Arctangent Festival was a phenomenal showcase of talent from around the globe and an all round great experience. Before I give you the run down of those acts I want to take my hat off to the organisers of ATG for curating such a fantastic festival and giving the industry an example of equality that I hope others strive to achieve. They put women on stage throughout the festival based on talent, skills and performance, at no point did it feel gimmicky. I spoke to many die hard ATG attendees and heard nothing but positivity, many of them cited the reason they keep coming back is to discover new music which again speaks volumes of the trust people have in these organisers.
Here’s who I caught throughout the 4 days at Fernhill Farm. Swamp Coffin were booming through the fields as I arrived, drawing me in with thumping Basslines, neck shattering riffs and irresistible squealies. The tent was packed with eager festival goers as Swamp Coffin, hailed as the “kings of nihilistic sludge metal” kicked off the festival and treated us to the “worlds slowest wall of death”.
The Grey took over with a largely instrumental set and buckets full of stage presence. The Cambridge? Storytellers set went down incredibly well, the tent rammed with a receptive audience swaying along. Gripped by both the music and the showmanship. The Bass player makes my list of exciting Bassists straight off the bat. They were joined early in the set by a female singer who brought her own gentle, sensual atmospheric vibe to the stage and they finished the set borrowing the vocalist from Hundred Year Old Man. Both were incredible additions to the set. I caught up with the band for an ATG interview do head over to YouTube to see what we chatted about.
Giant Walker were the next band I caught. Another packed out tent for the 4 piece from Newcastle. Strong and beautiful female vocals, over music both slow and melodic yet powerful in equal measure, laden with plenty of guitar riffs.
Overhead The Albatross blew me away. They were a new discovery to me but there was quite the buzz about them and afterwards I understood completely. With a mix of instruments and electronic sounds coupled with an instant energy that took up space and brought that presence I look for in every performance. The deep heavy Drums juxtaposed with the delicate Keyboards created the feeling more of storytelling than music. They brought visuals, gave us deep insight into loss and love and after the Guitarist delivered a powerful monologue, the entire show felt like a carefully crafted masterpiece. I wrote down one line, I can’t give you any context but I have to share this “Fruitful existence of blissful ignorance”. Do check them out.
You’d think that would be hard to top but ArcTanGent knows what it’s doing and it just gets better and better. Sans Froid were the next band to catch me off guard. The Art-Rock outfit from Bristol floored me with their instant funk and powerhouse Vocals. I expect we’ll see much much more from these guys, definitely one to watch. Lost In Kyiv played the Yohkia stage, they were the 3rd instrumental band I caught and the crowd absolutely ate them up. They are a Post-Rock band from Paris, France.
People were spilling out the sides of the tent for Svalbard, and what a touching show it was. This was Svalbards last performance after 16 years, it was rammed full of deep gravelly Vocals and even deeper lyrics, gripping Guitars and infectious head banging. This isn’t a band you need to know to enjoy, the vibe takes you under it’s wing entirely. Cardiacs played what I can only describe as a skillfully chaotic show. With everything from Keys to Sax they had a stage full of talented musicians, songs belted out. They filled an hours set with ease bathed in beautiful lighting. I caught a snippet of Alpha Male Tea Party who were another hit with the crowd with their heavy riffs and melodic complexity. Wednesday finished off the live bands with SikTh who after 20+ years on stage know exactly how to put on a good show. It was every bit as powerful as you might expect.
The beauty of a Wednesday at ATG is that there’s no clashes, however Thursday there’s twice as many stages and therefore twice as many bands. You are absolutely spoiled for choice, it’s wonderful. Terminals from the UK were a great choice for the Bixler stage and the first band I managed to catch. They were young, hungry and energetic. They made absolutely every moment of their set count and that is exactly what you need for day 2 of a festival as your musical breakfast. They had some really nice breakdowns, it felt reminiscent of early 2000’s rock which is absolutely my era, it felt deep and heavy and was appreciated by everyone in the room.
Michael Cera Palin brought a powerful energy all the way from Atlanta, GA. The indie-punk trio had almost as many people sat outside the tent listening in as they did inside and those inside were actively caught up in the sharp, rhythmic lively music. Their “consciously vulnerable lyrics and carthartically catchy sound” certainly seems to resonate with a lot of people, they were very well received. They clashed with Agent Fresco who were on the Yohkia stage over from Iceland. Hailed as “Graceful and unpredictable”, certainly seems fitting. What I caught of them was highly skilled and emotional, slow Piano with heavy drops and a notably likeable and funny frontman.
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza completely blew my mind! Not only was this show one of the best of the festival, it’s easily one of the best performances I’ve seen full stop. People were queuing watching their soundcheck and securing a decent place to watch them long before they were due on, this crowd knew exactly how much of a treat this appearance was. I joined them, however unlike them I had no idea what I was in for. Their live performance is off the charts! By the second song chaos erupted, by the third song their Frontman Jessie Freeland challenged the audience “whoever crowd surfs the most wins a free t-shirt” and the crowd delivered, and to their credit the band paid up. I saw men, women, children and the disabled flying overhead, one after the other in a constant stream, it was phenomenal. That level of high octaine, ferocious performance is a rare and incredible thing to witness. Even though they were two members down, the precision, the rhythm and tenacity that came out of those men was mind melting, I can’t even imagine what a full band would bring to the stage. All powerhouses in their own right, however the Bass player has to be seen to be believed. Honestly, I don’t even have words to express the awe I felt watching these men and being a part of that crowd. Somewhere between the biggest circle pit I’ve ever seen and the constant stream of crowd surfers, I fell in love with Mathcore. Not only was the pit massive it was one of those old school pits, brutal yet as soon as someone goes down everyone helps them up and that is exactly what I want to see in life and music. My only gripe with the entire festival is that they weren’t higher up the bill and on for longer you could tell they had so much more to give.
Next was Igorrr and the tent was rammed, I’ll admit I didn’t fight my way in as I was thoroughly satisfied by Danza and wanted to bask in that feeling but I heard it was fantastic. I enjoyed MØL a Metal-Shoegaze band from Denmark and Chelsea Wolfe who gave a slower, more intimate performance later that evening.
Friday saw an immediate clash of two bands I wanted to see The Sad Season, who is fronted by none other than Mikee Goodman of SikTh. I was lucky enough to interview these guys, check it out on our YouTube channel. Also Worn Out who’s reputation proceeds them as an impact full force on the Irish Metal and Hardcore scene. Conjurer put on a belter of a show, relaying their distaste with the current political climate through angsty Metal songs. The crowd revelled in what they had to offer.
Mass Of Fermenting Dregs a Post-Hardcore/Shoegaze from Japan were another great live discovery for me, with their Guitar driven melodic sound and energetic performance. However nothing quite comes close to the level of rock n roll Heck brought apon us next. This band submerged deep into the crowd, crowd surfed, climbed many feet up the rafters of the tent itself and even jumped off to be caught by adoring fans all without missing a beat. They are out there putting on the kind of shows that I thought died off in the 80s/90s with the rise of health and safety. This band deserves a spot on your bucket list, they were phenomenal. Pioneers of Grindcore Napalm Death were wild, they showed us just how they earned their reputation and their almost 40 year long career. They played many of their classics including the legendary ‘Nazi Punks F*ck Off’, they are such a unique act seeing them live is bucket list stuff. They were a man down however he was roaming around the festival which delighted many fans.
Friday gave us an hour and a half of the one and only Primus! Oh boy what a headliner that was, I’ve never witnessed a gig quite like that. The crowd appreciation and anticipation was otherworldly, the way the groove took over your body instantly as if your DNA knows Primus whether or not you do. Before they appeared they had us patiently waiting yet thoroughly entertained it was like being at the circus in your dreams…
Primus drew in a whole separate crowd from the rest of the festival, thus it was completely rammed and pit etiquette left something to be desired yet it was immense and unforgettable. Les Claypool is the mastermind behind Primus‘ experimental, humorous unexplainable sound. Every song was juicy and full and funky and suspenseful, you could not stop yourself from dancing. Seeing them was life changing, I felt as if I was joining a cult, the funk lingers in your body long after the show is finished. ‘Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweakers’ now plays on repeat where my thoughts once lived. No regrets.
As if all of that wasn’t enough there was one more day of ArcTanGent. On Saturday I caught Jo Quail and the Crossbones Ensemble for a captivating Cello performance. Jo played centre stage beautifully illuminated, accompanied by the Crossbone Ensemble who’s silhouettes stood to her left in front of gorgeous visuals with a talented drummer to her right. She played pieces such as ‘Rex’, ‘First Rain’, ‘Embrace’ and ‘Kingfisher’ each one strong with cinematic beauty. I was particularly taken by the crowds reaction and urge you to check out her work. I was able to interview Jo Quail after the show and she gave such fantastic insight, she is as gracious behind the scenes as she is on stage.
Lowheaven changed the vibe entirely next on the Bixlar stage. The Toronto band brought their own brand of Post-Hardcore, Blackened Metal Noise and it went down extremely well, particularly with the younger crowd who really let loose, though there were heads bobbing throughout the tent. Jamie Lenman (ex Reuban) came out of retirement for a politically charged show which certainly went down well. If you are angry at “transphobes and people that drive slow” you should definitely give him a listen. He spoke of recent visual art work that I’ve yet to check out but am certainly intrigued by.
Eivør put on the most incredible enchanting show of the festival both musically and visually. The band came all the way from the Faroe Islands with a unique mixture of guttural throat singing, heavy metal growling and beatboxing techniques played in with a hand-held Shaman-esqe Bodhrán style drum relays what feels like ancient Faroe folk culture. Every song was powerful and moving along with ever changing visuals, a glimpse of different worlds through gothic archways. The whole experience was breathtaking, it was a journey that took us through different musical textures and instruments, it pushed the boundaries of what sounds humans are capable of making and left us the same way as it began, acapella with a single drum beat.
A.A Williams played a scaled back show, whilst captivating it gave the feel of an intimate club show. She played well and spoke fondly of playing one of her earliest shows at the festival. Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas headlined the final day of ArcTanGent. Between them they put on a mighty show, you could just about make out their silhouettes amongst the lights, it was artful chaos in the best way. The guitars were truly gripping, fans of both marvelled to see them together again playing ‘Mariner’ their collaborative album.
This was my first time at ArcTanGent, before I went I asked what it was like and all anyone could tell me was “it’s the best festival”, as positive as that is it wasn’t particularly helpful but after witnessing it I can’t help but agree it just might be. I truly think they nailed it. From the variety of food to the stalls and amenities there was just enough. They respectfully represented every minority group without making a cash grab of it. This goes down as the cleanest festival I have attended to date too. The festival is on a new site next year and if you’ve not been I highly recommend checking it out.
Jo Quail Photographer Jez Pennington