2026 marks ten years since Dead Neanderthals first performed at Roadburn, and in the time since then they have continued to confound and defy expectations whilst flying the flag for the Dutch underground. Ostensibly a free-jazz duo, Dead Neanderthals simply do not understand what it means to stay in their lane, and therefore have veered all over the musical map – much to our delight over the years.
Whether you found them knee-deep in a collaboration, slapbang in the middle of one of their most metal moments, or riding the high of an improvised saxophone solo, Dead Neanderthals will always find a way to turn the tables just when you think you have them sussed. So, we gave up trying to make sense of them a long time ago, we accept them for what they are – whatever they show up with on any given day. They have given us a clue as to what to expect from this year’s Roadburn performance though, and you can find that here.
Of their upcoming show, they tell us: “Tilburg has always been very welcoming to our form of antediluvian metal. Whether we played at Incubate or Roadburn, the experience has always been amazing due to the open-minded audiences and excellent festival production. We are ecstatic to play Roadburn once more in the 16th year of our band’s existence.”
– Becky Laverty
