Stoomfest 2026 Preview
Just as you thought festival season was winding down for the year, there is one last surprise lurking within the very heart of the UK’s capital, in the shape of Stoomfest 2026. Taking place over three days at the end of September, this one’s going to be an unmissable event, filled with incredible acts from not only across the United Kingdom, but as far afield as Australia and the US too.
Premiering on this Friday, 25th September, and running until late on Sunday, 27th September, 20 acts will obliterate the stage of The Garage in Highbury, Londonand here I will be introducing you to the event, the acts, and what to expect from your weekend if you join us.
With a line-up that includes Mount Hush, Colour Haze, and Sleeping Mountain as its headlining acts over the weekend, if stoner rock and doomy goodness is your thing, then Stoomfest 2026 will be right up your alley.
Friday night kicks off at 6:30pm, opening with The Lunar Effect, the bluesy stoner outfit from London. Giving a real retro feel to the event, this act is the perfect welcome to the weekend, and they plan to set the party off with a bang. Followed by Helsinki’s Orbiter, their unique brand of epically dark stoner goodness will carry you off into a darker realm completely. Having reviewed this band previously, I am very much looking forward to finally catching them live.
The almighty Froglord will slither in after, and bring all things swamp to the venue. Truly a majestic entity, the idiosyncratic amphibians will be here to darken everything and leave a trail of algae-drenched filth in their wake. Finland’s Kaiser shall then return things to a sharper focus with a set worthy of the history books. Hopefully, highlights such as Brotha will get an airing and set the mood, ready for the evening’s final act and one of the most enigmatic bands of the whole stoner scene, Germany’s Mount Hush.
Truly heroes of the day who have stepped in to fill the slot which has sadly been left by Stoned Jesus not being able to join the party, Mount Hush will be here to wow the crowd with a sound which is as huge and inspiring as the band themselves. This new addition has been unforeseen, but should be a worthy replacement, guaranteed to finish the day in the most explosive way possible. All in all, it promises to be a phenomenal first day of Stoomfest 2026, and that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.
Day two will be the longest day, so you will need a strong game face and plenty of pacing to ride this one out.
Starting at 2pm, all the way from across the pond, France’s Red Sun Atacama will set things ablaze with their unique brand of hard rock stoner psych. I’m not sure if ‘easing us in’ is the correct phrase, but they will be setting us up for an explosion of stoner doom goodness all day long. With red-hot firecrackers like Commotions and Revvelator, this little powerhouse is going to set the venue alight.
London’s Okay You Win will breeze in swiftly after and try their darnedest to decimate the Garage in true ‘End of Days’ style. The quartet from the capital have made quite the name for themselves since their inception in 2023, and they will be the boys to beat for the whole damned thing. The gargantuan Thunder Horse will up the intensity with a set that will be as caustic as it will be venomous. The Texas outfit will shine a light for the Southern American contingent of the stoner rock scene, giving us all an experience which should invoke the NOLA sound and acts of that ilk.
Quite the underground heroes, Slomatics will follow suit, and provide a soundtrack for the apocalypse. Reminiscent of the likes of Windhand and Cough, this doomy sludgy Belfast trio will highlight their years of experience and start the evening with a bang. Another act I am looking forward to catching, Australia’s Khan will be out to raise some bars, and if their catalogue is anything to go by, no matter what the setlist, this is going to be unmissable. This stoner psych collective knows how to rouse a crowd, so be prepared for a sweaty heavy pit throughout.
From this point on its hit after hit of incredible bands, starting with Switzerland’s Black Willows. Known for their trippy heavy psych sounds, the mission won’t be to take prisoners; it will be to destroy the mother loving place. Fingers crossed, and you will get to witness Mountain, Dead Mantra and Anathem in all their unfiltered live glory, and even if you don’t, you know it’s going to be incredible nonetheless. Sweden’s Astro Queen will be providing heavy desert rock goodness, and with it conjuring up visions of dusty windswept plains, blinding sun, and gritty, dirty rock and roll. If you want to grab a taste, check out Turbin Turbine or Into Submission, turn the stereo up, and let yourself go; you won’t be disappointed.
The penultimate act for Saturday, Savanah lead us into a stoner doom oblivion with their hazy, luxurious sonic mindset. The Austrian three-piece plan on filling the room with noise, and if they are even a tenth as devastating live as they are on record, this is going to be a brutal one. Colour Haze will be seeing us off into the night with one last drive of heavy stoner psych. This German four-piece has been around since the mid ‘90s and are considered one of the longest-serving stoner bands. With a huge catalogue to choose from, it’s going to be an incredible set, and if any combination of Love, Tempel or Aquamaria gets an airing, it should be the perfect climax to a day filled with first-class bands.
Sunday sees a slightly later start, and at 4pm, it should be just as the sun is starting to set, perfect for this badass weekend to reach is pinnacle.
Starting with Brighton’s School Disco, we will be invited into the party, the fusing of trippy psych and stoner groove bringing the tone for the afternoon. They are quite the enigma to behold but utterly engaging as they hit us with everything they’ve got. Earl Of Hell will be next on the agenda, bringing all the retro trippy stoner fun they can muster up from the wilds of the Highlands. This act should be one of the highlights for the day, and to miss them would be a travesty. Fingers crossed for a live rendition of Calling Is The Crow or Hang ‘Em High, both of which I consider to be the band’s most magical moments.
Following on, Dunes, from Newcastle upon Tyne, will bring the heavy desert rock contingent. Comparable to Stoned Jesus or Kyuss perhaps, they really do excel at what they do. For me, this will be another unmissable set, and I will be front and centre for this mob. London’s Mehiga should be up next, just in time to bridge that gap between early evening and the depths of night, bringing with them some truly abrasive psych goodness. This band really showcase how to capture another dimension sonically, and will thrill the audience immensely over the course of their set.
This will leave only two acts remaining to set the festival off to a thunderous zenith. Australia’s Holy Stone have made quite the name for themselves over the last couple of years, and it really is an honour having them at Stoomfest 2026. The stoner three-piece have taken the mould and adapted it to their own uniqueness, reenergising the genre, and shaping something magically fresh indeed.
While Sleeping Mountain, one of London’s finest and the masterminds behind the whole Stoomfest franchise, will be on hand to set the final outpouring off with a bang. Fusing heavy doom with vibrant stoner, the unit will give it their all to leave the crowd with a memory which will last forever. I am looking forward to hearing Walls Of Shadows and/or In The Land Of Burning Witches myself, but I have no doubt it will all be absolutely incredible, and the perfect end to a tremendous weekend.
Tickets for Sunday have already sold out, but there’s still time to purchase either a Friday or Saturday day ticket or go wild and pick up a ticket for both days while you still can, as these won’t be available for long. This event looks set to be a gargantuan one, it would be a shame to miss it, so make sure you don’t. For more information, you can find all the Stoomfest socials in the usual places, and online too.
Hopefully you will come join us; it’s going to be epic.
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Scribed by: Lee Beamish
