Every year in April a swarm of black clad long hairs, no hairs, hair-hairs and everything in between descend upon the city of Tilburg Netherlands for Roadburn, an underground heavy music festival that is not quite so underground considering how prestigious its gotten. Secret sets, special commissions and collaborations amongst bands, some of which are once in a lifetime experiences, there is nothing quite like this anywhere else. Their slogan is “redefining heaviness” and is a festival for the connoisseurs of heavy and experimental music. Every line up announcement I’ve seen I only recognize about 20% of the bands but a lot of the fun is discovering new favorites. With an open mind, you can go see just about any random band playing and have a great time. 2026 is their 27th year of existence and my third year attending.

Settling in / Day 0

The trip to Tilburg from Arkansas was horrendous with all the delays and being forced to run through crowded airports while sweating like a horse. The trains from the Brussels airport were easy enough but by the time I made it to the campgrounds I was cranky and just wanted to go to sleep. Planes are very dehydrating and I was determined to not be sick so I decided to start marathoning water. The water in Tilburg is award winning and pretty tasty. The campground for Roadburn is a fenced off area in the middle of a park, there is a court yard with an ice cream/friet kiosk, public restrooms, a basketball court and a water spigot to fill jugs up with. I filled two big jugs with water as children ran about, rode bicycles and shrieked with joy. Their parents sat in the sunshine enjoying ice cream as they watched the kids play. The campground has one well guarded entrance and exit point. It was quite a bit more of a trek this year than it had been in the past. I stomped bitchily with my sloshing jugs from the sunny courtyard down a shaded alley lined with trees towards the camp entrance. When the keeper of the gate spotted me he frowned heavily like Abbath, posed like a gorilla and grunted. His exquisite rendition of my plight gave me great joy and I laughed pretty hard. The check in was a breeze and right inside of the gate was a lovely courtyard just for Roadburners. Picnic tables, couches, chairs with cushions, food trucks with healthy food, friendly staff. A little stream ran through the campground and it had lots of ducks and strange peeping birds I have never seen anywhere else in it. Occasionally mother ducks with their small parades of babies would make their way through and people would pause to let them pass. At night, amongst a symphony of frog song and snores, a fire pit would be lit for people to sit around with some beers and pizza. The bathrooms stayed clean at all hours, the soap and paper towels rarely ran out and when they did they were never out more than an hour. The showers were also in great shape, I never once ran out of warm water or saw anything gross.

This year I opted to stay in one of the Tipi tents. I liked them quite a bit more than the kapihut or the non-wooden cabins they had back in 2023. The Tipi came with two small mattresses, two pillows, two comforters and a battery powered swinging lightbulb. This was my first year camping by myself and having two blankets was a game changer. It gets very cold at night, sometimes I can see my breath. Getting in and out of the tent was sort of awkward and made me feel a bit like a retired circus poodle, there really wasn’t any graceful way to go about it. I had landed in Brussels at 9am and it was 4pm before I got fully situated. I laid down with my feet in the sun, absorbing the fact I made it to another Roadburn, and by myself this time! I listened to the peeping birds, low conversations in Dutch and children playing on a far off hill. The atmosphere of Roadburn is unmatched and I am especially fond of the tranquility of the campground. It’s not tranquil 100% of the time though. One morning at about 9am a huge pack of school children were let loose at the park and were right outside the campground fence going apeshit insane. Right in the middle of the cacophony, in perfect English a kid shouted at the top of their lungs “NO ONE TOLD ME LIFE WAS GONNA BE THIS WAAAAAY” I got a big kick out of that.

For the 6th year De Bierbrigadier was hosting its Rad Roadburn Bottleshare and I had really been looking forward to it. De Bierbrigadier is a cool little shop about a 15 minute walk from the campground. The walls inside the shop are lined in all manner of colorfully labeled beer, a lot of which are refrigerated. The owner of the shop is friendly and knowledgeable. People from many different countries brought their favorite beers and even some home brews. The owner gave us each a cute little glass tasting cup and sat some of his beers on the table as people began to arrive with their own contributions. We were also welcome to buy beers in the shop to drink and share which I did a few times. I thought it was really nice people were allowed to join even if they didn’t provide anything. Every one I talked to was fun and interesting. I had a good time talking to some Swedes about Arkansas. One thing I noticed pretty quickly was that Europeans don’t swear much so I made an effort to tone it down a bit, I could still smoke though so it was fine. The beers were mostly IPAs while I was in there, which is something I’m not all that fond of, but these were all great! There was one home brew whose hops were so powerful it felt sort of like I had beetles in my neck trying to roll my cochlea out of my ear canals though. I love a good rare beer and home brews while on another continent are about as rare as it gets. Two hours and innumerable tastes later I was heroically drunk and was walking with my hands out in front of me like some sort of half mummy which means I was about a beer away from becoming a responsibility so I wobbled back to my tent. There was a pre-party with a few bands about to start a little ways down the road but I had had such a great time at De Bierbrigadier I had no regrets about skipping it. I had left my tent halfway open while I was gone and someone had thrown an extra lightbulb in there, I actually ended up taking it home with me and thank whoever put it in there. The last thing remember was laughing at the absurdity of it before going to sleep for 12 hours. It was the best I’d slept in years.

Day 1

I woke up feeling great which was a surprise considering how much I drank. Had my instant espresso, got breakfast at a food truck and watched the ducks as I enjoyed the campground soundtrack of chirps, peeps and other happy voices I couldn’t understand. I’ve been told a few times if I learned Dutch people would speak to me in English anyways so I haven’t really tried. Most people in the Netherlands know English and it amazes me how fast a lot of the people I talked to can switch languages with such fluency. I had someone try and help me learn to say “Fluisteraars” because they are one of my favorite bands, but I cannot make that sound. I can spell it though so that counts I guess. I went and had second breakfast later with Chicago and New York friends at a nice cafe where I ordered orange yogurt and it was yogurt in a glass of orange juice which fascinated me. it was great, I’m going to try it at home too. After my very pleasant juice visit I made my way over to Koepelhal. Koepelhal is an old factory that has been converted into an events center, this is where the merch area, 3 stages (Engine Room, Terminal, Hall of Fame) and a food area and some art exhibitions are located. The merch area is massive and opens at noon on festival days. The bands merch usually arrives and leaves with the bands so it’s wise to check several times a day to see what’s out there. Tables and walls are covered in shirts, posters, records CDs, patches etc. The people helping sell the merch have always been friendly and nice. Bands who do secret sets will often have merch set up long before announcements are made, so that’s another reason to haunt the area.

Was having a good time trying the new festival beer from Uiltje and visiting with friends so my first set of the day was not until the commissioned Krallice future set on the Main Stage. The main stage is an easy 8 minute walk from Koepelhal in a venue called 013 which also houses the Next Stage. The main stage area can fit 3000 people but is generally not hard to get situated in, though if you want to get a place close to the stage I would recommend getting there at least 30 minutes early. Krallice had not played in Europe for 10 years, their future set was all new and never heard before songs. These guys have weaponized proficiency, just an onslaught of sick riffs. Their old stuff had been my preference throughout their catalog but this has changed and I very much look forward to preordering their new album when it comes out.

After Krallice I decided to go have a smoke and get a delightful paper cone full of fries that came with a tiny wooden fork outside of the 013 and stare at the beautiful castle like church across from the entrance. I enjoy hanging out in that area, there are plenty of places to sit with great views and opportunities to run into friends. As I sat enjoying my food I heard a Dutch accent ask “Pigspigspigs?’ followed by a French accent declaring “Pigspigspigspigspigspigspigspigspigspigspigs!!” which made me laugh. I enjoy hearing the variety of ways people said the name Pigspigspigspigspigspigspigs as they walked by. All are correct as far as I’m concerned. The Pigspigspigspigspigspigspigs set was another one of my favorites, they had incredible energy. The frontman spent most of the set jumping all around and even had some fancy Muay Thai jumping around shorts on. This was their first and only time playing their new album Death Hilarious in full and I was happy to witness it.

Next, and one of my top 3 favorites of the weekend was Italian trio Ufomammut with their heavy and hypnotic Aion the eternal coil set. They had the coolest visuals that I had ever seen at the time, a double ouroboros slowly spinning in a nest of stars and in the middle an evolving variety of things. I was transfixed the whole show. One of the most insane people I have ever met who I really don’t like had told me that Ufomammut was their favorite band so when it was announced I was like “whatever, I don’t care!” what a tragedy it would have been had I missed it. A friend of mine back home whose opinions I respect told me it was a big deal and to check out the album Idolum so I did and I was immediately hooked. Very cool band, I have a lot of catching up to do.

Finished off the night with Cult of Luna doing an early years set, full of bending lights and heavy, emotional post metal renderings. Was cool to discover they had two drummers and a giga Chad frontman. After this I swayed and nodded to the alien noises and flashing lights in the fun techno space ship that was Blawan. I didn’t make it to any secret sets but here is what was offered throughout the day: Curselifter x Snake eater, Doodswens, Kowloon Walled City

Day 2

Started the day off with an expertly cooked breakfast from a new friend I had made at the bottle share who happened to be camped across from me which was a very pleasant addition my weekend. Went and had a breakfast beer with some other friends, scoped out the merch area and got in a long line that went very fast for New York black metal band Yellow Eyes. I discovered them through the Gilead Media documentary A Wandering Path where I saw that they make their own instruments (not all of them) and their recording studio is this cabin in the woods they sometimes have to drag all their gear out to with sleds which I thought was super cool. Im also enamored with their expertly placed field recordings. They have so many tracks with frog song, which is such a peaceful sound and contrasts well with the haunting atmospheres they create. Very unique and interesting band! I had been wanting to see them for quite some time and was not disappointed. They finished their set with “When Jackies Lamps have Showed” with their terrifying and sweaty drummer doing vocals, the whole set was magnificent.

Up next went to go see the Wiegedood x Bl!ndman collab. In my excitement to see Wiegedood do a set with 4 dudes playing saxophone I had somehow completely skipped over the fact it was a drone set … My patience has not quite reached that level of maturity. They were playing at about the same time as Planning for Burial, after about 5 minutes of BWOOOOOO I really wanted to go see Planning for Burial for the 4th time, so I did. Below the House is such a cathartic album, I have spent many evenings laying in the floor staring up at the ceiling fan working my way through despair while it played. His last album, Its Closeness, Its Easy I loved just as much, but it is a little more party time than the other. I was told by multiple people the Wiegedood x Blindman set was actually very cool, I watched the set later on Youtube and it was indeed very cool, an unfortunate clash.

One of the 6 people including myself who traveled from a different continent to see Inter Arma play the Cavern alerted me to the fact their merch was in, which was two days early. And that’s when I Knew. When and what though?? There was much speculation. I was so happy to see they had a fancy Roadburn exclusive poster along with a beautiful new shirt with Caroline Harrison art on it. Got both along with a super sick Yellow eyes shirt.

Chilled, dilly dallied, shook with joy at a rumor. Caught Kowloon Walled City just in time to hear one of my favorite songs ” The Pressure Keeps Me Alive” Its gives me a sense of peace and comfort, sorta like a weighted blanket, but like, metaphorically. They played a new song too which I enjoyed. Smoked, squinted in the sun, visited and enjoyed existing. Caught the latter half of Heaven in Her Arms from Tokyo playing White Halo in full. Another beautiful and cathartic band. Went and saw the Krallice oldies set which ruled. Tried to go see Backengrillen but got impatient with the line. The Next stage is not my favorite. I visited with some more friends and had a burger with purple buns at my favorite food truck, I forget what it was called but the guy running it was a delight. I got to hear a few songs from Mandy Indiana before it got too crowded for my liking and I got The Fear. I went and sat on a bench in the 013 and was just at the right angle where I could hear both Mandy Indiana and Cult of Luna doing their late era set at the same time. My own little secret set!

I had never been to Paradox before, I could never find the place. It’s a little jazz club that holds about 170 people. A friend and I really wanted to go see Zu there. We decided to get in line an hour early anticipating some difficulty in getting in. It took us about 25 minutes to find the place and when we found it the line was already about 20 people deep. Zu are like if the BRRBRR DENG riff escaped Mudvayne, went feral, grew tusks and started terrorizing small villages. Impenetrable bristles! Viscera rending hooves! A Drummer a bassist and a man with a saxophone. They were awesome! my feet were killing me though and I knew if someone farted in the smashed together crowd I would certainly vomit which would result in a catastrophe so I left 30 minutes in. The line was very long on the way out and I got lost several times trying to go back to the tent. The deserted alleys late at night were a bit intimidating but I made it back just fine. The secret sets on day two were : Armand Hammer, Bad Breeding, Habak, the Machine

Day 3

Breakfast with friend, Another Heaven in her Arms set enjoyed with eyes closed and a beer followed by Blackwater Holylight playing their new album Not Here Not Gone in full. A beautiful start to the day. Slowhole was next, I had been really looking forward to finally seeing them. Blood red lights and sorcerous silhouettes, they created an eerie atmosphere that reminded me a lot of Dragged into Sunlight aesthetically. The music was possessed and bleak, I look forward to seeing them again. I went and got some food from a little buffet in Koepelhal while I could hear Primitive Man leveling cities on the Terminal stage. I can’t remember what it was called and I didn’t know how to eat it but it looked good so I got some. It was some kind of fancy quinoa and just ate it like rice. I saw some people around me adding sauces to theirs and cutting open little pieces of bread and putting stuff from their plate into it and I felt like a prepubescent chimp.

When I first heard that Inter Arma was going to be doing a secret set playing Sky Burial in full at the Skate Hall couldn’t believe it was real. If you found a million dollar lottery ticket on the street wouldn’t you be skeptical? My very favorite band playing my very favorite album as a surprise?? Nothing has ever hit quite like Sky Burial does, it’s a rare and specific mood. I listen to about 50 ish new bands a year, some for just a song and some on a loop for months. I cherish how much I enjoy this band over everything else. Masterful slow builds and atmosphere, layers and layers of earthquakes, storms, fragments of a lizard king and all sorts of other beautiful and turbulent embellishments. On top of all this they’re also very cool dudes. I had been saying for years how much I would love to hear Sky Burial, but I meant the song, I never expected to get to hear the entire album! I don’t think anyone did.

I felt like I might start bouncing off the walls like a Looney Toon so I drank 4 beers from Stoom as fast as I could. Stoom is where you want to go for the Big Boy Beers, they have a much larger variety of IBUs and ABVs than the festival ran kiosks. A fifth beer had me pretty docile and I sat down awhile. During my “I have to settle down and behave” session I got to meet the guy from my favorite music blog Machine Music, all the way from Israel, which was very cool! I feel like anyone who goes to Roadburn or even has an interest in it would enjoy reading his stuff, he finds some really obscure and off the wall bands.

New friends and old friends, it was a growing party as we all waited in line to hear Sky Burial. The set was fuckin’ incredible, it felt like being in a renaissance painting. The skatepark was packed, there was no real barrier, someone was blowing bubbles, the bass got handed to someone in the crowd for half a song, the joy was palpable. One of the best experiences of my life, so far from home but surrounded by friends I had met through mutual admiration for this band. At the end I was given a setlist written on the back of a torn Busch Light box, which is pinned to my wall currently. Still in disbelief it happened but I can see my big fuzzy head in a majority of peoples pictures and videos so I know it was a real thing. Now I wonder if they’ll ever do a Sundown set? I was pretty well wiped out and it was difficult to want to go see anything else. I went and checked out Saetia and I liked them much more than I expected, I’m not all that fond of screamo but they were pretty great! Slift was also an awesome addition to the night, they had a great light show too. Such an incredible weekend already and there was still one more day to look forward to.

secret sets: Tria Nema, Terzij de Horde, Heath, Inter Arma, Portrayel of Guilt

Day 4

I woke up dreadfully hungover and slightly delirious from jet lag. After a nice breakfast with beautiful clouds, sunshine and great conversation I went to go see the Krallice present set, I loved the song where the guitars stopped like some kind of malfunction and then started up again. I had to leave a little early because my super sick and also kvlt Mo’ynoq hoodie was too high quality and I started getting sweaty, which made me feel a bit like the guy in the movie Creepshow who started turning into moss… Maybe Krallice had brought a meteorite with them and I really was turning into moss. Time will tell. Everything sort of had a dream like quality to it, I did some lounging and staring. I got a 10% beer from my beloved Stoom and watched as it rattled when I sat it down, Primitive Man was playing another set in the room next to me. I got a text, “Where are you??” that had woke me up with the effectiveness of being tased. I had lost track of time. All my people who had traveled from another continent primarily to see Inter Arma play the Cavern were on the rails already and the set was starting in 30 minutes. I got up and ran, in took less than 5 minutes to get to the main stage thankfully. I have this OCD thing where I get sort of anxious if I’m not standing at the right of the stage at shows and I had mentioned this a few days prior. When I met up with the crew they were all to the right of the stage and one of them said ” right of the stage, like you like!” which made my lip wobble a little because how kind of them.

Inter Arma could have just played with their logo shining behind them or a picture of the album cover but instead we got to see this cinematic masterpiece going on in the background as they played, courtesy of their bassist. This was their first time playing the main stage at Roadburn and they made great use of it. Through desert, mountains, blinding sun, into the dirt and ether we were taken along a stunning and heartbreaking voyage. Not only did they have The Theremin Guy but also a violin player and female vocalist from Blackwater Holylight. It was perfect. Their drummer gave me a cymbal with a big bite taken out of it after the set and I was soooo happy.

My favorite discovery through this years line up was Ak’chamel, The Giver of Illness. Horrifying, vine shrouded, leathery flesh, they are from Texas. I had to get up front to see if they had a smell (they smelled better than I did) they offer lo fi folk music for the apocalypse which is fairly chill. They occasionally summon some gibbering, shambling unknown creature but quickly send it back. Witnessed live the creature is set is loose and frantic, not very chill at all, they were my favorite non Inter Arma set. If they were to give me a dripping cardboard box and tell me to put it under my house and never open it I would do it without hesitation.

The party was nearing completion, it was getting late and I had to be up at 4am to go home. I realized I had not been to the Hall of Fame stage the whole weekend and went to check out Icelandic/Australian post industrial band Kollaps and I’m so glad I did because they were awesome! High energy and oppressive atmosphere, their drummer was standing as he played and just beating the shit out of the drums. I would really like to see them again.

I hung out around the food area with friends for one last time, fully aware of my amount of sleep for the night dwindling. Roadburn 2026 was my favorite one yet, I don’t know if it can be topped but I had thought that at the last one too. It was so cool to not feel like an outlier for a couple of days. It was obvious I was a long way from home but no one made me feel weird about it, and I could just chatter away with all manner of interesting people and they were interested in what I had to say too. Roadburn really is kind of like being on another planet, the vibes are unmatched. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings.

day 4 secret sets: Lijkschouwer, Hugging, Truck Violence, Crouch