tracks are linked with a distorted spoken word recording, which fades out as the intensity grows and the pace quickens into a heavy, almost frantic beat. There are mellow moments too, gradually building to a big booming sound, peppered with drumrolls and guitar licks. The tuning might not always have been 100%, but for a band that haven’t performed in nearly two decades, Capricorns still sound cohesive and powerful.
WITCHSORROW
Underneath the World’s End Pub, a bell tolls, heralding the arrival of doom metal trio Witchsorrow to The Underworld’s stage. With the floor in darkness and the stage bathed in a dull red light, the tempo is slow and the mood is gloomy. Hanging onto every resounding bass note for a moment longer than is strictly comfortable, there’s something strangely mesmerising about the macabre dirge. The set is interspersed with skilful shredding and plentiful use of effects pedal, which seem to pull the crowd out of their state of hypnosis momentarily. Feet begin to tap and heads begin to nod, faces still fixed towards the stage, spellbound by Witchsorrow’s brand of dark magic.
GNOME
Back around the corner, things look decidedly cheerier, as a very busy Electric Ballroom is populated with a sea of pointy red hats for Belgian rockers Gnome. For a band that look rather silly and draw a crowd of similarly whimsical fans, their sound is altogether more serious. With three albums released since their inception just over ten years ago, Gnome blend elements of sludge, doom and stoner rock into a sound that’s far grittier than their image would suggest. They sound tight from the off, with a meaty bassline providing the foundation for rock ’n’ roll grooves and strong vocals. A small but fairly raucous pit opens up, hats and hands flying in the air as everyone grins at one another, crowd and band alike. With deft picking and some enormous riffs, Gnome bounce between heavy, thundering beats and more experimental proggier rhythms with ease.
CWFEN
Pronounced “Coven” for those not-in-the-know, Cwfen hail from Glasgow. As the name would suggest, they lean heavily into witchy folklore-inspired genre of doomgaze. The set moves through 2025’s debut album ‘Sorrows’ with purpose, confidence and a real sense of a strong narrative. There are nods to the gothic romanticism of the darkwave, but with an eerier edge and a heavier beat. Ethereal vocals soar gently over the slowly-swaying crowd, punctuated by blackened screams that add to the atmospheric ambience in the room. The pulse quickens and harmonies add to the depth of sound, with a few perfectly-timed crashing cymbals building to a crescendo that is simultaneously both dark and uplifting.
HERMANO
There are some bands for whom this year’s Desertfest is one of their first gigs. Not so, for the members of Hermano. A stoner rock supergroup of sorts, the band came about when members of Kyuss, Supafuzz, Afghan Whigs and Disengage/Earshot joined producer and bassist Dandy Brown to make an album at the turn of the millennium. Since then, Hermano have played and recorded together, when their schedules have aligned, to produce a sound that epitomises the heavy, bluesy groove of the Desert Rock scene. They play to the packed room with an ease that comes from years of experience, and a swagger that portrays their talent without a need for grandiose gestures. It’s not often that a vocalist takes a quiet step back to put the spotlight on the rest of the band, but subtle moves like this from John Garcia cement a sense of cohesion in the band. There are no egos in tonight’s performance, just suave vocals, a commanding stage presence, big riffs and a pounding rhythm section driving proceedings ever forward. It’s a rare treat to catch Hermano live and even more so in the UK, and it’s clear from the sea of captivated faces in the Electric Ballroom tonight that the fans are delighted to be here.
HÄLLAS
Swedish quintet Hällas stand out from the majority of the attendees at Desertfest today. Clad in sequins and capes, their “Adventure Rock” output matches their outfits; dripping in 70s psychedelia and theatrical storytelling. There’s a lightness to their performance, with intricate guitar work and distinctly proggy keys lifting the emotive vocals. The tempo changes and an overall more dreamlike vibe provides a welcome respite from the relentless chugging of the heavier bands on the bill. That’s not to say Hällas don’t have weight. There are chunky riffs and rolling drums aplenty, but there’s a delicacy to their sound that adds to the intrigue. The final set at the Underworld today is indeed an adventure, packed with a variety of rhythms, sonic complexity and a whole lot of pizazz.
MEATDRIPPER
Closing out the Friday night, the delightfully-named Meatdripper are shrouded in smoke on the tiny stage in the corner of the Dev, Deserfest’s smallest venue. The psych-sludge quartet from Birmingham can only be seen by a handful of people, but they can be heard throughout the entire pub and onto the street outside. Huge levels of vocal distortion produce an otherworldly sneer, cutting through the mucky bass and fancy fretwork but never overpowering it. It’s sludge with an edge, teetering on the melodic side of pure doom with treble trills over the growling bassline. An excellent conclusion to the first day of Desertfest, Meatdripper supplied a solid set worthy of bigger stages, which they will no doubt be inhabiting in the not-too-distant future.
