Birds Robe presents
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT (USA)
with special guests Solkyri & Treebeard
Crowbar Sydney (Leichhardt, NSW)
Thursday, 18 June 2026 7:30 pm
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT have announced their debut in Australia in June 2026.
They will bring their ethereal psych-doom-rock to Hobart’s Dark Mofo Festival at the grandiose Odeon Theatre, as well as headline shows at Sydney’s Crowbar & Melbourne’s Corner Hotel.
Their extensive touring has generated a reputation as a pummeling live act, sharing stages with the likes of Russian Circles, Elder and gracing festival stages including Roadburn, Desertfest and A Colossal Weekend.
The band have released four full-length albums since 2018, including this year’s ‘Not Here Not Gone.’
As with their previous work, ‘Not Here Not Gone’ explores the duality of light and dark—menacing riffs provide the bedrock to beguiling melodies; dense walls of shoegaze guitars pair with lighter-than-air synths; and heavy subject matter is delivered by siren song vocals.
Even in their heaviest moments, like the sludgy psychedelia of “Bodies” and “Spades,” Blackwater Holylight masterfully sculpt the thunder and grime into something that feels transcendental. Lead single “Heavy, Why?” is perhaps the apex of the band’s masterful duality and an appropriately titled examination of the ensemble’s methods. Mikayla Mayhew’s low, dirge-like riff and Dorsay’s propulsive drums could easily find a home in the catalog of an amp-worshipping Roadburn act, but Faris’ fragile vocals transform the composition into a question, a pointed and probing examination that uses beauty and grace to offset the threatening instrumentation.
‘Not Here Not Gone’ was recorded at Sonic Ranch outside of El Paso TX by Sonny Diperri (Narrow Head, DIIV, Emma Ruth Rundle), allowing the band to once again step outside of their comfort zone and isolate themselves in a place where they could focus exclusively on their art.
The result is the crown jewel of Blackwater Holylight’s catalog—a rich and immersive study in tonal chiaroscuro, where light finds its way out of the shadows.
Pulling from doom, black metal, and shoegaze, the group brings the palette of heavy music to the perspective of a singer-songwriter’s most intimate revelations. – Pitchfork
Support in Sydney & Melbourne comes from Australian post-rockers SOLKYRI & shoegaze/post-metallers TREEBEARD.
Solkyri are one of Australia’s most travelled instrumental rock acts. Since forming in 2007 they have performed in 15 countries, released four records and touring alongside a diverse array of acts including We Lost The Sea, sleepmakeswaves, Mew, Trail of Dead, COG & Maybeshewill. They are a 2-time performer at Belgium’s Dunk Festival and an incendiary live act.
Treebeard have two full-length albums under their belt and have shared stages with riff icons such God Is An Astronaut, Russian Circles & COG. They also debuted internationally in 2025 at Belgium’s Dunk Festival for the event’s 20th anniversary, headlined by Cult of Luna, Mogwai & Year of No Light.
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT
Australian Tour June 2026
Thu 18 June – Crowbar, Sydney*
Fri 19 June – Corner Hotel, Melbourne*
Sat 20 June – Dark Mofo, Hobart @ Odeon Theatre
*with special guests Solkyri & Treebeard
They will bring their ethereal psych-doom-rock to Hobart’s Dark Mofo Festival at the grandiose Odeon Theatre, as well as headline shows at Sydney’s Crowbar & Melbourne’s Corner Hotel.
Their extensive touring has generated a reputation as a pummeling live act, sharing stages with the likes of Russian Circles, Elder and gracing festival stages including Roadburn, Desertfest and A Colossal Weekend.
The band have released four full-length albums since 2018, including this year’s ‘Not Here Not Gone.’
As with their previous work, ‘Not Here Not Gone’ explores the duality of light and dark—menacing riffs provide the bedrock to beguiling melodies; dense walls of shoegaze guitars pair with lighter-than-air synths; and heavy subject matter is delivered by siren song vocals.
Even in their heaviest moments, like the sludgy psychedelia of “Bodies” and “Spades,” Blackwater Holylight masterfully sculpt the thunder and grime into something that feels transcendental. Lead single “Heavy, Why?” is perhaps the apex of the band’s masterful duality and an appropriately titled examination of the ensemble’s methods. Mikayla Mayhew’s low, dirge-like riff and Dorsay’s propulsive drums could easily find a home in the catalog of an amp-worshipping Roadburn act, but Faris’ fragile vocals transform the composition into a question, a pointed and probing examination that uses beauty and grace to offset the threatening instrumentation.
‘Not Here Not Gone’ was recorded at Sonic Ranch outside of El Paso TX by Sonny Diperri (Narrow Head, DIIV, Emma Ruth Rundle), allowing the band to once again step outside of their comfort zone and isolate themselves in a place where they could focus exclusively on their art.
The result is the crown jewel of Blackwater Holylight’s catalog—a rich and immersive study in tonal chiaroscuro, where light finds its way out of the shadows.
Pulling from doom, black metal, and shoegaze, the group brings the palette of heavy music to the perspective of a singer-songwriter’s most intimate revelations. – Pitchfork
Support in Sydney & Melbourne comes from Australian post-rockers SOLKYRI & shoegaze/post-metallers TREEBEARD.
Solkyri are one of Australia’s most travelled instrumental rock acts. Since forming in 2007 they have performed in 15 countries, released four records and touring alongside a diverse array of acts including We Lost The Sea, sleepmakeswaves, Mew, Trail of Dead, COG & Maybeshewill. They are a 2-time performer at Belgium’s Dunk Festival and an incendiary live act.
Treebeard have two full-length albums under their belt and have shared stages with riff icons such God Is An Astronaut, Russian Circles & COG. They also debuted internationally in 2025 at Belgium’s Dunk Festival for the event’s 20th anniversary, headlined by Cult of Luna, Mogwai & Year of No Light.
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT
Australian Tour June 2026
Thu 18 June – Crowbar, Sydney*
Fri 19 June – Corner Hotel, Melbourne*
Sat 20 June – Dark Mofo, Hobart @ Odeon Theatre
*with special guests Solkyri & Treebeard