- One Last Hug With The Devil -
feat. AK'CHAMEL, DJIIN, HUGGING, K-X-P, PRIMITIVE MAN, SIR RICHARD BISHOP and STREET SECTS
The cramps in my leg after Friday night luckily had been a lonely exception. All in all I got through this Roadburn edition very smoothly with many breaks to sit and little unnecessary extra ways to walk. In combination with me not indulging in any tiring activities before noon since Thursday that led to the by far easiest drive home to Northern Germany on Monday which I ever had.
Over all the previous years I had gotten used to take at least two, if not three breaks before I even left the Netherlands, because there was just no way to make it safely without power naps. Ultimately four hundred kilometers always became a whole day of either being on the road or taking breaks from driving. But this time I sailed through the rainy weather like it was nothing. I refueled in Germany only minutes before twelve o'clock* and took my lunch break when I was already close to Bremen. After a bit of traffic jam there all potential delays around Hamburg were extremely harmless and on the other side of the Elbe tunnel the sun even came out again. What a nice way of riding on good karma after such a great Roadburn week!
* Thanks to a new bullshit law German petrol stations are only allowed to change prices once a day, so instead of a constant up and down throughout the whole day there's only one huge leap upwards at noon.
Uhm, wait! That was all about Monday, right? - Of course, but would you have even read it if it would be at the very bottom of this report? Hand on your heart! See?
So now we can rewind back to Sunday, try to say hello to the cats again, but they are tired of this shit...
... and start the finale of Roadburn 2026 on a relaxed note with my only second visit to the small Hall of Fame after Dead Neanderthals (whose Rene Aquarius I actually met in the merch area before this show) on Thursday:
Somewhere in the back of my mind the name Sir Richard Bishop seemed familiar, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Even after this most minimalist show of the festival - just one man and his acoustic guitar - I had no clue. I actually checked this very blog for mentions of him only a couple of days ago and found out that I had actually seen him perform before. But that was quite a while ago in 2012, when he supported none other than Swans, who I experienced for the first time that night. And it isn't easy to keep more than the shadow of a blurry memory of what happened before such a (positively) traumatic event.
Here and now however Sir Richard was playing right in front of me without Michael Gira's mind cleansing commando breathing in our necks, so I will safely remember this performance better. In free improvisations, which included a multitude of techniques and styles - from heavy staccato strumming to delicate tapping and passionate Flamenco fingerpicking wizardry - combined in unpredictable ways, you couldn't put his show in a box more precise than... I don't know... Free Experimental Americana?
But who cares, the main takeaway was that you really don't need anything more than the right dude and his six strings for a powerful, compelling live show. This was truly amazing!
CLASHBURN:
Of course for many artists Roadburn is a part of their European tours, so there's always the option to reduce clashes at the festival by seeing some of those when they come to your regular favorite clubs. For Sunday I had made my planning significantly easier this way, having attended a phenomenal Lili Refrain show in Hamburg's Hafenklang as well as Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean as opener for Sumac on the MS Stubnitz shortly before.
And even though the whole day still was at least a light clash, it gave me a palpable amount of freedom and leaving me with less painful misses. The hardest ones remaining now were Boris performing "Flood", the trio Orcutt Shelley Miller, the Drone set of Planning For Burial, - and Sanam, who actually were part of my plan. But then a suprise secret show came along, which I just had to prioritize, even though I had marked the Experimental Rock band from Beirut as unmissable / mandatory.
But for the moment still having the vivid memory of Lili Refrain's last show in my heart enabled me not to begrudge others being enchanted by her magic and watch a good part of Primitive Man in The Terminal instead.
And even though the whole day still was at least a light clash, it gave me a palpable amount of freedom and leaving me with less painful misses. The hardest ones remaining now were Boris performing "Flood", the trio Orcutt Shelley Miller, the Drone set of Planning For Burial, - and Sanam, who actually were part of my plan. But then a suprise secret show came along, which I just had to prioritize, even though I had marked the Experimental Rock band from Beirut as unmissable / mandatory.
But for the moment still having the vivid memory of Lili Refrain's last show in my heart enabled me not to begrudge others being enchanted by her magic and watch a good part of Primitive Man in The Terminal instead.
If we're talking about the most gruesomely pummeling, heaviest existential dread channeling and triggering filthy Sludge Metal, Colorado's Primitive Man will always be a central theme of the conversation. And even though I find their most recent 2025 album "Observance" to be easier accessible than the monolithic brutality of their previous works, its exlusive full performance in The Terminal was anything than a relaxing walk in the park.
No, the crushing bleak horror the trio exuded with every crawling riff, every frantic outburst and nihilist growl was just gloriously shattering. Respect to everyone risking their mental health by exposing their fragile little mortal bodies to the full seventy-five minutes of the show!
I left probably half an hour earlier for the stark contrast of enjoying the sunshine while waiting outside Ladybird Skatepark for what would be the perfect companion show to yesterday's Otay:onii spectacle...
No, the crushing bleak horror the trio exuded with every crawling riff, every frantic outburst and nihilist growl was just gloriously shattering. Respect to everyone risking their mental health by exposing their fragile little mortal bodies to the full seventy-five minutes of the show!
I left probably half an hour earlier for the stark contrast of enjoying the sunshine while waiting outside Ladybird Skatepark for what would be the perfect companion show to yesterday's Otay:onii spectacle...
The other day I had recognized two members of Otay:onii's quartet from seeing them with their band Aptera in Denmark last year, so that was what I also had in my secret secret show wishlist. I wasn't aware however that they also both played together with the Chinese-American singer in Hugging. So that group performing in the Skatepark now was almost identical to the one on the Main Stage, just with a different fourth member on bass instead of electronics.
In comparison to "Moonstruck Old Tales" this was defintely a rawer, wilder affair with greater focus on just having a blast rocking as a band and smashing faces. It included more aggressive vocal participation of guitar player Kim Vu and one of my favorite entertainment moments of the weekend being drummer Qui-Zi Yang's surprised look on her face when she realized she had headbanged away her glasses and had to play one song without them, until they were found again.
But of course with Lane Shi on keytar and vocals in your band you won't just have straight forward brutal Hardcorepunkthrash'n'roll fury, but also the depths and emotional rollercoaster rides coming with her vocal range, presence and extremely dedicated performance. So while Hugging maybe didn't explore the full conceptual intensity and sincerity of Otay:onii's solo work, their show still was a raging screaming beast of blissful catharsis.
With the closeness and unfiltered immediacy in the natural daylight adding to it, I couldn't even decide which one of the two shows of the female three quarters of this group was my favorite - guess I'll have to come to a conclusion soon, since my Roadburn reports traditionally end with a ranking, which is now just four more performances away...
Street Sects in The Terminal weren't really the most mandatory must-see on my list, but rather the band, which just most neatly fit between what I had planned before and after - even with before having spontanously changed to Hugging.
That being said I didn't dislike the Harcore Electronics / Industrial / Punk stuff of the extended Texan duo, which caused a respectable amount of movement in the audience for a Roadburn Sunday, at all. But on the other hand I was also very fine with this show not overstaying its welcome. A short, stroboscopic, sweaty, sweet banger.
That being said I didn't dislike the Harcore Electronics / Industrial / Punk stuff of the extended Texan duo, which caused a respectable amount of movement in the audience for a Roadburn Sunday, at all. But on the other hand I was also very fine with this show not overstaying its welcome. A short, stroboscopic, sweaty, sweet banger.
Before Roadburn I didn't know what to expect, but I knew I just had to see what Ak'Chamel were about. Over two weeks after having seen the trio performing their outlandish Psychedelic ritual at Roadburn... I'm still not actually sure what happened during this possessed fever dream of a show.
Was I getting a peek at creatures from the limbo between the Black Lodge and our world? Was I being spiritually cleansed by alien shamans from another planet? Had I been transported back in time and to a far away place in the fictional mystic world of Heilung? Or was simply all of that equally true?
Between experimental noises and tribal rhythms, enigmatic chants and folklore of undefinable origin, from ominous blessing to transcendent mortuary rite Ak'Chamel led the audience in the Engine Room from bewildering theatre play to cosmic Krautrock levitation.
Weirdest trip of the festival? Or closest encounter with mankind's inner truth? All is true, is air and smoke. My soul is the spark of glowing embers blown through the ashes. That doesn't have to make any sense. But it sounds cool, right? Come on, don't pretend it doesn't!
Was I getting a peek at creatures from the limbo between the Black Lodge and our world? Was I being spiritually cleansed by alien shamans from another planet? Had I been transported back in time and to a far away place in the fictional mystic world of Heilung? Or was simply all of that equally true?
Between experimental noises and tribal rhythms, enigmatic chants and folklore of undefinable origin, from ominous blessing to transcendent mortuary rite Ak'Chamel led the audience in the Engine Room from bewildering theatre play to cosmic Krautrock levitation.
Weirdest trip of the festival? Or closest encounter with mankind's inner truth? All is true, is air and smoke. My soul is the spark of glowing embers blown through the ashes. That doesn't have to make any sense. But it sounds cool, right? Come on, don't pretend it doesn't!
The end of Roadburn drew nearer and there was still one important box to check. The Little Devil music bar was the busiest Offroad stage with several free shows on all four festival days. And after last year's great experience with the change of scenery when I saw Mantra Machine here I felt that this location had to be included at least once in my schedule, otherwise it would have felt like something was missing. Easier said than done, because the Little Devil is literally placed pretty far off the other Roadburn venues, so the distance alone required some commitment.
Luckily the most interesting band according to my YouTube research was somehow also the most doable option, since having already missed half of their show due to Ak'Chamel I wasn't going to see the tail end of Boris on the Main Stage anyway now - and I had taken Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean out of the equation in Hamburg two weeks prior.
I can't even fully explain why, but (possibly) ending the festival with one full hour of Djiin in this tiny intimate venue was somehow among my most anticipated items on the whole Roadburn 2026 programme. And the French quartet didn't disappoint.
Their fearless genre-bending, sometimes a bit quirky, often dramatic, always musically exciting melange of Doom Metal, Prog and Psychedelic Rock had me from the first minute to the very end. The most obvious unique features of Djiin were provided by lead singer Chloe Panhaleux, not only with her distinct warm (well, sometimes terryfying) versatile voice, but also by her playing the electric harp as a crucial addition to the regular Rock instrumentation.
This band delighted me on a level comparable to Messa, with a kindred spirit, yet different musical expression. What a fantastic show! And just like the previous Offroad band Taupe I count Djiin among my dearest discoveries of Roadburn 2026.
I actually acted economical and successfully resisted the call of merchandise. These two - not even "official" - bands were the only ones, from which I brought home music. And my only regret is that I didn't buy one or two Djiin albums more. Well, I guess that has to happen later then.
Their fearless genre-bending, sometimes a bit quirky, often dramatic, always musically exciting melange of Doom Metal, Prog and Psychedelic Rock had me from the first minute to the very end. The most obvious unique features of Djiin were provided by lead singer Chloe Panhaleux, not only with her distinct warm (well, sometimes terryfying) versatile voice, but also by her playing the electric harp as a crucial addition to the regular Rock instrumentation.
This band delighted me on a level comparable to Messa, with a kindred spirit, yet different musical expression. What a fantastic show! And just like the previous Offroad band Taupe I count Djiin among my dearest discoveries of Roadburn 2026.
I actually acted economical and successfully resisted the call of merchandise. These two - not even "official" - bands were the only ones, from which I brought home music. And my only regret is that I didn't buy one or two Djiin albums more. Well, I guess that has to happen later then.
Ok, I was almost starting to sum up the festival there, but neither was Roadburn done with me, nor was I done with Roadburn yet!
I had previously accepted the possibility of Djiin being my personal finale, which would have been alright and also curious, because who else could claim to have seen six shows on Sunday without getting a foot into - or even coming close to - the 013 venue?
But I didn't get stuck in the Little Devil for long and miraculously had enough energy left in me for a quick nighttime speed-walk, so I arrived in front of the Main Stage one last time only around five minutes after K-X-P had started.
I had previously accepted the possibility of Djiin being my personal finale, which would have been alright and also curious, because who else could claim to have seen six shows on Sunday without getting a foot into - or even coming close to - the 013 venue?
But I didn't get stuck in the Little Devil for long and miraculously had enough energy left in me for a quick nighttime speed-walk, so I arrived in front of the Main Stage one last time only around five minutes after K-X-P had started.
Carrying the viewer through deep space and higher consciousness the kosmische light show backing K-X-P's performance was the perfect match to the ultra-hypnotic Krautrock of the Finnish trio, which consisted of one guy on guitar, keys and other noisy stuff (and occasional whoooh! vocals) and two perfectly synced drummers.
Berlin-style Ambient met seemingly infinite motorik beats and a total disregard for keeping intact the listeners' perception of the flow of time. This was a trip just going on and on and on and on and on and on until it didn't. And even then K-X-P were the only band at this tightly scheduled festival which I saw returning onto the stage for an encore. Nice!
It felt as if there had been a silent understanding between artists, audience and staff that noone wanted Roadburn 2026 to be over yet.
Berlin-style Ambient met seemingly infinite motorik beats and a total disregard for keeping intact the listeners' perception of the flow of time. This was a trip just going on and on and on and on and on and on until it didn't. And even then K-X-P were the only band at this tightly scheduled festival which I saw returning onto the stage for an encore. Nice!
It felt as if there had been a silent understanding between artists, audience and staff that noone wanted Roadburn 2026 to be over yet.
And while the festival day actually felt satisfyingly completed and I knew that now was the right time to slowly start processing the surreal sensory input of the last five days, parting was of course - as always - bittersweet. Bed and ticket for Roadburn 2027 are already booked!
So that was my five-part write-up, I hope you enjoyed it or at least found some interesting parts here and there!
There's only one last piece of business left now, and that is the spontanous ranking of my favorite shows as I am feeling it right now. The special rules are that 1. each official stage can only be included once and 2. only one Offroad show makes it onto the list.
(That last decision alone is close to impossible, especially since the Het Concreet performance on Thursday was so far from what all other "regular" live performances wanted to be and achieve, that I don't even have a remote idea of how to compare them.)
But now, without further ado, my TOP 8 favorite shows of Roadburn 2026:
There's only one last piece of business left now, and that is the spontanous ranking of my favorite shows as I am feeling it right now. The special rules are that 1. each official stage can only be included once and 2. only one Offroad show makes it onto the list.
(That last decision alone is close to impossible, especially since the Het Concreet performance on Thursday was so far from what all other "regular" live performances wanted to be and achieve, that I don't even have a remote idea of how to compare them.)
But now, without further ado, my TOP 8 favorite shows of Roadburn 2026:
- OTAY:ONII "Moonstruck Old Tales" (Main Stage)
- SHEARLING (The Engine Room)
- HUGGING (Ladybird Skatepark)
- DJIIN (OFFROAD, Little Devil Bar)
- TEARDRINKER "I Hope This Hurts" (The Terminal)
- DEAD NEANDERTHALS (Hall Of Fame)
- ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE "Present" (Next Stage)
- STEAMBOAT SWITZERLAND (Paradox)
reviews of the other festival days:
ROADBURN FESTIVAL 2026 • THE SPARK: Wednesday, April 15th
- The Bad Bird Catches The Spark -
ROADBURN FESTIVAL 2026 • DAY THREE: Saturday, April 18th
- I Drifted On Alpine OceansWith The Taste Of The Moon On My Tongue -
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