Diaries of Doom

I will always take the opportunity to interview bands when I work press at festivals. It's a chance to not only network but also learn an insight or two into the inner machinations of bands I look up to, listen to, or will soon be listening to. The community is arguably what makes Desertfest London, and when a band is not on stage, laying Camden to waste with riffs, fuzz and heavy beats, they are just like you or I. The performances might be larger than life, but those that play this festival are often another down-to-earth face when you catch them in a more normal, casual environment. I was able to interview a band on every stage at Desertfest this year, which really offered perspective. Enjoy your listening! My first chat of the weekend was the iconic, red-pointy-hat-wearing stoner/proggers in Gnome , who talked about their rich history with Desertfest festivals, how to write the way they do, and who might appear at their own festival. Many thanks to Claire from Purple Sage PR fo...

And the mysterious haze has just about left Camden with another Desertfest gone until next year. For three days, London worshipped the power of The Riff. Here's how it went! FRIDAY One of the first bands on at The Dev on Friday were Yorkshire riffmongers Ironrat , who completely pack out the venue around teatime. The snarling, high-octane 'Liar' opens proceedings at full throttle to get fists pumping and arses shaking before the progressive 'Tip Of My Tongue' keeps the flow and shows their versatility with sludgy gutpunches, thumping blues riffs and a meditative bass guitar break (all in one track). Their low-tuned grooves are as heavy as anything and move the whole room, and although there's a sense of melancholy in some of their vocal melodies Ironrat still really bring a party vibe to the festival, led by Martin's charismatic frontmanship. Amid psychedelic leads, sludgy power, and twin guitar harmonies, Ironrat don't reinvent the wheel. Instead, they ...

Joel H Bulsara is a Yorkshire-based musician with his first solo album hot off the press. The vocalist of Leeds groove metal force Ireosis, as well as the man behind the trap-inspired Vilitigo. project, and formerly of stoner doomsters (The) Sound Of Origin, he already boasts an impressive musical CV (heavily condensed into one line here). So, where does his new project as JHB sit? Hastur The King seems to mostly act as the spiritual successor to (The) Sound Of Origin, with its heavy leanings into riff-worshipping stoner and doom metal. However, as the lyricist, composer, producer and engineer, performing every instrument, this is far more than the logical next step of an old band. Hastur The King is brought together with occult themes, and a hell of a lot of soul poured into the effort. Conceptually, Hastur The King handles Lovecraftian horror and the occult. This is apparent in song titles such as The Tarot or Mandelbrot Madness (The Musical) - which, in very simple and half-expl...

Music festival season in the UK begins by the time May comes around, and keeps going all the way through the summer. Kicking off a spell of alldayers, weekenders and more for 2026, the first weekend of May saw Slaughterhouse Festival come to Birmingham for its fourth edition. It showcased all sorts of talent in heavy music coming out of the Midlands and beyond, on three stages for the first time. The Castle & Falcon may be a bit out the way from the city centre, but has hosted some of the best Birmingham gigs you'll find over the years, and today's no different. While I'm here, I'd like to thank Rory for asking me to cover the event, for adding Diaries of Doom to the festival poster (that's a first!) and also inviting Slump to headline the unplugged stage for what was our first acoustic performance. My first band of the day are Osiris , who give everything they've got for half an hour on the second stage. Showing off a varied range of influences, Osiris cov...

Desertfest London is a bit like Christmas for British people of a certain musical persuasion. It comes once a year, and you spend most of it drunk with the family. Instead of music about decking the halls or reindeer, though, you're more likely to catch someone singing ‘N.I.B.’ or claiming to be Iron Man after hours at The Black Heart. And instead of a traditional roast dinner, you've got virtually the entire world's cuisine within a stone's throw in the Camden markets. I first went in 2017 for the day to see Sleep, then started doing the full weekend every year from 2022 onwards. By now, it's booked into the calendar as soon as the dates are announced. This year will be my second time covering the event for Diaries of Doom and my third time as an artist (more on that later), which I'm very grateful for. If you see something on the merch table that catches your eye, consider doing without the next couple of beers and grabbing it there and then. It's one of t...

West Midlands-based goth rockers She Sells Sin made their long-awaited live debut at The Giffard Arms in Wolverhampton in January, as main support for longtime UK regulars Rhombus. After releasing a stream of singles in recent years and existing mainly as a studio project led by singer/guitarist Ian Guest, the live lineup is now ready to go and, on tonight's account, already firing on all cylinders. The synth-heavy intro of Sorrow gently leads into a clean first verse, showing She Sells Sin's melodic core from the first moments. Ian's soulful baritone carries the track's powerful hook nicely, before some blasting from their drummer makes for a killer surprise at the very end, showing off some impressive technical chops. Lucifer follows, picking up the pace with its pounding groove and gothic vocal lines. A flashy guitar solo adds another layer of effortless cool before the song's low, doomy, melodic coda evokes Type O Negative at their slowest. She Sells Sin, a...