Argonauta Records have announced the first ever Argonauta Fest London, a night dedicated to live heavy music landing on 21 June at Helgi’s. The bill draws together doom, sludge, stoner and psych from across the underground, with three bands from the label’s roster sharing one stage.
Opening the running is Borehead, a South London instrumental trio whose live sets unfold in slow, hypnotic waves of psych-tinged doom, crushing riffs and expansive soundscapes built on volume, tension and atmosphere. Theirs is heavy music as full sensory immersion, recommended for anyone into Conan, Sleep, Earth or Russian Circles.
Italy’s Godzilla Was Too Drunk To Destroy Tokyo bring something more chaotic, where sludge-soaked heaviness collides with fuzzy psychedelia and stoner grooves in constant mutation. Loud, unfiltered and explosive, they shift between crushing weight and warped psychedelic frenzy, and should appeal to fans of Melvins, L7 and DIE SPITZ.
Completing the trio are UK doom merchants Master Charger, all fuzz-drenched riffs, blues-heavy doom and sludge-soaked intensity, driven by a punk-infused underground spirit and a deep connection to classic heavy tradition. For fans of Saint Vitus, Motörhead, Celtic Frost and Trouble, they’re a fittingly raw way to close the night.
A label showcase built entirely from the underground is exactly our sort of evening, and a first edition in London is well worth flagging for anyone in the capital with a taste for the heavy and the hypnotic.
Argonauta Fest London takes place at Helgi’s on 21 June.
