Live Review: Desertfest - Sunday
17th May 2026
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Jessi Lotti
After a Saturday filled with so many highlights, Sunday could have been an anti-climax, but I had my list of bands who I wanted to see, and another day of my eardrums getting pummelled. I started off with a quick visit upstairs to The Black Heart to catch a bit of Den Der Hale, who gave a sterling performance at 1.30pm in the afternoon. They offer lots of power and melodies across the few songs I heard and with the room busy they were enthralling to listen to.
Next on my list were Mumbai’s Midhaven, and it proved to be quite the set, as The Underworld was the busiest I’d seen it all weekend. As guitarist Aditya Mohanan took centre stage by himself, the slow starting intro of “Bhairav” begins and as the other 3 join him, all hell breaks loose. With the barefooted Karan Kaul next to him, the duo plays some superbly weighty riffs that develop into thumping sounds to make excellent songs, such as “Mahakaal”.
“We are Midhaven, thanks for having us” as they introduce us to “The Veiler” a song about an Indian Demon, before blending dual vocals with heavy riffs and a pounding rhythm section from the drummer and bassist who up until this tour, had only 1 rehearsal together in Berlin. With the guitarists smiling and playfully kicking each other, we are treated to the excellent “Codeman” as heads start to bang, ahead of the slow and mysterious beginning to “Zhitro” which is such an ace song. A strong finish is inevitable, with the pulsating “Primal Song” really getting the masses inside rocking, and they leave to huge applause.
I didn’t know too much about Red Eyed Cult beforehand, but what I’d heard had impressed me, so after getting some food, I returned to the murky depths of The Underworld. Now if you want a band to rattle your bones, then this trio offer exactly that, as they begin with “Mithrandir” they serve up a deliciously slow and mighty head banging doom noise that we all love about this genre. There’s plenty of riff changes as they somehow go even heavier during “Up in Smoke” with the rhythm rocking the place.
After a quick swig from his bottle of JD, bassist and singer Lewis Doran, gets back to the sludgey goodness with “Grogg” as the controlled riffs and pounding drums reverberate off the walls and he thanks us for watching them as this early time. With more deep growling vocals, they explode further with the evil and substantial “Snowcone” as the appreciative crowd get moving ahead of them performing a new track called “To The Depths” which is monstrously demonic and sinister, to leave all inside suitably enthralled by the set.
After being sidetracked by new friends wanting to chat about what we’d just seen, I ventured down to The Dev and caught the last few songs of Nomadic Reign. They have a good range of tempos, but the vocal seemed a bit off at times. There was a slower song near the end which impressed me, even more when the riff kicked in and the final song was also decent, however, the reason for my final trip down to the venue was to check out Tallinn’s Kannabinoid and the trio didn’t let me down.
They are one seriously impressive band to watch, as the bare-chested duo of Taniel Tegelmann and Jerl Norden, really stretch my listening capacity on the third day of the festival. They are loud, and I mean LOUD!!! Starting with “Riitus” and “Oota” they blend slow build ups with moving riffs and deafening screams, to create hefty songs, as they continue with “Vaata” and “Paranoia”.
Heads are banging all over the place, as the rhythms are destructive, the drums are devastating and the moody lighting emphasises their hypnotizing stage presence. They quite simply pulverise your soul with noise, as the riffs come thick and fast with songs called “Ring”, “Looja” and “Mass”. They manage to shift their arrangements and compositions exceptionally well, and it all combines impressively as they end with “Imemees” and receive huge applause from those who survived their aural onslaught.
Before my last walk up to The Roundhouse for the final two bands on my list, I popped into The Underworld to catch a bit of Howling Giant. With aching feet, I sat in a little booth with a cold beer and listened to their heavy psyched out music, and it was exactly what I needed at that time. The music washes over you in waves, and in no time at all, I was tapping my hands along to their majestic rhythms. The Tennessee based rockers offer something unique and sounded so damn good, that I stood up for the final two songs and nodded along appreciatively.
It had been over 16 years since I last saw The Sword, when they opened for Metallica in Birmingham on their Death Magnetic tour. A lot has happened since then, but one thing was clear, the Austin based quartet are a class act and I was excited about seeing them. With the final aching walk to The Roundhouse completed, I settled at the side to watch the quartet as they opened with the excellent “Empty Temples”. Kyle Shutt’s vocals weren’t that clear for the first few songs, but with John D. Cronise front and centre, their mix of bluesy, doom metal is full of groove and quality rhythm, as “Mist of Shadow” proves.
They have a wide selection of songs, full of steady paced melodies combined with heavier elements, as the stunning “Celestial Crown/Barael’s Blade” followed by “Maiden, Mother & Crone” really gets the crowd worked up. Their musicianship has never been questioned and with crowd surfers now emerging, the quartet veer off into a bit of a spacey, proggy build up to “Dying Earth” before ripping through “Tres Brujas”.
Military style drumming from Santiago Vela III kicks off “Lawless Lands” as the crowd engage with a clap along to Bryan Richie’s sublime bass playing skills. They are a sight to behold and when Cronise holds aloft one finger to signal the final song, “Winter’s Wolves” the audience are left watching in awe as the heavy chuggy riffs that leave a lasting impression on all present in the venue.
And so, the final act of my incredible weekend, and what a way to go out. I hadn’t seen Clutch for several years and resisted the urge to see them on their last visit to the UK in December, as they’d been announced for Desertfest. One thing about them is that you can’t predict what they are going to play, which is so appealing and they are quite frankly, one of the best live bands in the world.
With an expectant crowd, Neil Fallon walks on applauding the audience before uttering, “let’s get down to it” and “X-Ray Visions” rings out. What a way to start, quickly followed by “Firebirds!” the utterly stunning “Slaughter Beach” and then, just to take it up several notches, “Profits of Doom” and “The Mob Goes Wild”. They are imperious in their stage presence, and Fallon dominates the stage, as guitarist Tim Sult and bassist Dan Maines settle into their familiar routines alongside drummer Jean-Paul Gaster, playing the most majestic melodies and rhythms.
The trio stay in the background, allowing Fallon to go about his business, but together they are a force to be reckoned with, and it baffles me as to why this band are not selling out arenas and stadiums. They go back with “Pure Rock Fury” and “Army of Bono” before “Walking in the Great Shining Path of Monster Trucks” and the effortless genius that is “Nosferatu Madre. We then get a live debut, apparently, of “Drifter Returns” ahead of “Worm Drink”, “The Regulator” and the fabulous “How to Shake Hands”.
As if the set list hadn’t been spellbinding enough, the quartet rip through two of my favourites, the unbelievable “Earth Rocker” and phenomenal “Electric Worry” which leads into a bit of a drum solo followed by “Impetus”. The roars are deafening, as the appreciative crowd are watching a band at their professional best and it’s no wonder that Desertfest have tried for years to get them here, this proves why!! With cowbell and mouth organ, they return for the encore, starting off with “D.C. Sound Attack” and after declaring that they’d had “a fantastic time” the heavy bluesy notes ring out alongside a stunning bass line to end with “Spacegrass”.
What a performance. What a night. What a festival. Stunning from start to finish.
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