Tell your friends and book it in! The Primitive Rising & The Black Heart Winter Market 2025 is on Saturday 6th December 12-6pm.
Held across 3 floors, we have 25+ sellers of handmade apparel, self care, gifts, jewellery, artwork, taxidermy and much more, food from @lds.kitchen 🌱, festive drinks, a charity raffle, @devilsdoortattoo will be offering flash, tooth gems, our regular tarot reader will be taking walk ups and DJs all day/night and as usual we are planning a few little extras as well!
Every year this event is a total highlight and gets busier and busier 🌲
Bring your friends and your Christmas list!
As always, free entry and kids and dogs are welcome.
DESERFEST LONDON 2026 ANNOUNCES SECOND WAVE OF LINEUP
DESERTFEST LONDON 2026 has added a whole host of killer new names to it's already tasty offering including the mighty HERMANO, PIGS (I’m not typing it 7 times), CAUSA SUI, and LOADS more!!!
The full lineup now looks like…
GREEN LUNG
HERMANO
THE SWORD (UK Exclusive)
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
EARTHLESS (UK Exclusive)
TRUCKFIGHTERS
CAUSA SUI
CAPRICORNS (UK Exclusive)
ZIG ZAGS
STEAK
SOLACE
DEAF CLUB
WITCHSORROW
HIGH DESERT QUEEN
MOUNDRAG
KOMODOR
ALUNAH
CULT OF OCCULT
FORLORN
LORQUIN’S ADMIRAL
OMO
ALPHAWHORES
ABRAMS
BISMUT
OKAY YOU WIN
IRONRAT
MOLTEN SLAG
KANNABINOID
HASHTRONAUT
ISAK
SUPERNAUGHTY
TEIGER
NOMADIC REIGN
& Many more TBA…
Decent, eh? Well head over to desertfest.co.uk to get your ticket, as they’ve just put the phase 2 weekend tickets on sale!
THE BLACK HEART HALLOWEEN 2025 FT. TYPE OF NEGATIVE, ELDER DRUID, OUTBACK
OCTOBER’S BUSTIN’ FOR A RUSTIN’
For all you Green Men and Druidesses, we proudly present the live acts for the annual Black Heart Halloween Spooktackular :
Type Of Negative - Type O Negative Tribute - the UK’s premier hot tipped Steeley tribute will roll through our dark realm here in Camden Town to bring the NY Street Gloom sound that we all love to death… Get ready to dye it black and hail the wolf moon with us !!
As well as this we have Elder Druid bringing the doom groove across the sea form NI, acoompannied by waves of crushing riffs from Brighton misery doom trio Outback.. it’s set to be a wretchedly heavy affair !
As always, our Halloween Party is FREE ENTRY so get it in ya diary now - FRIDAY 31ST OCTOBER - and tell ya girlfriend’s missus too !
(more info to come on the wider event, and food / drink specials for our most sacred season !)
DESERTFEST LONDON 2026 ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF BANDS!!!
Desertscene presents…
DESERTFEST LONDON 2026
Featuring…
GREEN LUNG | THE SWORD (UK Exclusive)
EARTHLESS (UK Exclusive) | TRUCKFIGHTERS | CAPRICORNS (UK Exclusive)
& Many more TBA…
BATTLEJACKETS LONDON BATTLE VEST MEETUP SATURDAY 26th JULY!
Battlejackets London will be hosting their next Battle Vest Meet Up here at The Black Heart on Saturday the 26th of July from 1-5pm!
Come and join us as we chat all things metal, patches and vests! BJL will of course have a stand full of patches and there will be sewing kits around for you to sit down and work on that vest.
Everyone is welcome! There are no age restrictions before 6pm so anyone can come on down. You don’t have to have a vest!
ELECTRIC FUNERAL - LONDON'S WILDEST SABBATH COVER ENTITY - HERE AT THE BLACK HEART SATURDAY 5th JULY!!!
This Saturday July 5th, the legendary BLACK SABBATH say goodbye for what we think might be the actual final time this time. The event’s all the way up in Birmingham though, and costs a bomb. So, like many of you, we didn’t get tickets. Luckily though, the event will be streaming IN FULL right here in the bar at The Black Heart!
And if sharing in booze and merriment while one of the greatest to ever do it bid their farewell isn’t enough, we’ve then got the best and wildest Sabbath cover entity in existence ELECTRIC FUNERAL playing upstairs in the venue right after so you can get up close n personal with the almighty riff.
We’re keeping it FREE ENTRY, we’re gonna be pouring the finest ales, pales n ‘tails you’ll find anywhere in Camden, we’ll be open til 3am - come down n party with us!
CONAN X SAINT MONDAY COLLAB 'WARPSWORD' POURING NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST
PREPARE TO BE ANOINTED BY WARPSWORD !!
Saint Monday Brewery have teamed up with battle-doom stalwarts CONAN to produce a stunning elixir in celebration of the band’s appearance at this year’s DESERTFEST LONDON. Warpsword is an IPA with the main focus being Strata, providing a bitter backbone from big dry hops, with an addition of citra and el dorado - expertly brewed to a devilish 6.66% - this one-off collab beer has tasting notes of stone fruit, cannabis, dried chilli peppers, citrus and a tropical twist.
It’s gonna blow legions of hangovers and sobriety away, so if ya in Camden Town at this year’s Desertfest proceedings this weekend, be sure to get on in to the Black Heart to consume your weight in Warpsword gold before it’s all gone !! (Also available from Thursday at the Saint Monday Brewery bar in London Fields, Hackney too)
DESERTFEST PRE & POST PARTIES ARE HERE TO EXTEND YOUR WEEKEND!!!
So you know how DESERTFEST is our favourite weekend of the year already? Well we thought we’d extend the festivities a day either side to bookend it for those of you who, like us, just can’t get enough!
FIRST UP, kicking the weekend off on Thursday 15th May is our DF pre-show featuring fuzzed-up kiwi psych-slinging duo EARTH TONGUE!
AND THEN, to lift the post-fest blues on Monday night, we’ve teamed with George’s Grim Gigs to bring you a Monday Night RAVE featuring the much anticipated return of our favourite Japanese lunatics VMO
Tix to both of these are live RIGHT NOW via DICE!
Go get yours and squeeze even more out of your already banging DF weekend !!
DESERTFEST ANNOUNCES THIRD WAVE OF BANDS + DAY SPLITS!!!
Our favourite party of the year, DESERTFEST, have announced another killer wave of bands, as well as releasing the day splits for each day!!!
ELDER, ZEAL & ARDOR, and EARTH will be headlining Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, each backed by an insanely stacked lineup. The whole weekend is gonna be must-see, and you know where to find the best pints all weekend.
See you in May!
LD'S KITCHEN DROPS NEW MENU TO SATE YOUR HUNGER
With a new year comes new beginnings, that’s why after feeding hungry mouths for over a year with her last offering, LD’s Kitchen at The Black Heart is refreshing its menu with all sorts of new deliciousness that LD and her minions have been cooking up behind the scenes here and at Saint Monday.
THE NEW ADDITIONS ARE…
LD’s MOCKEN BURGER
Southern Corn Friday Mocken’ patti served in a brioche bun w/ lettuce, mayo, burger sauce, LD’s pickels, picked red onion. PLUS your choice of sauce for burger dippin’.
Southern Fried / Buttery Buffalo Hot / LD’s Famous BBQ / Maple Sweet Mustard / Black Heart Bourbon-Based
BLACK HEART DIRTY FRIES
Fries, Mocken’, Black Heart Korean Bourbon Sauce, Crispy Onion, Pickled Red Onions and Pickled Chillies
LD’S SMOKEHOUSE DIRTY BRISKET FRIES
Fries, Smoked Brisket from LD’s Smokehouse at Saint Monday, LD’s Famous BBQ Sauce, Burger Sauce and Pickles
CHEEZY FRIES (GFO)
Classic Cheezy Fries with LD’s Smokey Cheeze sauce, Burger Sauce and Crispy Onions (with an option to add Mocken’)
AND don’t forget LD’s Sunday Roast service is now running ’til 8pm to accommodate all you hungry lot we had to turn away last year - so get yer bookings in!
DESERTFEST LONDON 2025 ANNOUNCES SECOND WAVE OF BANDS!
DESERTFEST LONDON 2025 JUST GOT EVEN BETTER WITH THE SECOND WAVE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS!
An already tasty looking lineup becomes mouth-watering as the likes of EARTH, PALLBEARER, CONAN, ELEPHANT TREE (who, if you can’t wait until then to see ‘em play, they’re here with very few tickets left in December), CHÖD, and looooooads more join the bill for next May.
We’re already counting the days!
SAVE THE DATE - THE BLACK HEART WINTER MARKET - SATURDAY 7TH DECEMBER
OUR WINTER MARKET IS RETURNING!!!
One of our favourite days of the cold months is coming back better than ever as we team with PRIMITIVE RISING once again to host a brilliant array of independent sellers, artists and stalls across our three floors!
Keep your eyes peeled for a full breakdown of the vendors, merchants and assorted warlocks that’ll be peddling their wares.
DEAF CLUB (LIVE) + DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF PREMIER UK SCREENING - 20TH NOVEMBER!
We’re stoked to have San Diego’s DEAF CLUB, featuring the legendary JUSTIN PEARSON (The Locust, Dead Cross, Planet B), coming to The Black Heart on Nov 20th! Not only that, we’ll be hosting the premier UK screening of DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF - A captivating documentary on the life of Pearson told through the lens of some of his closest friends and most esteemed peers.
ALSO tickets that include the screening are available as a bundle with food options from LD’s Kitchen so you can munch while you watch.
DEAF CLUB
Deaf Club is a savage sound bath dripping with sardonicism: a blastbeat-centric hardcore punk assault channeling crust, thrash, and grind (un)sensibilities. Succinct pauses, surreal frequencies and effects, breakneck pace and sharply hurled vocals characterize the band’s aesthetic, which seems as though it is rooted in a sort of nasty-sound-meets-highbrow-message ethos. Fueled by the onslaught of society’s insanity and driven mad by tinnitus, Justin Pearson (The Locust, Dead Cross, Planet B), Brian Amalfitano (ACxDC), Scott Osment (Glassing, Planet B), Jason Klein (Run With The Hunted, JR Slayer) approach music as an opportunity to confront our collective sicknesses.
Plus
DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF UK Premiere Film Screening
Don't Fall in Love with Yourself is a documentary that explores the life of enigmatic musician and artist, Justin Pearson. From childhood tragedy to his rise in the San Diego punk scene, Don't Fall in Love with Yourself takes an in-depth look at a career made out of blood, sweat and spit.
Much of the footage has been sourced from dozens of VHS & Mini-DV tapes recorded over the past three decades. With never-before-seen footage of one of the most interesting and unique musical movements is recent memory.
Interviews include Justin Pearson, Dave Lombardo, Eric Paul, Gabe Serbian, Jason Pettigrew, Travis Ryan, Jeremy Bolm, Jon Syverson, Molly Neuman and more.
DEVIL'S DOOR TATTOO ANNIVERSARY PARTY - THIS SATURDAY!!!
Halloween tidings!
The gruesome dangling eye of spooky season is truly here, which not only means demons and ghouls galore, but also the celebration of 1 year in business of our cherished DEVIL’S DOOR TATTOO being open here in Camden Town, right above the hallowed stage of The Black Heart.
With countless fair souls giving their skin for adornment, numerous talented guest artists gracing our stools, and the slow but steady additions to the bizarre and strange object d’art decorating the studio to create our humble gothic haven, it’s been a year to nourish our collective dark hearts To celebrate this milestone THIS SATURDAY (2nd Nov) we’re having a bash downstairs at the cobwebbed Black Heart bar, where you can expect to find devilish blood dripping cocktails, LD’s Kitchen / Devil’s Door collab bat wings, and DJ’s Proteus + Less Than Human spinning the goth anthems and spooktactular tracks that one would expect to emanate from our lair.
9pm-Late… Free Entry… peel your skin off, and join us !
THE BLACK HEART HALLOWEEN BONANZA 2024
It’s our favourite time of year once again!
We love a halloween party. We’re usually either drinking, being spooky, or a combination of the two anyway, but there’s something special about it on halloween. So, we’re throwing a big ol’ Black Heart Halloween Bonanza on October 26th. Free in, open til late, spooky shenanigans across two floors.
In the bar it’s YACHT-O-WEEN! Our favourite seafaring party Yacht Through The Heart makes port for a special halloween edition bringing a ghost ship’s worth of bangers along with ‘em. That’s accompanied by some especially spooky cocktails mixed, and delicious Devil’s Door x LD’s Kitchen vegan bat wings being served from the hatch.
While upstairs, we’ve invited the mighty BLAX ABBATH to make a triumphant return after an incredible set at last year’s halloween bash that had us all swaying and shouting along to some of the best songs ever written.
We do seem to have been visited by some giant demonic spider entity that’s left all kinds of evidence of its deeds around the bar, but we’re sure a bunch of mysterious webs are nothing to get caught up over - come n party with us!
HEAVY METAL TRUANTS - CHEQUE PRESENTATION PARTY OCTOBER 24th!
THE HEAVY METAL TRUANTS are having a party to celebrate the end of their 12th year of raising money for kids and all are welcome
Its free entry and all are welcome so come down, party and celebrate some tremendous efforts to raise money for 4 fantastic charities!
Plus as a added bonus you’ll be treated to a live set by :
WOODEN MAIDEN
https://www.facebook.com/WoodenMaiden
AND!!! The HMT Monster Auction is now LIVE!
Featuring unique and rare rock & metal relics, donated by music legends such as Iron Maiden, ZZ Top, Judas Priest and MORE
https://auction.heavymetaltruants.com/home_page
AND
HMT are running a HEAVY METAL TRUANTS RAFFLE alongside our epic charity auction! For just £20, you could win a unique piece of Iron Maiden and aviation history: a window pane from the iconic ED FORCE ONE! ✈️
More tickets = higher chances! Every penny helps support 4 amazing charities! Good luck!
18+ ONLY
*** FREE ENTRY ***
'BEST OF THE WEST' U.S. TAP TAKEOVER - THIS WEDNESDAY IN THE BAR!
NEXT WEDNESDAY (9th October), we’ve teamed with HOP THE POND to bring you a transatlantic Tap Takeover that’ll see five of the very best breweries from the US of A pouring their finest nectars right here at The Black Heart in Camden Town.
STONE BREWING out of San Diego
KCBC from Brooklyn, NY
VIRGINIA BEER CO. from… err… Virginia.
As well as two Texan titans with OAK HIGHLANDS BREWING from Dallas, and 903 BREWERS from Sherman.
PLUS! LD’s Kitchen is bringing some BBQ brilliance to the evening with her famous Brisket (that you might’ve already tried over at Saint Monday)! We’re gonna have an all-American soundtrack to the night! AND with this much beer about, it’d be rude NOT to set up a beer pong table, right?!
INTERVIEW: LOWEN - ALBUM RELEASE SHOW THIS FRIDAY!
The always-incredible LOWEN have been playing here at The Black Heart quite literally since their inception, and it’s always a special occasion when they do. But the one they’re playing here this Friday (October 11th) might be the most special occasion of the lot, as they celebrate the release of their ridiculously great new record Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran which dropped a few days ago.
We had a quick catch up with ‘em ahead of the show to chat a bit of our shared history with the band, the path they’ve travelled to get here and what to expect on Friday night….
We’ve been lucky enough to have you play here plenty over the years… How has the Lowen live show and even general sound evolved in the time since you first took to our stage?
Our first ever show was at the Black Heart so it is a very special venue to us. We will be performing the first song we played here as the first song of our set on Friday as a homage to our time spent growing as a band at the Black Heart. We are so different as a band compared to our first shows there and have grown into the sound that we wanted to convey from the very beginning. It's taken many years of developing ourselves as musicians and learning our craft, as well as being joined by the incredible drummer Cal Constantine to hone our stagecraft into a more evolved form that we are constantly trying to improve.
And now you’re coming back to launch this new record! We’re obviously very stoked that you’re doing it here…
It feels fitting that we are launching into new phases of the band at The Black Heart. In many ways it's the band's spiritual home and we love everyone who works at and is part of the venue. Me and Shem met and formed the band only a stones throw from the doors of the venue and we have been to so many shows here that have influenced our sound and development as a band.
We can't wait to finally play all of these songs for our friends and fans. We've been holding on to some of these tracks for nearly a year now so it'll be amazing to perform them live for the first time. I hope that people have been enjoying the album since it dropped last Friday, it's been great to see all the positive responses so far.
The bands you’ve got supporting on the night rule too. What made WITCHSORROW and CONGULUS were the bands to share this with?
We are honoured that they [CONGULUS] are making the trip over from Turkiye to play with us! They got in touch a while back about playing a potential show together so I suggested that they join us for our release show. It's also wonderful to have doom legends Witchsorrow on the bill with us as special guests. We've loved their music for years and are so happy we get to play the show with cherished friends.
DESERTFEST 2025 ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF BANDS - WEEKEND TICKETS ON SALE NOW
While we’re still pretty sure that the hangover from 2024’s edition of our favourite festival hasn’t entirely left our bodies, we’re stoked to be doing it all again next May as DESERTFEST announces its first wave of bands.
Not just bands… Weekend tickets are onsale RIGHT NOW.
DESERTFEST 2025
16th-18th May
Featuring:
ZEAL & ARDOR | ELDER | AMENRA | STONED JESUS
THE DEVIL & THE ALMIGHTY BLUES | PLANET OF ZEUS | RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL
JOSIAH | SONS OF ALPHA CENTAURI | VOLCANOVA | SCOTT HEPPLE & THE SUN BAND
BLACK WILLOWS | 10,000 YEARS | BARBARIAN HERMIT | ERRONAUT | BOBBIE DAZZLE
Plus many, many more TBA…
IMMINENCE TO HOST MERCH POP UP AND DEVIL'S DOOR TATTOO COLLAB OCTOBER 10th!
Swedish metalcore outfit IMMINENCE play the London leg of ‘The Black Tour’ at the Electric Ballroom on October 10th, and to celebrate they’re coming to Camden’s best boozer (our place) to host a pre-show shindig that’ll see ‘em taking over several floors here for a killer merch pop-up, as well as collaboration tattoos with our resident skin-decorators, DEVIL’S DOOR.
We’re opening an hour earlier than usual for the occasion, so get here from 2pm-7pm on show day and come party.