Rod: Just like yesterday with Glassing, I started Friday with a powerful post-like metal performance with incredible drumming (TWO DRUMMERS!). And just like yesterday, I arrived a couple of minutes into the show so I had to slither my way around to find an okay-ish spot. Shame I couldn’t see much of the stage because the two Dutch bands, Throwing Bricks and Ontaard, sounded absolutely massive. Both vocalists were incredible but Shira van der Wouden from Ontaard was on a league of her own with captivating cleans and insane shrieks alike. Both bands need to be experienced on their own but now I’m really excited to hear a studio version of their collaboration!
Radu: Not the first time that Roadburn pairs up two (usually Dutch) bands together for a commissioned piece. Both were bands whose names I’ve heard before but that I hadn’t listened to, so I went in purely because it was in the clashless spot and because commissioned projects are at least interesting even if only for the scarcity factor. I’m so glad that I did. Not only did the project switch up vocalists (Ontaard’s Shira van der Wouden ranked as my favorite of the bunch), but they also had TWO DRUMMERS! The Engine Room really worked for them as well as it worked for Glassing, making the post-metal sound feel monstrously huge. Gorgeous soundscapes that also included plenty of hardcore and black metal.
Rod: As an “artist in residence”, Midwife performed sets for three out of the four days of the festival. I knew I had to get in on the action at some point. Her set with Vyva Melinkolya, performing their collaborative album Orbweaving in its entirety, was the first and only one of these sets that I could see. Walking through the merch area I saw the funniest T-shirt of the entire festival. A T-shirt that said “I cried at a Midwife show”. I kind of regret not buying it but at the same time it would have made me a poser just like Radu because I actually did not cry at the show as I didn’t find it depressive at all. I’m pretty sure I saw a couple of people sobbing but to me this was just a really nice, warm ambient set with slow and soothing melodies played through the wall of shoegaze guitar riffs. The visuals were endearing with the two artists just being kinda goofy and playful while on vacation. If anything it perhaps made me yearn for some hard-earned vacations of my own in the company of someone dear.
Radu: Midwife and Vyva Melinkolya had plenty of sets at this festival due to Midwife being artist in residence. I prioritized this collaborative one to see how well the two mesh together. Having already seen Midwife at a previous edition, I knew this would feel like a warm blanket, but I expected it to feel more melancholic in a depressing way. The backdrop being a slowed down home video of the two of them hanging out on vacation certainly made it feel “warm” less in a comforting way and more in a life affirming way.
Rod: Previous (and first) time I saw Messa was on the very same spot at the Main Stage when the Italian doomsters presented their work Closer in its entirety. Now I was redoing it all over again with their newest work, The Spin. I only heard two singles at home before stopping and thinking “Nah, I need to experience this live first”. The sound was excellent and the lovely 80’s goth rock vibes really came through awesomely and made many in the audience dance. Even though she was just standing there in the middle, Sara Bianchin’s vocal performance was simply incredible and made everyone focus on her every word. And hell yeah for a horn player for the brilliant “The Dress”!
Radu: I love Messa, but I didn’t plan on seeing them during this set specifically due to how many times I’ve already seen them live (most of the times at this festival). Here’s also where the logistics of us having only one key reared its head in, because I had just done a load of laundry that morning, and I needed to take the clothes out of the dryer. Because of how long the entire process lasted, I arrived halfway through De Mannen Broeders’ set, who I planned to see initially, and I saw the huge queue that formed in front of the Next Stage entrance, and settled for the next best thing.
I only managed to give The Spin one listen before the performance, and I haven’t gotten around to giving it another spin (hehe), but I liked it slightly more in the bits I heard live than in the one listen I gave it in a hotel room in Paris. Sara is a damn great vocalist, having enough of a stage presence even when seen from very far away on the balcony, and bringing a live horn player for “The Dress” made the performance feel more special.
Mateusz: That’s Colin from Amenra. I’m actually writing these words shortly after the Amenra show in Kraków, in which, as you can imagine, he was a different beast. This one was a solo folky ritual ambient stuff project. I knew that this show was going to be one of those that either you fully manage to feel the atmosphere and you end up loving it, or you don’t feel it and then it would be boring. It took me a couple of minutes but I did manage to feel it.
Rod: I originally had no plans after Messa and I wasn’t in the mood to hurry up and see anything but oh boy I’m so glad I followed my gut and went on to see The HIRS Collective. Unfortunately I was late for a decent spot so I stayed close to the exit with my sister and a friend of mine and we were greeted by a huge slap in the face in the form of insanely aggressive grindcore. Everything went full schizophrenic by the time the samples came in the form of classic pop songs that everyone sang and danced along with. The ferocity of the vocals and the inventiveness of the guitar riffs made me compare them with Agoraphobic Nosebleed or old Pig Destroyer but super gay (and I mean that as a huge compliment). I had so much fun that I wished I had run from Messa the second they ended their set so I could have experienced the moshpit that Radu was in. Fate can sometimes lend a helping hand though and it turns out The HIRS Collective was on tour and performed in Malmö on the 7th of May. Watching them play for 50 people instead of an audience at least 10 times that size was a huge contrast and just as incredible. Here I send a personal greeting to singer Jenna, I had so much fun talking to you after the set!
Radu: The one time I reviewed The HIRS Collective, it was a very collaborative kind of record, so I was very curious how that would translate to the live setting. Well, that ended up being The HIRS Collective being reduced to its barebones lineup of vocalist + guitarist. I was a bit bothered by this, but what ended up happening was the band making the most out of having backing tracks, by alternating their grind injection bursts with pop song samples relating to feminine gender euphoria (“Man, I Feel Like A Woman” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”). That contrast was enough to skyrocket the set’s energy and make it one of the most fun ones of the festival.
Radu: Considering that I’d see a bunch of these guys during the Pageninetynine set, it’s quite the contrast seeing them perform this mellowed out indie folk. It was also great though, because of how earnest and emotionally resonant it was, and musically the blend with the more melancholic slowcore, the dash of alt-country, and the more vibrant post-rock made it feel very poignant and heartwarming. Aside from the more ambient stuff, this was the quietest set of the festival, in the best way.
Rod: The time leading up to this set was a bit of a drag to me as I was fully aware that 40 Watt Sun would attract a huge crowd and the Paradox stage is tiny compared to the others at Roadburn. So after The HIRS Collective and a quick bite and drink with my company, I sighed and headed out to the Paradox one hour in advance which still meant I ended up in a queue. The venue had not opened yet so I was confident that I would get a great spot. Which I did, right behind the two rows of chairs lined up in front of the stage. So I had a clear front view of Patrick Walker. The previous time I saw the man was a very special moment for me. It was 3 years ago, the first Roadburn since the pandemic and I cried during the whole show. Patrick’s music resonates so much with me. When friends asked me how this show was I joked and said “I feel much more adult now. I only cried twice this time”. Patrick had jokes too as when he walked to the stage and saw the packed room he made a grimace and said “that looks fucking uncomfortable”. The major difference this time was that Patrick was performing completely alone. He was armed with just a guitar, his special voice, and charming stage presence with classic British banter to boot. Naturally, the tracks “Carry Me Home” and “Until” left me as if I was naked in a winter storm, shivering due to all the emotions pouring on me. But the warmth of the new songs like “Astoria” as well as Patrick’s charismatic talks with the audience in between tracks were the warm blanket that comforted me. This was definitely the most intimate set of the whole festival for me.
Radu: I managed to catch very little of Dis Fig’s solo set, though not enough for its separate writeup (having a live drummer was pretty cool). Moving on to see the other solo half of the collab I saw the previous day, The Body also sounded huge, with the main stage doing a great job at enlarging their sound. Chip’s vocals did get a larger share of the sound compared to the previous collab set, which did end up feeling like too much of a good thing towards the end of my stay, though not to the extent that I predicted it would.
Mateusz: Walter, Roadburn’s creative director, said on his Q&A that he walked out of this show screaming “Zombie Zombie is the best, I don’t give a shit about anything else”. Well, different strokes… For me, it wasn’t a bad show by any means, but I expected more krautrock-y electronic madness. And while some songs were more or less what I wanted, some dragged on a bit. I’m happy that I saw them but overall was slightly disappointing.
Radu: I planned my schedule to make sure I see at least one of the Steve Von Till sets, and I went for the instrumental one under the Harvestman banner, due to perform the trio of albums the project released last year. The songs were performed as a duo, with the help of loopers, and a lot of the best moments came in the more guitar-centric sections. As an ambient set, it was pretty entrancing and lively, but I was most pleasantly surprised by the couple of guys next to me that cheered whenever they recognized a song that started, which is a level of connection I didn’t expect someone to have with an ambient project.
Mateusz: So, about that krautrock-y electronic madness I mentioned that Zombie Zombie was lacking? MAQUINA. had it in extreme doses. Very intense, energetic, fun show. It’s the only gig I planned to see in Hall of Fame (which is the smallest ‘regular’ venue with capacity of 350 people) and it was a fucking great one. One of my definite highlights by far. And looking at how the audience behaved, I could make a safe bet that I’m not isolated in my opinion.
Radu: Quite soon I found out that Chat Pile would perform a secret set at the skatepark, and considering that I knew I’d miss the main stage set, something about their energy felt very appropriate for the skatepark. Knowing that I’d have to switch up my schedule, I decided to move from the 013 area to the Koepelhal area, which was close to the skatepark, and also catch a bit of Human Impact.
Thankfully, Rod was quicker than me to get in the queue for Chat Pile, meaning that I could catch more of Human Impact before I went on to join him in the queue (gracias, amigo!). As far as Human Impact were concerned, their industrial-tinged noise rock reminded me a lot of Unsane, which made more sense when I found out that both bands were fronted by the same person. The presence of keys did make the already quite melodic sound more interesting.
Mateusz: I find it baffling that Rod had spent more than twice the time in Paradox this year than me and Radu combined. That’s because he saw one show there, Radu saw nothing and I saw 20 minutes of Angles. That was always my plan, as clashes were brutal this year, but I told myself I have to visit Paradox. Love that venue, Twin Peaks-y like curtains, delicious Leffe for a decent price, lovely atmosphere. But I digress. Angles is a Swedish jazz band whose 2022 album I liked a lot. But this one was a special set, focusing on their collaboration album with Elle-Kari, The Death Of Kalypso, released last year. It went under my radar and I only picked it up while doing listening for Roadburn. It’s way different from their regular albums, as it’s an avant-garde jazz opera based on, well, the death of Kalypso. I can only attest for the first 20 minutes, but it was very, very vocal-based. Even though there were 7 instrumentalists on the stage, most of them didn’t play anything, while Elle-Kari (who was looking indeed like some figure from Greek mythology, but maybe that’s how Swedish people dress) was singing. The moments where the whole band played were very good but at least in that short time period, they were way too scarce. I still enjoyed it but I think mainly for Paradox vibes, with the awareness next time I’ll be there would hopefully be 2026.
NEW AGE DOOM FEAT. TUVABAND
Mateusz: Well, this should be interesting to describe. New Age Doom is a Canadian duo composed of a drummer and a guy that does everything else. Tuvaband is a Norwegian pop singer (some sources say it is indeed a two-people band but she performed alone, and Tuvaband‘s social media profile also treats her as a sole performer). They released an album together in 2023, and that collaboration would have been an unexpected one, if it wasn’t for the fact that the first time I heard these names was when I stumbled upon the album. And the album is great. Psychedelic/post-rock goodness with jazz vibes and many memorable moments. The thing is, the album is layered with plenty of sounds, and on the stage there were three people with only 2 of them playing instruments, so while I’m away from being an expert, there’s an easy deduction to be made: lots of sounds were from tape. Personally, while some may find it off-putting, it didn’t bother me too much. They played their new album in full, although they shortened some segments, as they fit the 49 minutes of music in around 40 minutes. Which meant they still had some time in their set (despite starting late because of technical difficulties) and they played two of Tuvaband songs and finished the show with New Age Doom‘s song (actually, their other collaboration album, with Lee “Scratch” Perry who has since passed away).
I’ve just read that it was their first show together… but I did figure it out on my own cause it looked like this. Tuva looked especially shy, and likely stressed, while holding the microphone with both hands for the entirety of the show. A bit of a weird choice was that last New Age Doom‘s song with samples of Lee’s vocals. Tuva was also on stage and sometimes she held the mic closer to her mouth, as if she was about to sing, but ultimately didn’t. It was just a bit weird. I don’t want this to sound so negative, because I definitely enjoyed the show. Musically, the album is great, and all three musicians did a satisfactory job with bringing it to the live setting (as much as they could without any session musicians). And that would mean that even with a slight but ultimately harmless, if not charming, awkwardness, the show was also sweet.
Mateusz: Gnod have collaborated with White Hills yet again and played some kraut/psychedelic rock together. I watched the last 20 minutes. You know what, I’ll keep it short this time: it was good. There. Sometimes it’s all I have to say about a show.
Rod: After the emotional journey that was 40 Watt Sun, I decided to take it easy and just walk around the festival grounds, drinking and having a chat with any acquaintances I came by. The original plan was to catch some of Harvestman right after but the stage was packed and I decided to wait an hour until Cave In were going to perform. I honestly wasn’t too excited about their set. I just needed something to do. And that’s when I got a notification from my phone that Chat Pile were going to do a secret show at the skatepark. I dropped everything and went immediately to the queue that was already forming and texted Radu to move his ass asap while I was saving him a spot. Both of us were going to miss their Main Stage show the day after so this was one sweet relief for us. This was the first time I ever went to the skatepark area in all these years. As soon as I got in I knew this was the right atmosphere for this band. A sweaty group of people gathered in front of the stage but Radu and I had other plans. We ran up to the ramps and had a great side-view. The sound was monstrous, especially on the bass. Even though the vocals were a bit muffled due to the crushing sound of everything else, I still had a blast headbanging to the corrosive songs of these maniacs.
Radu: We made it quite quickly, which meant that we could spot a proper vantage point. It being a skate park also meant that we had to do a bit of physical exercise to climb it, but it offered a pretty neat view. I was right about Chat Pile’s energy in the skatepark being quite different (even if the crowd wasn’t as rowdy as I expected) and more direct, with the bass sounding less clear but more menacing in there. But that also meant that the vocals were a bit harder to distinguish, at least from the spot where we were at, meaning that I didn’t quite catch most of the stage banter. Bummer, but the vibes more than made up for it.
Radu: Me and Rod did the thing where we decide on what set each of us sees to extend our coverage, and I ended up picking Smote mostly because of them playing A Grand Stream, an album I already liked, in full. I knew it would be more droning and buildup-focused, but I didn’t expect to see that many musicians on stage for it. The upside was that this created a pretty expansive sound, but I also felt that the songs sounded the best during the release part, and the buildup parts felt a bit too stagnant and repetitive. But still… TWO DRUMMERS!
Rod: My original plan was to go see Smote but the group I was staying with wanted to see Bambara so Radu and I made the decision to split. This ended up being a great way to the first half of the festival. Bambara’s take on post-punk is catchy beyond belief. The drumming was powerful, which was no surprise given that it was the same guy from Sunrise Patriot Motion (who performed last year at Roadburn). The whole band displayed an infectious energy and looked so happy to be there with us. That being said, I think the singer stole the show with a seductive performance that entranced the whole audience. With my batteries recharged, I danced the night away with a couple of afterparty beers.
Rod: Welp, first band of the day. You know the deal already: I arrived late. Goddamn it is harsh to get ready by 13:00 when you’ve been partying every night until 2-3 am. This was the time I regretted waking up late the most while at the same time not regretting leaving early. Weird combo, right? Well, the thing is that Witch Club Satan sparked my interest mostly due to what I’ve heard and read about their theatrics. While I was queueing just outside the venue I could hear pretty solid black metal but nothing particularly groundbreaking soundwise. Imagine my reaction when I finally entered the venue only to be greeted by complete silence as the band was preparing some highly theatrical monologue with dark ambient being played in the background. I guess I got severely filtered because I couldn’t connect with what I was hearing at all. After 5 minutes I was thinking “well surely the black metal will start soon” but nooooooooo. They just dragged on and on about a mermaid I couldn’t connect with. It is my belief that I lacked a lot of context here and arriving early would have changed everything from me. So after 15 minutes or so I left and OF COURSE the minute I leave the damn venue I hear loud riffs and blastbeats. Oh well. Next time I guess. But I’m not in a hurry.
Radu: Witnessing this performance here was a two edged sword. The upside was that this felt like a set that had to be in darkness, so seeing it at an open air festival during daytime (which, unless cancellations happens, I will) wouldn’t have had the same effect, and having them as the day’s opener meant I could focus on them fully. The downside is that one of the guitars had a bunch of technical issues that hampered the performance. So while I feel I got the most out of Witch Club Satan as performance art, I didn’t get the most out of Witch Club Satan as a musical act. But if I had to choose, they’re much more interesting as the former than the latter. The flashy name is very indicative of how theatrical and provocative they are, and I can imagine that there are people who take issue with how the presentation takes precedence over the music. The costumes, the nudity, the feminine rage, and the set being structured in acts akin to a theatre piece, complete with costume changes and moments that feel more narrative than musical, it gave me very similar feelings to Heilung, albeit with the folk replaced with black metal, and with the presentation being much more provocative. Even if the technical issues hampered the musical side, it worked for me, but I can see why it might not work for someone else.
Rod: For much more interesting and theatrical black metal, I headed to the closest venue to see Dødheimsgard perform Black Medium Current in its entirety. I haven’t heard the album in question a lot of times prior to this set due to how long it is and how much attention it demands from the listener. That being said, I still consider it their best album and one that I was willing to jump head first into seeing performed live. Just looking at everyone (more than 10 people!) that walked up to the stage made me realise this would be a very special set: Members in nice black suits and formal shirts. Vicotnik had a particularly flashy suit that was half black half gold glitter while also wearing a black veil. A woman in full goth attire doing the choirs. Two DJs in full hooligan mode wearing balaclavas and hoodies. It was Dødheimsgard, all right! The extravagance of the album was perfectly executed by the band along with the matching psychedelic visuals of old movies with demons and dancing women in them. The whole show felt like a wild dream I didn’t want to wake up from!
Radu: I had just seen Dødheimsgard perform a couple of months prior, albeit in a smaller venue, so something that felt more intimate at the cost of a worse sound. So I was curious to see how a larger stage with a set completely focused on the album that made me rediscover the band would fare. The sound front was a huge improvement, and an album like Black Medium Current really needs to have great sound to really connect, though it wasn’t as perfect as it was in the studio. Vicotnik remains an entertaining frontman even if the larger stage didn’t allow for the crowd interactions to feel as intimate as they did in the smaller venue.
Rod: Time stopped a little before and during this set. I left Dødheimsgard in full awe with what a motivated extreme metal band can do. But now I was going to witness what one motivated man can do. I was heading towards the Main Stage to see Steve Von Till when I stumbled upon a good friend of mine from Chile. We sat down and relaxed, discussed life, music and love (cliche, I know). Until the time was right and I told him “follow me if you don’t have any plans”. We went inside the Main Stage where Steve Von Till had just started to perform his final Roadburn performance as Artist In Residence, titled “Calling Down The Darkness”. The foreboding title was only that though, because to me this performance was nothing short of heavenly bliss (the visuals of clouds moving in a loop on a vast American landscape was very fitting). My friend and I just sat down and drank beers while watching in awe at the never-ending wisdom that poured out of Steve’s immortal vocals and poignant lyrics. The touching piano and the gentle drone of the cello. Quiet tears ran down my face. I was fortunate to briefly see Steve Von Till at the bar I usually hang out after each day and I thanked him for his work. It was short but it was a most meaningful moment to me as the music this man has put out throughout his life has been life-affirming to me. Also: Dear Igor, if you read this: I love you and I’m so thankful I got to see this concert with you.
Radu: Once again, my plans changed due to a secret show announcement. I was a bit too excited by the prospect of seeing such a jolly psych rock band as Pharaoh Overlord that I forgot that the recent incarnations of the band are quite different from what I remembered, so I was a bit baffled to see only two people on stage. One playing the electronics, and one doing the vocals. The jolly nature remained though, the electronics side sounding incredibly retro in a 70s sci-fi soundtrack kind of way, sounding more like a cheaper (in a good way) Jean Michel Jarre than anything else, while the vocals lacked lyrics being reduced to grunts and operatics that sounded so hilarious in contrast with the music, and alongside the visual presentations of two guys that looked more like high school gym teachers than musicians. Still, about halfway through I felt like I got the most I could get from it, and wanted to see if I had a chance at entering the Hall of Fame for Grey Aura.
Radu: The huge queue for the Hall of Fame quickly changed my mind about attempting to see Grey Aura, so I decided to try The Engine Room, and see what’s left of the band I was planning to see before the secret show was announced. This would make for the two shortest sets with the biggest overlap that I still got to see. I only caught about ten minutes of it, but it was enough to convince me that the intense screamo energy of Gillian Carter is something I have to witness again in full.
TRISTWCH Y FENYWOD
Mateusz: First out of the only two queues I stood in this year (ten minutes, making me miss the first two songs) and the second one was kinda my fault. It’s a Welsh three girls band playing a neofolk darkwave, with a medieval atmosphere. The vocalist is playing gusli. They clashed with Uniform, whom I listened to for quite some time, but since I found Tristwch’s only album very good after the first listen and the show was very conveniently placed on the next stage between two main sets I wanted to see, I chose to see them instead. And while overall, I enjoyed the show, it didn’t grip me as the album did — there was something lost in translation, something the live atmosphere lacked and the studio version did not. I don’t regret seeing them, but knowing the things I know now, I’d probably have chosen Uniform instead (despite their small clash with Sumac & Moor Mother), especially that, spoiler alert, you’re gonna get Radu drooling all over them.
Radu: One of the bands I was most excited about seeing for the first time, but I can’t deny that it was one particular song I wanted to hear performed live. Knowing that it was gonna be a full album set, the 20 minute title track from American Standard was one I was sure would feel like a towering behemoth, the way that it does on the actual album. The band were clever enough to switch the sides around, playing the final three tracks before embarking on the behemoth itself, which was the thing that made it certain that I was gonna stay the whole set. The band’s punk energy felt especially scathing because of the vocal performance, but also a lot of the difference was made instrumentally due to the fact that they had TWO DRUMMERS!
Rod: Unlike Radu, I had already seen Uniform live two years ago in Malmö. So I knew beforehand that I was in for a treat because this is one band that doesn’t do anything half assed. Their performances were very intense as I expected, with Mike Berdan in particular acting like a madman on stage. Swapping side A and B of their album for the set was a good idea as I think newcomers appreciated the more immediate danger of the three shorter tracks before getting absolutely pummeled by the gigantic title track from American Standard.
SUMAC & MOOR MOTHER
Radu: I have since communicated my thoughts on this collaboration in a review of the album, and since I didn’t get to catch this in full, that might be more comprehensive. But what a privilege to get to see this live, even if I didn’t fully connect with it. It was great seeing Moor Mother handle more than just vocals, which made the more Sumac-centric moments still feel collaborative. But both live and in the studio, it was something that I liked more as a concept rather than actually experiencing it.
ONE LEG ONE EYE
Rod: Last year’s Lankum set was a revelation on how much “non-heavy” music could be so heavy on the heart and mind. So I knew I needed to see the two side-projects of that incredible Irish band! I’m going to be very lazy and describe these two projects as the male and female halves of Lankum. With One Leg One Eye being the male half, spearheaded by Ian Lynch’s hypnotic vocals and crazy work on the uilleann pipes. This was a very raw approach to drone and dark ambient. One that left me completely hypnotized by the end as I barely noticed when Radu left a bit earlier. Even though I did not enjoy it as much as what would follow, it was still a key performance as it perfectly complemented its sister show.
Radu: The more drone-ish ambient of the Lankum side projects to play this year, I somehow didn’t connect with it as much as I thought I would. At this point too much time passed and I can’t exactly remember why that was.
Radu: And what a contrast in impact this had to the previous one! Last year’s Lankum performance ended up in my top 5 sets of my whole concert-going year, and I was afraid that I’d end up unfairly holding this Øxn one up to that standard. Thankfully everything fell into place. The simple album cover backdrop, the sound of the main stage, the somber atmosphere, the simple folk tunes being expanded into droning dirges with violins and vocal harmonies that put more hooks on your heart’s strings. Gorgeous in the most melancholic and harrowing of ways.
Rod: Oh yes. If there was one thing that completely floored me when I saw Lankum last year it was the unreal vocals of Radie Peat. Even though the music wasn’t that similar to Lankum, opting for simple folk songs that slowly but surely expanded into heavier territories, I was sucked into their world in the exact same way. Suddenly I felt a crave for Irish drone music. Let’s hope Roadburn names all these musicians as artists in residence for a future edition!
KUUNATIC
Radu: I know that being raised in the first world gives you a bit of a musical framework and that things outside of that framework might unjustly be seen as “off”. Japan’s Kuunatic felt “off” to me, in a way where it felt like I didn’t have the tools to grab onto their take on psych rock. Not really their fault, maybe it’s just them coming right after Øxn’s amazing set.
ALTIN GÜN
Rod: “Go catch a bit of Altın Gün” said Radu. After Øxn, I had about 2 hours to kill before one of the main events of the festival for me. Feeling a bit lost and heavily drained after the emotional turmoil that was seeing Steve Von Till, One Leg One Eye and Øxn all in one go, I made my way to the Main Stage without a clue of what to expect, only that it was “some type of psychedelic rock”. Ooooooooh damn, I was not ready for this. This set was one hell of a banger after another. Psychedelic rock filled to the top with middle eastern influences and matching vocal melodies to boot. The beat was catchier than rabies and the groovy riffs and bass were more infectious than any stoner act that has performed at this festival this year could ever dream of. It is my hope that the band understood just how magical it was to have an entire audience, almost entirely composed of metalheads, to shake their booty and let loose for a solid hour. It was an instant moment of connection for me as soon as I entered the stage, dancing all the way to a spot in the middle of the audience, close to my sister and another friend. Sadly I only got to experience this magnificent set for 40 minutes out of the 70 minutes they had. But I danced my way out of that stage knowing that my batteries were properly recharged for the last two wild sets of the day. I sincerely hope I can see Altın Gün again!
Radu: I would’ve loved to see what Altın Gün have to present for a Roadburn audience, since the last and only time I saw them was before Merve Daşdemir’s departure, but knowing that Rod would cover it was enough to remove the guilt of instead seeing Doodseskader. A more hip-hop centered project from an Amenra member was thrilling enough in its studio version, and even more so in a live setting. It’s more of a $uicideboy$ kind of hip-hop than anything else, and a lot of the appeal came from seeing this kind of music performed with live drums and bass.
Radu: THIS IS IT! This is the band whose announcement made my heart drop. I came in with the biggest expectations possible, partly because of how great the punkier bands of the fest were so far, and partly because of how great some members of this band already sounded in Pygmy Lush. When the band took the stage, and the first burst of skramz hit, I made the split decision that this would be the first band of the festival where I’d join the pit. I fully expected to go in for one or two songs, get my fill, and then sit on the sides to enjoy the show. But I didn’t get my fill. Songs flew by, and I avoided getting punched by those guys doing hardcore dancing instead of moshing (I got hit in the back of the head once, but not by them), and even with all the increased heart rate and lack of breath, I couldn’t bring myself to leave, pausing mostly to take some vids. Taking a look at those now, I can confirm that I would’ve liked the show just as much if I stayed on the sides, and that the band managed to sound great even with so many guitarists on stage. But I also can’t deny that so much of my enjoyment came from interacting so directly with the set. That’s the kind of energy that seemed to be so infectious that both vocalists crowdsurfed multiple times, one of them stopping in the mosh pit to take some selfies with the crowd members (including yours truly, even if he accidentally opened the step counter first). I refrained from crowdsurfing myself, mostly because I didn’t wanna be responsible for my boots hitting someone over the head, though now I wish I hadn’t.
Rod: Not my intention to copy anyone’s text but I must echo Radu’s sentiment regarding how shocking the announcement of Pg.99’s performance was to me. The last couple of years I’ve been getting heavily into screamo. I must thank Radu for that. I discovered so many insane bands thanks to him, to the point that I showed up to the festival not once, nor twice but three times with a screamo shirt on me (Orchid, Mališa Bahat and Zbrucz. All great! <3). The pouring of deep emotions under the veil of extreme hardcore music was the big selling point for me and Pageninetynine ranked highly among the bands I wished to see. Despite how good Altın Gün were, I just knew I had to leave early to catch a good spot for these legends. I was delighted to find Radu at the center of the soon-to-be battlefield. “My body is not ready for this” I kept telling him right before the band started. Even though I didn’t go all out at the mosh pit (I don’t have replacements for my glasses) I did jump several times into the mosh pit and let loose of so many worries. The band’s performance and sound was air-tight, a sight to behold considering just how many people were on stage (7 or 8?). Despite the large size of the venue, Pageninetynine did their absolute best to make sure the set was as intimate as possible by constantly interacting with the audience either by crowdsurfing, walking around the audience or standing in the middle of the chaos.
Mateusz: The main set. I imagine Rodu (Radrigo?) talked a lot about their skate park set, so I’ll keep it short — a very good show (and yes, I dislike the skate park, main stage all the way, and you don’t need to stand in a queue for an hour. I appreciate it for other stages being less crowded, though.). The set was vastly different from the skate park one, with only two songs being repeated. It focused heavily on the newest album Cool World, with over half of the songs coming from that album. And what more can be said? It’s Chat Pile. They’re excellent live. I’m only slightly disappointed that the song “Why” didn’t get reactions from the audience that I hoped it would, since it was heavily memed in the Roadburn community. A bit funny thing is they released a live album from Roadburn 2023 a day before their show (and since they put an audience photo as the album cover, there’s a chance I’m on the fucking Chat Pile album cover… but I’m likely not cause especially on the festivals I tend to leave the place before the group photo happens) and they kept all the stage banter as separate, appropriately titled tracks. And with that I could tell, the stage banter now was very similar, he again talked about “Robocop” and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. I think he truly loves that book. Fine, I’ll add it to my wishlist.
Rod: Missing Chat Pile’s big concert at the Main Stage was a fair price considering the combo of screamo acts that I got in return. I was so high on adrenaline after Pageninetynine’s set that I headed immediately to the other stage where Blind Girls would perform even though we were a solid 40 minutes too early for the set. We met with my sister and another friend which turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened as I was able to leave my jacket, tote bag and glasses to the ladies (thanks, girls! <3) so Radu and I could jump in on the action one more time. The dissonant mathcore elements shocked the foundations of the building while the more atmospheric moments, doubled down by the harrowing cries of the vocalist, evoked a grand sense of catharsis. By the end of the set, many hugs were given to strangers. What a brilliant way to end this day.
Radu: I already knew that the Pageninetynine to Blind Girls combo would be devastating, but that’s before I decided to spend the Pageninetynine set like I did. With my appetite for moshing started but not sated, it didn’t take long for a pit to open up in this venue as well. Musically, Blind Girls sounded more anguished, both in terms of the vocal performance, and the more atmospheric instrumental side, but it still proved that moshing is the most cathartic way to interact with this music in a live setting. Only then my appetite had been sated.
FOUDRE!
Mateusz: Caught the last half of the show. It’s an electronic project with one of the members of Oiseaux-Tempête, whose show was my favorite one of Roadburn 2023. And while this one didn’t end up being my favorite, not even close to that, I still had a quality time. It’s a vastly different band than Oiseaux, an electronic act blending quite a few of the styles to produce an enthralling atmosphere. And the bass was heavy.
Day 4 – Sunday (20.04)
Rod: Everything about this set was ideal to me. The day started at 14:00 so my drunk ass could actually catch a break and show up early for the first show of the last day. A couple of weeks before traveling I relistened to Vuur & Zijde’s debut album, Boezem, which I found excellent. The balance of post-punk, goth-rock and black metal is exquisite with charming vocals to boot. So why the hell did I feel absolutely nothing upon seeing them live? Beats me. Perhaps there was something there when I heard the singer saying that this was their first show together. It showed. I just didn’t feel any chemistry between the musicians and that made for a lack of immersion. Felt like a professional rehearsal. Well performed but ultimately uninspired so I left very early.
Radu: There was nothing specifically wrong with the set, and given how much I enjoyed listening to Boezem, I was expecting to have a pretty good time seeing it live as well. Somehow this just felt like it didn’t have any impact, like all the emotions they were supposed to transmit cancelled each other out.
Rod: Less is more. From leaving a set with a band of 5 members to witnessing one with 3 members and a much clearer sense of identity and unity. Insect Ark had the best sound of all bands I saw at the Next Stage. The drums were fucking massive (courtesy of the brilliant Tim Wyskida from my beloved Khanate) and together with the foreboding basslines and somber vocal delivery of founder Dana Schechter, the band delivered one intense song after another.
Radu: Existing at the intersection between doom, drone, and post, and not always on the metal side, Insect Ark managed to be pretty entrancing live. Partly because of how great the sound was but also because of how good the chemistry in the trio was, especially because Raw Blood Singing felt like a more live-ready album than its predecessors.
Radu: Talk about overwhelming! I’ve seen death industrial and noise rock acts before, but somehow Endon found a way to make that intensity even more pummeling. A lot of it does come to the vocal performance and the visuals that probably required an epilepsy warning, but the end(on) result felt a bit too much like an endurance test.
PENELOPE TRAPPES
Radu: This is a set I went to on a whim, and I got in early enough that I was very close to the stage. What I was met with was something in between Grouper and something that could’ve been on the Vikings soundtrack. Penelope with an elaborate wooden headgear was evocative enough visually, and alongside a synth and a cello managed to make some neofolk tinged ambient, where her voice could come in and out of focus. Really glad I got to see this from up close.
MICHAEL GIRA & KRISTOF HAHN
Rod: This was without a doubt the weirdest concert I’ve experienced a while. I’ve seen Swans a couple of times before so the prospect of listening to Swans material with a more naked approach was mighty interesting all on its own. It was just Michael Gira on acoustic guitar and vocals together with long-time collaborator Kristof Hahn on his trusty lap steel guitar. I camped in the middle of the balcony for a full hour to see this as I knew the stage was going to get packed. During the soundcheck it was obvious that Michael Gira was in a very grumpy mood even by his standards. Being very monosyllabic to put it mildly with the sound technicians. My favorite moment was right after Kristof and Michael were done with their individual soundchecks:
Sound guy: All right, thank you. So, would you like to play together now?
MG: WHAT?
Sound guy: Ehmm… Would you like to play something together?
MG: NO.
In hindsight, that was Gira at his nicest. When they were leaving for a break before the actual set he looked at the audience and first asked everyone to not take pictures or use their phones in general. This is the main reason why I have no pictures of this set (that and I didn’t want Gira to punch me or something). He then asked loudly “How much until we play? Half an hour? Why don’t you all get out? Fuck off!”.
And so the set finally started with Kristof showing up first and playing pretty interesting drones out of his instrument. Gira appeared a while after still looking mighty pissed at the whole world, unleashing hypnotic chords and powerful chants. Sadly, Kristof turned out to be his punching bag. I swear Kristof has the patience of a saint. Even though the whole thing was funny to me and it actually added to the tension already built by the songs themselves, Michael’s treatment of Kristof was simply unprofessional. Michael loudly yelled “FUCK!” in frustration a couple of times, far away from the mic but still loud enough to hear. Other lashes to Kristof included “ You’ve fucked up twice…” and “Take a breath and try to remember what we’ve worked on”.
There is a lot to analyze about this concert and Gira’s behaviour. In a way you kind of understand how an artist like him needs to be in full control of everything and that an intense, rude personality like his is the key to unlocking this intense style of music and performance. To me it really added to the volatile, violent and roaring nature of his music and it made the show really memorable as it was a combination of the drone and folk elements of Swans. Michael gira ended up apologizing both on stage as well as on social media although I would have preferred that he directed his apology to Kristof Hanh as he was the real trooper here!
MIDWIFE
Radu: I bought the “I cried at a Midwife show” shirt before this, so I knew this was my last chance to not lie when wearing it. It didn’t happen, and because the set was focused on older songs I still didn’t get to see my favorite song from her despite this being my third time seeing her (that includes the collab set we talked about earlier). Still, the appeal of a Midwife show remains the same, with the repetitive lyrics, hazy vocals, and warm guitars being a very effective combo in evoking feelings. I didn’t see people crying, but it wouldn’t have been out of place.
Mateusz: A different set than the one on the previous day. No Moor Mother, and they played their latest (released at the time) album in full – “The Healer”. I’ve got to say this was one of the biggest scams I’ve ever attended. I got sick on the last day and that show did nothing to heal me. Yeah, yeah, bad joke, very good show, etc. etc.
CINDER WELL
Rod: Jumping from the intense nature of Michael Gira & Kristof Hahn to one of the warmest and most innocent sets of the festival. Cinder Well is the name of Amelia Baker’s folk project. A musician that was recommended to Roadburn by Patrick Walker from 40 Watt Sun. And that is a very apt point of comparison. Because just like Patrick’s solo set two days before, Amelia presented herself as a solo artist in full control of her emotional music. Her intimate performance ensured her dark folk was a right fit for Roadburn. Everyone seemed eager to drink her every word and notes from her guitar. Culminating in a very sweet moment where Amalia asked us to sing a song with her. Amalia’s charming interaction with the crowd made sure she was not only in control of her music but also of the audience’s heartstrings. Also: Shout out to Radu for helping me pick up some stuff I left at the other side of the festival. I paid him in ice cream.
Radu: My plan to see more of this was foiled by Rod turning me into an errand boy, but I got to see from Cinder Well convinced me why that’s the kind of singer/songwriter stuff that is dark and evocative enough to feel at home at Roadburn.
Mateusz: Originally, I planned to go back to the apartment for some rest before the final shows, but I noticed that unexpectedly there was no queue for Toby Driver, whose first half of the gig clashed with Sumac, so I decided that eh, I have some strength left. So if I was surprised at the lack of the queue, you can only imagine my reaction when I got inside — this was the emptiest I saw the Next Stage in a long while, possibly ever. I got to the very front row despite coming in the middle of the concert. Some people joined after Sumac but still I’d say less than half of the venue was full. This is the man behind Kayo Dot and Maudlin Of The Well, for Christ’s sake. Maybe if they emphasized on that in their description, like they did for Gira and Swans (and that’s the one that did not need emphasizing to be full way before the show), it’d be better? Regardless, his solo career is quite different musically than the projects I mentioned. Musically, simplified description would be a very calm art rock. He’s also not solo-solo as he had a couple of additional musicians on the stage. And while his latest album is, in my opinion, inferior to great 2018’s They Are The Shield, me witnessing only the last 20 minutes of the gig, meant that I caught only one minute of one song of his latest album, got one song from They Are The Shield, and one from his 2019 ep – N.G.H.4.M. The last one was quite long and honestly, it’s a beautiful and sad, melancholic song. So Mr. Toby did manage to captivate me — which, with his type of music, is not that easy when you enter the show halfway through. A bit of a shame that so many people missed out on this one.
Radu: At this point I’ve seen Big Brave multiple times at this festival, even with a special album set I didn’t feel the need to rush things, so I stayed a bit more with Rod and his friends to grab a bite. Because I was late this was the only time I’ve seen a queue forming for The Terminal, even though I got in pretty quick regardless. I’m curious how I’d connect with a set from the band in a solo setting, considering that they’ve always felt enjoyable and worked well with the sound that they had live (essential for such an atmospheric band). I’ll just leave you with my review of the album they performed.
Rod: This was one of the sets I was most looking forward to for this Roadburn edition. Our fellow Metalstorm reviewer Nik did an excellent job in promoting this great Italian doom act. Being Italian doomsters with a woman behind the mic it might have been natural for some people to compare them to Messa who performed just a few days before. But that’s where the similarities end as Ponte Del Diavolo is much darker, heavier and more dramatic. The TWO BASSISTS(!) ensured this would be a set that would shake the foundations of the venue although the excellent riffing and crushing drumming also contributed to the immense sound. But I must admit that the singer really stole the show and ended up being the best performer of this festival, tied to Eugene Robinson from Buñuel. The poisonous tongue of Elena Camusso conjured dark entities that possessed the audience. Her stage name is Erba del Diavolo (Devil’s herb) and that is an ideal representation of her performance. My eyes were glued to her and her theatrics. To me this was everything that Witch Club Satan was not in terms of how to entice the audience and pull them into the band’s universe. The intense interlude where she did an acapella chant/prayer/conjuration/curse in front of the audience ranks among my most beloved moments of the entire festival. A part of me was almost convinced that I would suffer a gnarly demise or be turned into a goat if I ever defied her. I sincerely hope this band reaches a wider audience just like Messa has done!
Radu: Counting the secret show they also had, this is my third time skipping Bo Ningen because of clashes. But I couldn’t skip on Ponte Del Diavolo, who I discovered thanks to Nik (shoutout to ya). Especially live they feel like the kind of band that you have to accept some tongue-in-cheek-ness from, with the Italian lyrics and the vocal performance being especially dramatic, both during the actual singing and in that witchy interlude. I do admit that there were moments where the silly dramatism felt like too much to swallow, but it was too fun to deny how great it was. The closing cover duet of “The Weeping Song” ended up as a festival highlight.
BO NINGEN
Mateusz: I didn’t plan on seeing them, as they fully covered the Ponte Del Diavolo show, which had ended ten minutes before the scheduled time. I was on my way to see Violent Magic Orchestra, when I heard the sounds coming from the Main Stage, I quickly checked the schedule to see Bo Ningen still had 20 minutes left and thought eh, let’s give them a try. Bo Ningen are a Japanese psychedelic/noise rock band (albeit founded in London) with their career almost reaching a 20 year mark. The set was supposed to be their 2012 album, Line the Wall, played in full. I don’t know how the exact show played out, but some things were definitely changed – I entered the venue and they started playing the last song on the album, relatively calm “Natsu no Nioi”… and then they played a three-part song, which is spread in various places on the album, “Daikaisei”. That change was definitely for the better, this long, jamming song was 20 minutes of pure psychedelic crazy goodness (if you can do the math and you kept up, you noticed they played longer than scheduled). I ended up missing Violent Magic Orchestra entirely but I don’t regret my choice. Bo Ningen is definitely made for the live setting.
VIOLENT MAGIC ORCHESTRA
Radu: I went into this quite blind, only having heard the band name briefly before. It’s still quite hard to put into words what I walked into. But the best comparison I can make is that if Sunn O)))’s Black One is the black metal-ification of drone, this was the black metal-ification of electro. Some of it was more noisy ambient, some of it was more cinematic, and a lot of it was bordering on hardcore EDM. It was so fun to see such an odd rave, one where members of the band ended up crowdsurfing, that it was so painful to have to leave it early to catch a spot for Pothamus.
GOTT
Rod: I was too late to the party to properly enjoy The Devil’s Blood back in the day when they were releasing albums. I was fully aware of them but I wasn’t much into (occult) hard rock at the time. Time has changed my tastes and I was lucky to catch two thirds of this set. Gott is a band formed a few years ago with only one proper release from 2022. Legendary singer Farida Lemouchi is, to my knowledge, the only connection to The Devil’s Blood although the music of Gott is very similar at times. Her vocals remain excellent as always and the catchiness of the music was infectious. By this point my energy was slowly but surely dying out and I wished I was more awake to headbang and fully enjoy the songs. Still though, solid performance!
Radu: Now for arguably the most painful of the festival’s clashes I have once again picked the path of compromise. However much I loved Abur (might end up as my favorite post-metal album of the year), I couldn’t stick around for the entire set. But the four songs that I did catch sounded huge in such a small room like the Next Stage, and it was quite baffling that it was only a trio who was creating such a huge sound. Compared to Smote from the same stage earlier in the fest, Pothamus felt like they made both the build ups and the releases of tension feel exciting and entrancing. Would’ve loved to be able to enjoy this without the clash and without being so crowded by how full the small room was.
HAUNTED PLASMA
Rod: I dragged my body to the Main Stage, already feeling done with the festivities but my body was running on a serious case of FOMO. I stood at my preferred spot in the Main Stage, behind the soundcheck table. I slowly but surely gained some strength back thanks to the addictive nature of Haunted Plasma’s krautrock jams which made me loosen up a bit as I started to do my tired dance. I was really looking forward to listening to Mat McNerney’s ghostly voice but instead we got an ethereal enchantress in the form of Ringa Manner that sang throughout the whole show. I was more than satisfied with the result though. Her soft voice added a very unique, soothing touch to the intensity of the band and the simple yet effective visuals completed the experience.
Radu: It finally came to the last band I was looking forward to, and the other culprit in the most painfully clashing pair of sets. The latest member of the Oranssi Pazuzu-verse, Haunted Plasma focused on the more lengthy psych rock side of the band. Even though the band’s debut, I, features multiple vocalists, including Hexvessel’s Mat McNerney, this one had a single vocalist all throughout (I suspect it was Ringa Manner, could be wrong). Her vocal tones having more of an art pop touch worked well with the groovy krautrock of the band, and the incredible chemistry in the jamming made up for what I missed by skipping the Oranssi Pazuzu set. And thus, the main stage was closed.
MONG TONG
Rod: Last show of the festival. Enough people seemed to have thrown the towel because it wasn’t difficult for me to find a decent spot in the balcony for this Taiwanese sibling duo. In a way this was perhaps one of the least “Roadburn” acts I saw this year but at the same time it was a perfect act to close these 5 days of heavy music. Their style takes a lot from traditional sounds from South-East Asia while also taking a huge page from the psychedelic books of the 70s and 80s. The end result was a smooth and groovy journey of catchy bass lines and relaxing synths that carried a certain vaporwave quality to them. I can not confirm if the brothers were truly blindfolded or if the cloth was somewhat see-through but it was still an intriguing concept as it added to the idea of this being an easy-going, improv-friendly set where textures took over traditional songwriting. My body was fully relaxed and before I even knew it, it was over.
Radu: Well you can’t just say no to an extra band with no clashes. Thankfully enough people did that the stage wasn’t super crowded, and we got to enjoy the band tired as we were. Going in blind (hehe) was the best course of action because we were met by two Taiwanese musicians who approached their synth stations with guitars in hand, and, after doing a short intro, they blindfolded themselves and performed the rest of the set blind. Impressive both visually and musically as a result, their set was focused more on the synths, creating a sort of 80s soundtrack atmosphere with an almost vaporwave vibe to it. Such a non-demanding and vibe-focused set was exactly what was needed to squeeze out all the festival appetite I had left in tired me. And thus, the next stage, along with the entire festival, was closed.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUCH
Rod: Last day on planet Roadburn. This is my 13th year in a row (starting from 2011 minus 2 pandemic years). Leaving this place behind is not particularly sad for me anymore as I leave with my heart at rest, knowing I will return. It is not the music and the concerts that I miss but the people I meet along the way. Many of them are people who I consider best friends now. Each year I make a couple of new connections. Sometimes people whom I never met before or those whom I¨ve seen several times walking around the festival throughout the years but now have a name, a voice, attached to them. I love that. And I hate saying goodbye to them so soon. But it was time and the last beers with Radu were bittersweet. Each Roadburn year carries some weight to it as I try to pay my respects to my dear friend Marcel Hubregtse who was the sole reason that I discovered this festival in the first place. This year the festival organized a lovely project called “Archiving Heaviness” which gave Roadburners the opportunity to share stories, merch and other types of memorabilia tied to the festival. I was in contact with the person in charge and was able to share my own story with Marcel at the center. Seeing my words as a part of a collage on a wall was heartwarming. As long as the memory is kept alive and the feedback rings in my ears, he is still here.
This was yet another successful year. I feel that my tastes change at the same time as the festival’s. After so many years it really does feel like I’m in sync with the Roadburn vibes. I appreciate any new act, any daring risk the festival takes. Listing favorites is difficult (I saw 33 bands) so I’ll try my best to stick to the top 10 that I believe will stay in my memory this whole year: Buñuel, Concrete Winds, The HIRS Collective, 40 Watt Sun, Steve Von Till, Øxn, Pageninetynine, Blind Girls, Insect Ark, and Ponte Del Diavolo.
Kylesa, Witch Club Satan, and Vuur & Zijde were the ones that either due to poor sound or simply lack of connection ended up in the (thankfully short) list of acts that disappointed me.
Thankfully the list of sets I missed is also very short this year. The biggest two are easily Black Curse and Endon. But it would have been nice to catch Faetooth, Smote, Chat Pile’s Main Stage set, and Toby Driver as well.
Lastly, I would also like to highlight the bands that I discovered and/or surprised me with their excellent sets: Temple Fang, Glassing, Throwing Bricks & Ontaard, Bambara, Altın Gün, Cinder Well, and Haunted Plasma. All excellent acts worth keeping tabs on!
Well, that’s it! Hope you enjoyed our ramblings. We’ll be back next year if the music gods grant it. Love you all!
Radu: Usually the last day of the festival fills me with such dread about the experience being over soon, and I feel like I have to make the most of the time that is left. This year, when Haunted Plasma and Mong Tong were playing, I barely felt that, and I never felt like I wanted it to be over already, instead feeling like it ended right when it should have. Not too much to be exhausting, but also not leaving me wanting more. I felt the “it’s gonna be over soon” kind of dread more when having a last beer with Rod after the festival than anything, knowing that I might only see him next year. I guess part of it was that Roadburn is no longer a new thing for me, and that novelty eventually wears off no matter how much you enjoy the festival. Another part was that, complete with the trips me and my uncle took beforehand and all the logistics of the flights all involving Bucharest meant that I left home on Wednesday and got home on Wednesday two weeks apart. This year especially that left me feeling homesick for personal reasons.
Ever since my first Roadburn in 2019, at least one of the sets I’d see here would end up in my top 5 of all year, and that’s even more impressive now that I can afford to go to a lot more concerts than I used to. For 2019 it was Lingua Ignota (which for a long time I also considered my favorite of all time) and Have A Nice Life, for 2022 it was The Bug & Flowdan and Ulver, for 2023 it was Brutus and Deafheaven, and for last year it was Lankum and Clipping. The year has just started for me festival-wise, so I can’t say for sure that my socks won’t be blown by five other sets I’d see elsewhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see either Pageninetynine or Øxn in the top once the year ends.
I’d start listing my favorites from this year, but I don’t know where I could stop because of how much I liked the ones I liked. Even a top 20 would exclude sets I really loved. But to keep them to the best of the best I’d say Pageninetynine, Øxn, Uniform, Glassing, and Blind Girls. On the other side of the coin, I don’t have sets I actively disliked, just sets that either disappointed me with their sound, like Kylesa and Envy, or sets that didn’t do much for me in that moment, like Vuur & Zijde and Kuunatic, neither of which I regret seeing.
But if we’re talking about regret, I don’t think that with the power of hindsight I’d choose much differently. But there are sets like Gillian Carter, Violent Magic Orchestra, and Pothamus which I wish I could’ve caught in full, and sets like the special Lane Shi one, Gilla Band, Bambara, Steve Von Till, Altın Gün, Bo Ningen, and the main stage Chat Pile one that I wish I could’ve caught.
See y’all in 2026!
Mateusz: A few months ago, Radu had sent me a meme with a headline of a fake article, and it went something like this: “A frequent concert goer at a concert deep down can’t wait for it to be over so he can go home”. Shamefully, I thought I could relate to this… Not here. Despite seeing 47 artists and falling ill on the last day, I never wanted it to be over, not on any level of my subconsciousness. What can I say? I love this festival. I love the music, the vibes, the people (cheers to my companions specifically), even the minor nitpicks I have on paper just instantly become irrelevant, once I’m at Roadburn.
Since I only covered the gigs Radu and Rod didn’t see, I’ll allow myself to post the rest in a simplified list divided by tiers. The order in the tier doesn’t matter. So to be clear, these don’t include the ones I have already described.
Great: Haunted Plasma (been waiting for that one ever since their debut appearance in the pandemic online edition of Roadburn in 2021), Pothamus, Temple Fang, Øxn, Dødheimsgard
Very good: Thou (The Spark set), Glassing, Buñuel, Faetooth, Messa, Throwing Bricks & Ontaard, Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya, Bambara, Pygmy Lush, Steve Von Till, Altın Gün, Gira & Hahn
Good: Kylesa (love the band but the sound was botched), Envy (A Dead Sinking Story set), Xiu Xiu, Sumac & Moor Mother, Kuunatic, Insect Ark, Ponte Del Diavolo (Sunday set)
Okayish: Rattenburcht, One Leg One Eye, Vuur & Zijde
I also saw The Bug and Smote for a while but not enough to form an opinion.
But Roadburn is more than the sum of its parts. The atmosphere and the flow, how smoothly I could change the mindsets between the shows, made the whole experience way better than just over forty separate shows taken out of context. It’s by far my favorite festival and if I had to choose one music event in a year to attend, that would be it.
Now here are some random pics: