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 ...

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...