In the heat of a New Mexican August, Burque Rock City Festival invites heavy rock fans to gather in a sweaty ceremony honoring some of the best in metal and psych rock’s various sub-genres. The desert is a perfect setting for the festival: many of the bands reign from the famous Palm Desert rock scene, where symptoms of heat stroke can easily be passed as psychedelia.
In its first year, Burque Rock City Festival is organized by the same folks responsible for Monolith on the Mesa, another New Mexico-based art and heavy rock festival in Taos. Due to the loss of co-founder Dano Sanchez to Covid-19, Monolith is taking a year off, but festival planners said in a press release that they hope to pay homage to their latest loved one by head-banging at Burque Rock.
Burque Rock City Festival highlights many artists associated with the desert rock scene, a genre manifested in Palm Desert, California in the early ‘90s, marked by its sludgy grooves, drawn out guitar riffs and incorporation of stoner metal, blues and psych rock. Brant Bjork, one of the more notable figures in the stoner and desert rock scenes and also a member of Kyuss and Fu Manchu, will grace the InsideOut Stage on Friday night. Also on Friday: Los Angeles-based doom/heavy metal rockers Early Moods and Dead Meadow, who fuse dreamy layers of guitar fuzz with folkloric inspiration. On Saturday, don’t miss sludge rock favorites, Weedeater; the singer’s gravely, croaking screams sound like a ‘70s psych rocker had a baby with a flesh-eating swamp monster from a horror film.
The Specs
- Projected festival attendance is unknown.
- General admission tickets are $100 per day. You can buy a two-day pass for $200.
- If you’re just visiting, here is a guide to the best things to do in Albuquerque.
FAQs
What is the closest airport to Burque Rock City Festival?
Albuquerque International Sunport is an 11 minute drive away from the venue, The Historic El Rey Theater.
What are the artists on the festival lineup?
Nomestomper, Violet Rising, Ojo Malo, High Desert Queen, Thunderhorse, Prism Bitch, Early Moods, Supergiant, Fatso Jetson, Electric Citizen, Brant Bjork Trio, Dead Meadow, THC Worm, Coma Recovery, Sorcia, Red Mesa, Abrams, Tenderizor, Greenbeard, Belzebong, Year of the Cobra, Pike Vs the Automaton, Yawning Balch, Weedeater
What time does the festival start?
Doors open at noon both days.
Poster
