Roadburn Festival

The first edition of the festival was a series of three shows held from 11 to 13 February 1999, with performances in Amsterdam, Tilburg and Sneek, respectively.[4] Its line-up featured Cathedral, Orange Goblin, Beaver, Celestial Season, Terra Firma and 35007.[5]

In 2000, a one-day event was held on 24 November, as Spirit Caravan, Beaver and 35007 performed in Nijmegen at the Doornroosje venue.[6]

Three events occurred in 2001. Nebula, On Trial and Rotor performed on 22 March in Nijmegen.[7] Five Horse Johnson played in Den Bosch's W2 on 16 September (Leadfoot and Raging Slab were forced to cancel as all flights were shut down following the September 11 attacks).[8] Lastly, Masters of Reality, supported by The Atomic Bitchwax and Terra Firma, played Tilburg's 013 on 4 December. The booking was made possible by founder Walter Hoeijmakers' relationship with Josh Homme, who had lived in Amsterdam for a brief period between the breakup of Kyuss and the start of Queens of the Stone Age. Homme and Nick Oliveri both performed with Masters of Reality in the final show of Roadburn 2001.[9]

The Masters of Reality performance was broadcast live on 3voor12, which spread globally throughout the internet. Hoeijmakers, who is "still grateful to Homme for that", credits the show for being the moment when "people started to see Roadburn as a festival, while until then we were mainly a website about the thriving stoner, doom and psychedelic rock scene."[9]

No event took place in 2002. The eighth Roadburn occurred on 27 June 2003 in Eindhoven's Effenaar, headlined by Fu Manchu.[10] Their performance would be released as a live album, Live At Roadburn 2003, in 2019.[11] The 2004 edition, headlined by Monster Magnet, remained in Eindhoven on 17 June.[12][13]

The tenth edition took place on 9 April 2005. The venue 013 invited the festival to come back to Tilburg, where it remains to this day.[4] It was the first to feature multiple stages, and was headlined by Space Ritual and Electric Wizard; other bands included Sunn O))), High on Fire and Brant Bjork and the Bros.[14][15]

The 2006 edition, held on 21 and 22 April, was the first multi-day festival. It was headlined by a one-off Hawkwind performance.[16][17] In 2007, Melvins and Blue Cheer headlined the first day on 20 April, and Neurosis headlined the second on 21 April.[18]

The festival expanded to a four-day event, from Thursday to Sunday, in 2008. Down headlined the first day on 17 April, a celebration of Rise Above Records' 20th anniversary.[19][20] Isis headlined Friday. Enslaved headlined Saturday replacing Celtic Frost at the last minute, who cancelled because frontman Thomas Gabriel Fischer quit the band, leading to their eventual breakup.[21] Sunday's lineup was headlined by Current 93 and curated by David Tibet.[22]

The 2009 edition, from 23 to 26 April, sold out 45 minutes after tickets went on sale.[23] It was headlined by Motorpsycho, the reunited Saint Vitus, Neurosis and Wino. Neurosis curated Saturday's lineup, presented under the name "Beyond the Pale".[24] It was the first to feature a second venue, V39.[25]

The festival was held from 15 to 18 April in 2010. Tom G Warrior curated Friday's lineup "Only Death is Real". The Icelandic volcanic eruptions shut down air travel throughout Europe, forcing bands such as Jesu and Candlemass to cancel.[26]

In 2011, Swans (who had just recently reunited) was named as the headliner.[27] Sunn O))) was the year's curator, and the festival featured special performances such as Candlemass performing Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Godflesh performing Streetcleaner and two unique Voivod sets.[28][29] It was one of the first international performances for the anonymous Swedish band Ghost.[30]

Jesu at Roadburn 2012

Sleep headlined Roadburn in 2012, which took place from 12 to 15 April.[31] Voivod's "Au-delà du Réel" was the year's curator. The performers included Killing Joke, Chelsea Wolfe, Ulver covering '60s psychedelic rock and Yob doing two full album sets.[32] The Midi Theatre, which had been added as a venue for the last two editions, closed on 1 January 2012 and was replaced by Het Patronaat.[33]

The 2013 edition took place from 18 to 21 April. Electric Wizard headlined and vocalist Jus Oborn was the curator, presenting "The Electric Acid Orgy".[34] Acts included Primordial, Psychic TV, The Ocean, The Ruins of Beverast, Asphyx and Michael Rother of Neu!, while special sets were Godflesh performing Pure, Alcest performing Les Voyages de l'âme, a collaboration between Emperor's Ihsahn and Leprous, High on Fire performing The Art of Self Defense, and two sets from reunited Die Kreuzen.[35][36][37]

Roadburn announced the reunited Loop as the main headliner for 2014, and Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth as the year's guest curator.[38][39] Comus, Crowbar, Napalm Death, Nothing, Magma, Triptykon and Circle were some of the performers.[40]

Sólstafir at Roadburn 2015

The twentieth edition of Roadburn took place from 9–12 April 2015.[41] The artists on Friday 10 April were curated by Enslaved's Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik as "Houses of the Holistic".[42] It featured a collaboration between Enslaved and Wardruna, performing Skuggsjá, a piece written by Bjørnson and Selvik for the 200th anniversary of the Constitution of Norway.[43] The Heads were the artist in residence. Fields of the Nephilim, Focus, Eyehategod, Sólstafir, Anathema, Russian Circles and Kayo Dot were among the other prominent performers.[44]

On 28 January 2016, co-founder Jurgen van den Brand announced that he would be parting ways with the festival to focus on his affiliated record labels such as Burning World Records and Roadburn Records.[3]

The 2016 edition, from 14 April to 17 April, was headlined by Neurosis (celebrating the band's 30th anniversary) and Paradise Lost (performing Gothic in full).[45] Lee Dorrian, of Cathedral and formerly Napalm Death, was the guest curator. Multiple special sets occurred: Converge performing Jane Doe for its 15th anniversary, Cult of Luna performing Somewhere Along the Highway for its 10th anniversary, a second Converge set entitled "Blood Moon" that saw the band perform with Chelsea Wolfe, Stephen Brodsky and Steve Von Till while experimenting with post-punk, alternative country and post-metal, and Diamanda Galás' "Death Will Come and Have Your Eyes" show.[46][47][48]

Roadburn 2017 occurred on 20–23 April. The headliner was Baroness, and vocalist John Dyer Baizley was the curator, personally selecting Chelsea Wolfe, Oathbreaker, Amenra and Wear Your Wounds to perform on the same day as him. My Dying Bride performed Turn Loose the Swans, Ahab performed The Call of the Wretched Sea, Warning performed Watching From a Distance, and Bongzilla performed Gateway.[49] The Bug collaborated with Dylan Carlson of Earth, while David Tibet and Youth of Killing Joke joined forces. Coven, Deafheaven and Dälek also played.[50]

Converge at Roadburn 2018

The 2018 edition of Roadburn took place from 19 to 22 April. Jacob Bannon served as curator, and Converge played both You Fail Me and The Dusk in Us in full on separate nights. Godspeed You! Black Emperor played two sets.[51] Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas performed the album Mariner, Bell Witch performed Mirror Reaper, Godflesh performed Selfless and Boris performed Absolutego with Stephen O'Malley. Collaborations included Thou x The Body and Justin Broadrick x The Bug (as Zonal) with Moor Mother. Earthless was the artist in residence and performed one set with Damo Suzuki. Other bands included Furia, Kairon; IRSE!, Kælan Mikla, Igorrr and Panopticon.[52]

Sleep returned to headline the 2019 edition of Roadburn, from 11 to 14 April, playing Sleep's Holy Mountain and The Sciences. The band rejected a much more lucrative offer to play Coachella instead at the same week.[53] At the Gates frontman Tomas Lindberg was the curator. Thou was the artist in residence, performing four sets, among them a collaboration with Emma Ruth Rundle and a set of Misfits covers at a skate park. Have a Nice Life performed Deathconsciousness and Triptykon played Celtic Frost's unreleased Requiem with the Metropole Orkest. Cave In returned to the stage after the death of bassist Caleb Scofield the year before.[54] Holy Roar Records held a showcase.[55] Drab Majesty, Daughters, Ulcerate, Anna von Hausswolff, Myrkur and Marissa Nadler were also on the lineup.[54] The venue Het Patronaat closed immediately after Roadburn 2019; Imperial Triumphant was the last band to play there.[56][57]

The 2020 lineup was curated by Emma Ruth Rundle and Perturbator, but was cancelled on 3 April because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[58] In 2021, the festival did not happen and virtual performances were held.[59]

Roadburn returned in 2022 from 21 to 24 April with a lineup curated by Milena Eva and Thomas Sciarone of the Dutch band GGGOLDDD.[60] Special projects included Alcest performing Écailles de Lune in full, Liturgy performing H.A.Q.Q. and Origin of the Alimonies, Sólstafir performing Svartir Sandar, Full of Hell and Slift performing four sets as the artists in residence (including a Full of Hell x Nothing collaboration), and commissioned works from Cult of Luna guitarist Johannes Persson and Perturbator's James Kent.[61][62]

The festival experienced difficulties in booking its lineup for 2023, leading to the lack of a curator.[63] It took place from 20 to 23 April. Deafheaven played Sunbather (for its 10th anniversary) and Infinite Granite in full on separate nights. Giles Corey and Chat Pile made their European debuts. Wolves in the Throne Room revealed a special performance entitled "Shadow Moon Kingdom". Acts booked for 2020 finally played such as Julie Christmas, David Eugene Edwards, Brutus and Boy Harsher. Cave In, Backxwash and Elizabeth Colour Wheel performed multiple sets.[64][65][66][67][68]