In pictures: Abyssal Festival is the ultimate celebration of the UK stoner and doom underground

Last weekend, Abyssal Festival returned to Southampton for a celebration of the heavy, groovy, weird and wonderful of the British underground. In the city’s Papillon venue – a former church and perfect setting – from the stoned-out psych of Trippy Wicked and Margarita Witch Cult, to Pratorian and Mastiff’s screaming intensity, the whole day saw 10 bands bring their own variety of heavy.

There was sprawling, vast doom from Vnder A Crvmbling Moon and Hundred Year Old Man, more off-the-wall riffery courtesy of Under and Sugar Horse, and pure old-school evil from death-doom crew Uncoffined, capped with a beyond-heavy headline showing from Belfast volume-masters Slomatics.

Wino from The Obsessed was right: “If it ain’t heavy, it ain’t shit.” He would have had no problems here, one of the finest days out the British stoner and doom scene has to offer…

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