The lunchtime beers are already flowing, and Camden is buzzing with activity for day two of Desertfest. It’s already one in, one out at the Black Heart, with the queue snaking through the busy pub downstairs and onto the street.
Words: Ellie Odurny // Photos: Jessi Lotti, Sam Huddleston and Tim Bugbee
INSTAR SLING
Downstairs in the Underworld, things are decidedly less lively as Instar Sling launch into a relentless assault of brutal noise. Every drawn-out, downturned chord sounds like it’s been dragged through a mire and every snarled vocal is packed with venom. It’s slow, it’s dark and it’s crushingly heavy. They aren’t going to get any toes tapping or heads banging, but if you like your doom to be as bleak, sludgy and as smothering as possible, then Instar Sling are the band for you.
INHUMAN NATURE
The Roundhouse replaces the Electric Ballroom as the largest space for the weekend dates of Desertfest, so it’s a small trek up to Chalk Farm to watch Inhuman Nature in the opening slot. The London five-piece inject intensity into their set from the start, as hardcore-tinged vocals interplay with rapid thrash rhythms. Scattered over the weighty riffs and the occassional half-beat breakdowns are plenty of guitar solos that make full use of the fretboard, dishing out delightful metal squeals. The pace in general is much faster than a lot of the bands on the line-up, and even though the pit isn’t enormous or particularly ferocious, Inhuman Nature do a great job of blowing off any cobwebs from day one to hurtle into the second day of Desertfest at full velocity.
HARROWED
It’s a sprint back down the road to catch Kent trio Harrowed, who are busy trying to blow the roof off the Underworld with their raucously rapid metallic hardcore. Visceral vocals are screamed over ruthless drums and heavy-as-heck riffs. The set is full of the kind of aggression that constantly sounds like it has a purpose; always furious, never unhinged. Harrowed are ear-shatteringly loud, sure, but not just for the sake of it. There are elements of punk and death metal woven into the mix, adding texture and nuance to a technically impressive performance.
ELEPHANT TREE
It’s back to the Roundhouse again for Desertfest favourites Elephant Tree. The stoner/psych rockers bring a dreamy, groove-ridden mood to an increasingly-busy floor, as fuzzy guitars and entrancing beats wash over the crowd with ease. The tempo is slow and steady, with heads nodding along to the psychedelic, bluesy and occasionally doom-infused pulse. Not for the first time at Desertfest, the crowd sing happy birthday to bassist Peter Holland, the trailing cheers drowned out by hazy bass and laidback melodies.
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
Newcastle’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs always look like they’re having a fantastic time on stage. Their energy is infectious and it doesn’t take long for the Roundhouse crowd to work themselves into a frenzy in response. The bass thunders out into the rafters and trademark gravelly vocals power through to the very back of the room. The band have been carving out a space for themselves in the metal scene for the past 14 years and have developed an inimitable stage presence during that time. There’s no stillness to their operation; it’s a buzzing, energetic hive of activity that waxes and wanes through syncopated rhythms and churning guitars. Combining the groove of the early heavy metal scene with the driving rhythms of more upbeat stoner rock, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs deliver a set that has everyone bouncing and thrashing along from start to finish.
GREEN LUNG
It felt like every other person in Camden today was wearing some kind of Green Lung merchendise. The now-London locals have amassed quite the fanbase over the years, and it seems like most of them are here tonight for Green Lung’s inaugural Desertfest headline set. With the gathering masses still jostling to find the best spot, vocalist Tom Templar appears, bathed in a spotlight to deliver the opening bars of ‘The Harrowing’. A fittingly flamboyant beginning to a show that is steeped in occult iconography and folk mystery. Imagery aside, the production is (almost always) slick and confident, without veering into conceited territory. The guitar solos ooze old-school metal charm, and it’s quite something to see a tambourine being played so aggressively. New track ‘Evil In This House’ is a stomping tune, lapped up by the crowd and dripping with classic heavy metal flare. The slower numbers are heavy on the bass, with the theatrical vocals lifting a doomy low-end into something altogether more dramatic. It’s not all serious though. In a scene that could have been cut from ‘This Is Spinal Tap’, a mysterious creature appears on stage, only for the horned head to flip over backwards and render the beast virtually headless. It’s swiftly tossed back into place by a visibly amused Templar who carries on regardless with a smooth professionalism that epitomises a Green Lung show. There are layers of carefully constructed sound and there are moments of mildly self-indulgent guitar trilling, but overall, they’re just a whole lot of fun. For the finale, original bassist Andrew Cave joins the band on stage for ‘Let The Devil In’, with Joseph Ghast adding some brass flounce on saxophone. It’s another string to the proverbial bow of a Green Lung gig, and the camaraderie, cohesion and talent on stage are proof of why this band’s popularity is ever-growing.
