FESTIVAL REVIEW: Roadburn Festival 2023

Let’s get one thing out of the way, Roadburn is still the premier underground fest that it has always been. I know so many people who went into this year’s fest expecting it to be their last, saying the lineup wasn’t for them, or that they didn’t like this change or that change. But I can tell you, they have all already booked rooms and bought tickets for next year. Change isn’t bad.

The diversity of the lineup helped with the FOMO, leaving many with a more relaxed experience and an ability to enjoy new acts that they might not have had the time for in the past. And as always there were the all-important moments spent catching up with friends and family. Speaking of new additions, RB had actual afterparties. The most memorable for me was Sierra filling in a 2 am set for Boy Harsher because of flight drama. We arguably were given an upgrade, because who doesn’t want to end a long day dancing into the night? She absolutely slayed. I’ve always said in the past that RB was underutilizing their synth acts. Imagine if it had been James from Perturbator throwing down a post-midnight DJ set–people would have lost their shit. But we can’t dwell on missed opportunities from the past, just cherish the ones we are given.

Now let’s dig into some of my personal highs and lows. It is simply too much for me to break down every band from all four days plus the pre-show. First my biggest low: I missed Backxwash twice. Yes, I said twice. I was asked to be a second-angle shooter for the Deafheaven and Cave In sets, and it, unfortunately, conflicted, so keep an eye out for that in the future. When you see it, think to yourself, “I read that guy’s drivel before,” but don’t expect to see any photos cause I was in video mode. My second biggest low was all the rain: this was my seventh RB and it had never been this wet before. It just really cut down on the community hangs, which are a big part of RB’s appeal for a lot of us Burners. My other lows are simply more things I couldn’t enjoy, so I’ll spare you.

Roadburn 2023, Tilburg Netherlands

My highs might be too many to list. Poison Ruin simply killed closing out the pre-show, the crowd was pogoing and bouncing off each other all while singing along to their fresh brand of dungeon punk. Julie Christmas incredibly topped her performances with Cult of Luna. Do not sleep on this! It was so vibrant, powerful, and emotional– simply amazing. Ending the night dancing with Julie and friends to Prince at the Little Devil until past 4 am was just the cherry on top of an amazing first full RB Day. Day two highs consisted of Elizabeth Color Wheel, Brutus, and Sierra’s fantastic late-night DJ set. If you get a chance to see ECW before they blow up in the near future to large stages and venues, don’t debate it, just go. You won’t see any photos in this galley of Sierra’s late set, just her mid-day set cause I wanted to be selfish and just enjoy myself, but you can trust me when I say I danced my ass off and it was a blast.

Roadburn 2023, Tilburg Netherlands

Onto Saturday: Day 3. High Vis, Show Me The Body, and Boy Harsher were highlights out of the bands, but it was also the most diverse day and really had a handful of goodies sprinkled in for everyone. If you didn’t know, Boy Harsher plays dance music and it was so damn cool to see everyone in the packed 3000+ cap room of the 013 dancing along, not something I ever thought I’d see, but I’m really happy I did.

Roadburn 2023, Tilburg Netherlands

While Sunday was the final day and had the fewest bands playing, it was my busiest day. I couldn’t miss the commissioned Elizabeth Color Wheel & Ethan McCarthy collab, and it was mind-blowing. Wayfarer continues to prove why they are a shortlist band that everyone wants to play at their fest. Big Brave dominated the main stage surpassing last year’s performance by miles, and Golden Grass, for whom I did the on-stage visuals. Duma finished out the fest with a set so damn heavy I don’t even have words for it other than HOLY FUCKING SHIT. Now I’m sure I’ve missed many things, so please be sure to call me out in the comments, and I damn sure can’t wait to do this all again next year!