Since launching in 2012, the festival has become a fixture in the UK’s heavy music calendar, focusing on stoner rock, doom, psych and heavy rock. Its multi-venue format makes use of Camden landmarks such as the Roundhouse, the Electric Ballroom, and The Black Heart, providing a mix of large stages and intimate club settings. Alongside its London base, Desertfest has expanded internationally, with editions in Berlin, Antwerp and New York.

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Green Lung’s headline performance will coincide with the band’s 10th anniversary. The group, who have gained a reputation for blending classic heavy metal with elements of folk and psychedelia, trace their beginnings back to Desertfest itself. Three founding members first met during the 2016 festival.

In a statement, vocalist Tom Templar described the show as a career milestone:
“Back at Desertfest 2016, our guitarist Scott, drummer Matt and ex-bassist Andrew met in the hallowed confines of the Black Heart, and over a few ales decided to form the band that would go on to become Green Lung. Ten years later, we couldn’t be more honoured to be headlining the festival. This will undoubtedly be the biggest moment of our career to date and an opportunity to take our stage show to heights we’ve always dreamed of. It’s also a testament to the power of the incredible London heavy rock scene that launched us, and we can’t wait to bring together friends and fans old and new to celebrate a decade of the Lung at the Roundhouse.”

The festival has also confirmed the first wave of other performers. Texan stoner metal band The Sword will make an exclusive UK appearance, while San Diego’s Earthless return for a one-off UK show. Swedish trio Truckfighters, who performed at the inaugural Desertfest in 2012, are also on the bill. Completing the initial announcement are Capricorns, the London-based progressive doom group who helped define the underground heavy scene in the 2000s and will play their first live show in 18 years.

Two further headliners and additional acts are due to be announced in the coming months.

Tickets for Desertfest London 2026 are on sale now and can be accessed here.

GREEN LUNG Announces Fall UK Tour https://t.co/Fi3xXwgZer

— Metal Injection (@metalinjection) June 8, 2023

The band will begin their tour at the tail end of the year, beginning in Glasgow in November and ending in London in December. Previously, Green Lung have gathered a growing following for their brand of occult metal, touring throughout Europe in support of American legends Clutch.

Despite their youth and recentness to the scene, Green Lung have released two albums to date-both of which have been warmly received by critics and fans alike. The band are currently working on releasing a third studio album.

The London quartet have drawn upon strong influences from the 70s with Pagan infused lyrical content which rounds out their folk-horror inspired aura. The band have found particular influence in the occult and folklore that is unique to the British isles and permeates British culture-usually seen on a more subtle scale. Green Lung draw upon this vibrant imagery to give the listener a truly unique experience within the world of heavy metal.

Like many of their contemporaries within the scene and outside of it, Green Lung have found a growing following in the online community, gathering a growing fanbase on platforms such as Instagram. Frontman Tom Templar, speaking after their debut release said of the online community, “we’d play gigs to, like, five people in a pub, but then these obsessive fans came from the online world.” This strong support subsequently led to the band gaining noticeable attention from the metal community, leaving the band on the verge of headlining venues in their own right.

Adhering to a staunch punk DIY ethic, Green Lung spurned the advances of major labels and signed instead to the independent Finnish label Svart Records. This ethos is certainly paying dividends for the band, with Green Lung just coming off a Download Festival appearance that is sure to have won over many new converts.

Now, the group is gearing up for what could be a defining UK headlining tour that has the potential to cement them firmly amongst the leading lights in the metal scene today. Speaking of the upcoming tour, Templar said, “since our last UK headline tour we’ve played some giant festivals, travelled around Europe in support of Clutch and added the finishing touches to our third album. We can’t wait to bring all that experience to bear onstage-we’ll be hitting some new cities, debuting new material, and bringing along some killer supports.”

Green Lung tour tickets can be found here.

Green Lung UK Tour:

22/11/2023 – Cathouse – Glasgow
23/11/2023 – Gorilla – Manchester
24/11/2023 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
25/11/2023 – Corporation Sheffield – Sheffield
26/11/2023 – Thekla – Bristol
30/11/2023 – KK’s Steel Mill – Wolverhampton
01/12/2023 – Norwich Arts Centre – Norwich
02/12/2023 – The Joiners Southampton – Southampton
03/12/2023 – Patterns – Brighton
10/12/2023 – Scala – London