roadburnfestival

January 14, 2020

ROADBURN 2020 TICKETS
All tickets to Roadburn 2020 are now sold out except for Sunday day tickets. Sunday day tickets are priced at €60.50. More information about tickets and accommodation options can be found HERE.

NEW NAMES FOR THE MAIN FESTIVAL LINE UP:

ALEXIS MARSHALL
Each year there are hotly debated discussions about who was the band of the festival at Roadburn, and in 2019 Daughters was most definitely pushing their way to the top of most people’s lists. Thanks in no small part to Alexis Marshall’s captivating showmanship, Daughters were undoubtedly a highlight of the festival – and beyond, as they lit up year end lists in 2018 and annihilated live shows throughout 2019.

Alexis will be returning to Roadburn 2020 as a solo performer -and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us. To our unrestrained delight, we’re also thrilled to announce that he will team up with Lingua Ignota on her covers set on Friday. Prepare yourselves for an performance; neither of these artists go light on the gut punches.

Read more about Alexis Marshall HERE.

DARKHER
The first time we heard Darkher, we knew something special was a-brewing in the Hebden Bridge hinterlands and we immediately invited Jayn Maiven to bring her haunted doom-drenched riffs to Roadburn.  With the release of her debut full-length, Realms, she conjured up an emotive and atmospheric record steeped in ethereal magic. The follow up album is due in 2020 via Prophecy Productions, and whilst we anxiously anticipate a new delivery from Darkher, we’re thrilled to announce that they’ll be playing Roadburn 2020. If even a fraction of the bewitching power or the necromancy vibes we experienced the first time around are present, then we can assure you that we’re all in for quite the treat.

Read more about Darkher HERE.

FORNDOM
Appearing out of a shadowy mist in 2015, H.L.H. Swärd, the sole member of Swedish entity Forndom, almost instantly captured our collective imagination with a brilliant evocation of Nordic culture and history. After the success of Forndom‘s debut album Dauðra Dura, 2020 will finally see the release of its successor, Faþir, of which we already expect to hear something at Roadburn. However the setlist looks, we are eager to revisit a culture that means so much to all of us once again, now through the unique sonic lens of Forndom.

Read more about Forndom HERE.

THE DEVIL’S TRADE
Dávid Makó is a known singer in Hungary‘s metal scene, having fronted Stereochrist and currently holding that post for HAW, but his better known endeavour might well end up being his initially unassuming acoustic solo project, The Devil’s Trade. That he put out an EP last year called Happy Music Is Shit, a phrase also used on some The Devil’s Trade t-shirts that will certainly sell like hot cakes at Roadburn, more or less defines the mood you can expect from Dávid‘s songwriting approach.

Read more about The Devil’s Trade HERE.

LSD AND THE SEARCH FOR GOD
Hypnotic, tripped-out shoegaze with a distinctly West Coast flavor, San Francisco’s LSD and the Search for God gathered a cult-like following within the psychedelic underground by dosing audiences with lysergic performances. They’ve taken a dreamy noise delightfully reminiscent of Creation Records in its heyday (think My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Ride), or even Spacemen 3, and made it all their own.

Read more about LSD And The Search For God HERE.

ULVEBLOD
Trailblazing Dutch black metal band, Nihill effectively ended when singer and founding member M passed away last year, and while the heartbreak over the loss of our friend will never quite fade away, at least musically there are further chapters to look forward to. Main Nihill guitarist Vitriol has now created a new entity that naturally shares some strands of DNA with Nihill, not only in the musician’s perfectly unique style of writing and playing, but also in the use of some of the same session players. However, the swirling, hateful, mesmerising chaos of Ulveblod is a vertigo-inducing nightmare all of its own, as it will become apparent both when their debut album is released and when the band performs live for the first time.

Read more about UlVEBLOD HERE.

DOODSWENS
Perhaps you caught Doodswens at Roadburn last year; the Dutch duo made quite the impact on our 2019 attendees for a band so underground. Few in number but mighty in their mission, Doodswens cultivate true cult black metal vibes, lo-fi production and visceral energy in abundance. It’s why we invited them back for a second year – to give them a bigger stage and a bigger audience, one they already richly deserve.

Read more about Doodswens HERE.

KODIAN TRIO
Five years might not seem like a long time for a band to exist, but Kodian Trio have packed more wildness and sheer boundless creativity into those five years than many others do in their whole lifetimes. Consisting of Colin Webster on alto sax, Dirk Serries on electric guitar (both of whom have played Roadburn before with Fear Falls Burning) and Andrew Lisle on drums, they’ve been one of the most active bands of their kind, touring their unpredictable free improvisation all over the place and releasing both studio and live albums at a frightening pace.

At Roadburn, the special guest for the show that will celebrate their fifth anniversary shall be none other than bass player Jasper Stadhouders (Cactus Truck, Spinifex, Made To Break), who will add his own brand of low end to the proceedings and help bridge the apparently wide gap between free improvisation and post-punk.

Read more about Kodian Trio HERE.

JONAH PARZEN-JOHNSON
There’s a one-of-a-kind compositional style to the solo saxophone projects of New York‘s Jonah Parzen-Johnson. Along with playing on his own, he is a co-leader of Brooklyn Afrobeat outfit Zongo Junction, and an active part of Brooklyn’s independent and experimental music communities. However, Parzen-Johnson’s circular breathing, multiphonics and inclusive experimentalism owe a debt to Chicago‘s storied jazz history as well. Paired with a quirky – almost vocal – approach and experiments with analog synth, hardware samplers and sequencers, Jonah continues to redefine his instrument and share his unique musical world by melding the emotionally evocative nature of folk music with the chilling power of ambient textures.

Read more about Jonah Parzen-Johnson HERE.

THE SWEET RELEASE OF DEATH
Rotterdam, as an international port, has always been a breeding point for the Dutch underground, and the city’s own The Sweet Release of Death are no exception, as this angular no wave trio ranks among the most exciting noise bands to come out of The Netherlands right now. Astounding crowds all across our native country and reaping accolades abroad, we felt the urge to present The Sweet Release of Death to our multi-national Roadburn community as well on Friday, 17 April.

Read more about The Sweet Release Of Death HERE.

MOTOR!K
Stepping out of their comfort zone, Belgium’s Dirk Ivens (known for his industrial/minimalist work with The Klinik and Dive) together with guitarist/synthesist Joeri Dobbeleir (The Whereabouts Of J. Albert) and drummer Dries D’Hollander (ex – Suburb Songs), forges a new path artistically and musically with Motor!k. Together they celebrate the roots of electronica in krautrock – highlighting a glorious and underexplored kosmische tradition.

Read more about Motor!k HERE.

OF BLOOD AND MERCURY
The figures on stage as Of Blood and Mercury may not be entirely unfamiliar to you, as Olivier J.LW and Michelle Nocon have both performed at Roadburn under different guises (they appeared separately in their other bands Emptiness and Bathsheba in 2017). The divergence from the heaviness of their other projects may come as a surprise to some, but any hesitance will be washed away with their majestic dark dream pop. The album they’ll be presented is titled Strangers; a collection of ten missives expressing a longing for a time and place that one remembers but never experienced. They describe it as making a connection between two separate worlds: “the material one and the work of ghosts.”

Read more about Of Blood and Mercury HERE.

VONNIS
When you’re a band as young as Vonnis are, both in age of the band and its respective members, and you’ve already built the kind of live reputation they have, it means you’re doing something special. Reflecting the chaos of the world we currently live in, ever since the Belgian city of Ghent coughed them up in 2015 they have been tearing shit down everywhere they go, evoking the destructive ghosts of bands like Catharsis, Death Grips, Converge or Trash Talk in the way they build something out of destruction, how they mix love and hate, hope and despair, darkness and light into something inspiring.

Read more about Vonnis HERE.

As has become firm tradition for hundreds of Roadburners, the festival will kick off on Wednesday night with our traditional pre-show party, tiled Ignition. True to form, we have rounded up three bands that will get your Roadburn experience up and running straight from the off. If you’re a first-timer, it’s a great opportunity to get your bearings at the 013, meet some fellow ‘burners, and of course – to bang your head!

Given that we have Early Graves in town already, we really couldn’t resist inviting them to do a second set and be part of the welcoming committee on Wednesday night. With their hearts in the boogie and their minds in the gutter, Amsterdam‘s Splinter could hardly be more appropriate to launch Roadburn 2020.

Rounding out the bill will be The Dead Cvlt: amped up on a lethal dose of misanthropic black metal, pounding blastbeats and oldschool drum and bass, the Rotterdam based band will offer a suitably fucked up soundtrack for a world visibly in decay by dropping unrelenting amen beats as well.

Read more about Early Graves, Splinter and The Dead Cvlt

Admission to our pre party is FREE! The wristband exchange is open on Wednesday night from 6pm so it’s a good opportunity to collect yours and start your whole Roadburn experience nice and early!

December 11, 2019

Roadburn 2020 day tickets are on sale now

Only Sunday day tickets remain!

Sunday, 19 April – €56

4 day tickets – SOLD OUT
3 day tickets – SOLD OUT
Thursday, 16 April – SOLD OUT
Friday, 17 April – SOLD OUT
Saturday, 18 april – SOLD OUT! 

(Note: all prices exclude €4,50 service fees)

December 10, 2019

ROADBURN 2020 TICKETS

Single day tickets will be on sale tonight,  December 10 (at 18:00 CET) and priced €67 for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday tickets, and €60.50 for Sunday tickets. There’s still 4-day tickets on sale, but be warned, they’re running low now with 99% tickets sold already. More information about tickets and accommodation options can be found HERE.

DUNGEN
For almost two decades, Dungen, the brainchild of Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes, has been liquefying the known boundaries of psychedelia by incorporating ‘60s pastoral folk, psych-pop, prog, free-jazz, instrumentalist ambience and soaring atmospheres. They have become one of the most revered psychedelic bands of their generation, and to honor their pushing the limits of art and genre, we have invited Dungen to play Roadburn 2020, not once, but twice.

One show will take in Dungen’s legendary Ta Det Lugnt (Sunday, 19 April), and the other will focus on Häxan, the band’s highly entrancing score for the 1926 animated film The Adventures of Prince Achmed, on Saturday, 18 April. Dungen is synonymous for our very being, and Häxan, and especially Ta Det Lugnt, fuel our late-night, psychedelic jams and unite the likeminded psych heads at the festival.

Read more about Dungen HERE

JAMES KENT’S CURATION:

ULTHA
A couple of months ago Ultha informed their followers that the band was taking a break in 2020, an unexpected turn which seems to cast an even darker shadow of melancholy and sorrow to their already bleak take on black metal. Roadburn and its co-curator James Kent have pulled Ultha back from the void where they were planning to hibernate in for a very special appearance at Roadburn 2020.

As the band tells us: “A ‘regular’ invitation would’ve already been a no-brainer, but receiving such a heartfelt message, by a prolific and passionate artist we all respect, telling us how much he admires our work, really made it that more special. So, we are more than thrilled to be part of James’ curation for Roadburn 2020, playing our Belong EP in full plus selected cuts from our other releases.”

Read more about Ultha HERE

ALSO ANNOUNCED…

CULT LEADER
We’ve admired Cult Leader from afar for some time now, but the stars have never quite aligned before. However, with the release of A Patient Man this time last year our eagerness increased, then earlier this year witnessing some live shows tipped us over the edge and we knew it was a done deal. Fortunately they felt the same way, and with that, we’re honoured to be bringing you a special Cult Leader treat for Roadburn – the band will play 2018’s A Patient Man in full for us.

Read more about Cult Leader HERE

JEROMES DREAM
A two decades long absence did little to dull the jagged edges of Jeromes Dream. They came hurtling back into our lives earlier this year with their newest album, titled LP, reminding us what we’d been missing. That angular anguish and skin scraping abrasion is still there, but there is admittedly more nuance and a few notable junctures of what could be described as atmospheric, almost shoegaze-esque passages. So, it’s with much joy that we welcome Jeromes Dream to Roadburn 2020.

Read more about Jeromes Dream HERE

PORTRAYAL OF GUILT
Portrayal of Guilt have been positively prolific over the past few years – and our lives are all the better for it. Two singles, two EPs, two splits, and one mighty album in the form of Let Pain Be Your Guide have cemented Portrayal Of Guilt as an essential band in the modern metal / hardcore lexicon. So it’s with huge pleasure that we’re announcing Portrayal of Guilt will be joining us at Roadburn 2020.

Read more about Portrayal of Guilt HERE

PIJN & CONJURER PLAY: CURSE THESE METAL HANDS
The underground metal scene in the UK is in rude health – and we demonstrated this at Roadburn 2019 by showcasing the best of what Holy Roar Records had to offer. Among the bands that played were Conjurer and Pijn – two bands that embody so much of what is innovative and exciting about British music at the moment. In 2018 the two bands united under the Curse These Metal Hands banner to create new, original music that was released via Holy Roar this year.

Read more about Pijn & Conjurer Play: Curse These Metal Hands HERE

EARLY GRAVES
After an already massive initial greeting card by the name of We: The Guillotine, in 2008, the Californian quintet dropped their masterpiece in 2010. Goner was everything a moshpit junkie could ever ask for. Unfortunately, tragedy then struck Early Graves. Only a couple of months after the release of Goner, the band suffered a van accident traveling from Oregon to Nevada, which took the life of their firebrand vocalist Makh Daniels.

Though the band soldiered on for a while activity has dwindled during the last few years, and 2020 is set to be the last chapter for Early Graves. A celebration of their existence, which will naturally consist of their ten-year-old super classic album Goner played in its entirety, will therefor take place at Roadburn.

Read more about Early Graves HERE

Already announced for Roadburn 2020 is: Emma Ruth Rundle and James Kent as curators, commissioned projects from James Kent & Johannes Persson, Jo Quail, and Vile Creature & Bismuth, the return of Julie Christmas, Red Sparowes, Russian Circles, Inter Arma, Alcest, Torche, Brutus, Bada (ft. Anna Von Hausswolff), David Eugene Edwards, Health, Boy Harsher, Lankum, She Past Away, and two Artists In Residence: Full of Hell and Lingua Ignota. Check the full line up HERE.

November 29, 2019

ROADBURN 2020 TICKETS

Let’s start of with the important info – day tickets! They’ll be on sale on December 10 (at 18:00 CET) and they’ll be priced €67 for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday tickets, and €60.50 for Sunday tickets. There’s still 4-day tickets on sale, but be warned, they’re running low now with 97% tickets sold already. More information about tickets and accommodation options can be found HERE.

EMMA & JAMES:

ALCEST
Each representing a different strand of Roadburn’s DNA, our two curators have taken different approaches – with each of their curated selection illustrating something of their own personal tastes, whilst also showcasing the diversity of Roadburn. From the word go, there was just one place where James Kent and Emma Ruth Rundle cross over: Alcest.

The set will focus on the band’s two most recent albums – Kodama and Spiritual Instinct -, and will be titled Visions du futur. With a back catalogue that is rich and varied, there was always going to be an embarrassment of riches to choose from, and we’re thrilled that they will be shining a spotlight on where Alcest are right now – and indeed, where the future will take them.

Read more about Alcest HERE.

JAMES KENT’S CURATION:

OKKULTOKRATI
Unafraid to embrace influences from multiple genres, Okkultokrati created a hardcore punk meets gothic synth dance party mash up of future garage rock anthems that is equal measures electrifying and refreshing. On their upcoming, as yet untitled fifth album, Okkultokrati have made the solemn promise that it will be deeply rooted in metal. With influences such as Darkthrone and Danzig cited from the get go, we’re intrigued to see which darkened alleyway Okkultokrati will lead us down next.

Read more about Okkultokrati HERE.

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE’S THE GILDED CAGE:

INTER ARMA
What better way to acknowledge the might of Inter Arma‘s latest album, Sulphur English, than to perform it in full at Roadburn. As a festival that revels in pushing the boundaries of heaviness, we recognise kindred spirits in Inter Arma – the complexities and multifaceted layers of their output make for truly a captivating and thrilling ride. We’re delighted to welcome them back to Roadburn – this time, for a main stage performance.

Read more about Inter Arma HERE.

40 WATT SUN & PATRICK WALKER
We’ve hosted 40 Watt Sun at previous editions of Roadburn, but since then, the band has undergone distinct metamorphoses. Patrick remains at the core of the band, and as we type he is at work; moulding and shaping the next phase of 40 Watt Sun, with the promise of new material on the horizon.

As we have caught him in something of a transitional phase, we have invited him to perform two sets at Roadburn 2020 – one that acknowledges the past of 40 Watt Sun, and one that looks firmly to the future. To Emma’s joy, Patrick has agreed to perform The Inside Room in its entirety with a full band (including a second guitarist), as well as a ‘solo’ set that will include as yet unreleased tracks – enhanced by the addition of guest musicians.

Read more about 40 Watt Sun HERE and Patrick Walker HERE.

HELMS ALEE
Over the course of twelve years and five albums, Helms Alee have created a back catalogue of modern American rock music with a deep multiplex current of darkness and bubbling intensity. Steeped in melody with just enough abrasive, discordant surfaces to catch and hold the attention of those seeking something darker and rougher around the edges. The overall result sounds like a three-piece who each know their worth and pull their weight; a perfectly balanced vessel, the collective treasure trove’s value adds up to more than the sum of its individual component parts.

Read more about Helms Alee HERE.

FACS
Having released their debut album, Negative Houses, in March 2018, and followed it up a year later with their most recent LP, Lifelike, it may come as no surprise that this industrious trio are already working on their next opus. Perhaps we’ll be fortunate enough to witness some as-yet unreleased tracks live at Roadburn, but if not there’s rich pickings from what’s already out there in the world.

Read more about FACS HERE.

ALSO CONFIRMED:

ALGIERS
Algiers have found their way into our weekly playlists on more than one occasion, and now we’re thrilled to be welcoming them in the flesh to Roadburn 2020. But before we get there, we’ll welcome their new album, There Is No Year, in January. Algiers are not just charting new waters, they’re ripping up the map and starting again from scratch. The defiance woven throughout their songs is palpable; the electricity of their output is transformative. Barely under the surface of the catchy tunes and memorable hooks bubbles a cauldron full of a writhing mass of political and social commentary that spits and hisses with every stir of the pot.

Read more about Algiers HERE.

RICHARD DAWSON
A modern-day storyteller for the ever changing – and yet consistently bleak – social landscape we find ourselves in. Richard Dawson injects a hefty dose of of wit into what would otherwise be an entirely desolate take on the nuances of life in England in this day and age. Before he arrives here in Tilburg, we strongly suggest you get familiar with 2020 – it’s a complex portrait painted with pop-tinged melody, and full of magnificent heart, even if it shows signs of wear and tear around the edges.

Read more about Richard Dawson HERE.

DYNFARI
A chameleonic, labyrinthine mix of post-rock and black metal, thickly atmospheric, as beautiful and inspiring as it is quietly sombre and menacing, as illuminating as it is sorrowful. A former duo, Dynfari eventually became a fully fleshed out quartet just before the release of their acclaimed 2017 album The Four Doors Of The Mind, an ambitious, thought-provoking conceptual work on the stages of grief that we are still processing to this day. To help us complete that process, we have invited Dynfari to perform the album in full at Roadburn 2020.

Read more about Dynfari HERE.

BAD BREEDING
Bad Breeding‘s music itself is just as confrontational, just as much an embodiment of the frictious times we’re living in, and just as on point as the message they’re delivering. Echoes of anarcho-punk forefathers such as Crass or Rudimentary Peni are present, but there’s plenty to be found in the rubble that will appeal to fans of post-hardcore or thrash bands alike. If you’re looking to blow off some steam at Roadburn, we’ve got just the band for you…

Read more about Bad Breeding HERE.

WHITE WARD
Prepare to embark on a dystopian journey that is rooted in the here and now, rather than in the fantasy lands of White Ward‘s previous output. Channelling Bohren And Der Club Of Gore, passages of mournful, reflectiveness sit alongside ferocious blast beats and relentless aggression on the album, and will be brought to life on the Roadburn stage this coming April, in all its slick, noir glory.

Read more about White Ward HERE.

DOMMENGANG
The L.A. by-way-of-NYC three-piece turn rhythms on their heads whiplash fast and maintain an extremely groovy vibe. Whilst they’re working from some of the same roots found in classic heavy rock, Dommengang are putting a stamp on it through performances no less righteous than those from which they’re taking inspiration.

Read more about Dommengang HERE.

KUNGENS MÄN
Completely unfiltered and without safety nets, Sweden’s Kungens Män crafts otherworldly textures through a meld of organic instrumental flow, and waves of hugely captivating guitar along with ambient synth. It’s Kungens Män‘s improvisational approach that recalls both the hypnotic and meditative wanderings of psychedelia, but the band is also effortlessly moving through krautrock, shoegaze, noiserock and free jazz territory

Read more about Kungens Män HERE.

DARSOMBRA
Brian Daniloski and Ann Everton seem to be constantly on the road, one of those couple duos who will open new gates of consciousness with their self-described “trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock” wherever they’re allowed to set down their gear. Anywhere the Darsombra spaceship has a little space and time to land, it will provide its magic. Now finally that ship has its course set for Roadburn next April where the band will present their most recent album, Transmission.

Read more about Darsombra HERE.

TAU AND THE DRONES OF PRAISE
Psychedelia comes in many shapes and forms, and we’re thrilled that TAU and The Drones of Praise will bring their swirling mantras and lysergic, Eastern-tinged neo-psych to Roadburn 2020. Part transcendental delights, part acid-folk – think The Wickerman and other tribal incantations – the band revolving around the shamanic Irish–Berliner Seán Mulrooney, dives headlong in to sonic experimentalism and extrasensory perception.

Read more about Tau and the Drones of Praise HERE.

Already announced for Roadburn 2020 is: Emma Ruth Rundle and James Kent as curators, commissioned projects from James Kent & Johannes Persson, Jo Quail, and Vile Creature & Bismuth, the return of Julie Christmas, Red Sparowes, Russian Circles, Torche, Brutus, Bada (ft. Anna Von Hausswolff), David Eugene Edwards, Health, Boy Harsher, Lankum, She Past Away, and two Artists In Residence: Full of Hell and Lingua Ignota. Check the full line up HERE.