The return of the now legendary festival, ArcTanGent are going all out for their latest edition. But of course, you already know that. By now you’ve probably already got a rough schedule for the weekend in place. We don’t need to tell you to go and see the big names atop the lineup. Once again, the lineup for ArcTanGent is god tier, and you all know it.
But beneath the big names and scene favourites lies an utter treasure trove of new and fresh artists playing across the weekend. And with that in mind, here’s our top picks for the artists you would be utterly foolish to miss next weekend.
Copse
As you are most likely aware, one of blackgaze’s finest exports are performing next week. They’re a band that are universally praised as one of the most vital acts of the genre and a collective that stands as a pillar upholding the integrity that this musical movement has become globally renowned for. Furthermore, they’re a band that will be performing one of their records in full at this very festival. We’re referring to Copse of course. Fronted by Ed Gibbs of Devil Sold His Soul, the South West blackgaze quintet will be performing their brilliant and majestic new EP Old Belief | New Despair in full on Saturday morning in what set to be an overwhelming and fatally beautiful exercise in blackened emotion and obsidian tenderness. Copse have become one of the genre’s most promising acts in recent years, with recent sets with the likes of Dawn Ray’d, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion and Calligram showcasing their seemingly effortless penchant of harnessing the core dynamics of blackgaze in a way that’s freshly dynamic and intensely concise, further animating the genre they’ve already essentially mastered. Simply, if you like that there other blackgaze band playing main stage, Copse isn’t a band to be missed. – Dan Hillier
The Callous Daoboys
There’s almost nothing that can be said about The Callous Daoboys that accurately represents the utterly manic, batshit genre-smashing of their sonic assault. Mathcore? Check. Violins? Check. Jazz pop breaks, saxophone parts and deliriously unhinged, but catchy melodies? Check, check and check again. The Atlantan sextet blew the doors off the mathcore scene with last year’s Celebrity Therapist, a screaming chimera that raged against cults of all stripes, from nationalism to gun nuts to the alt-right. Most of all though, it catapulted the group into the consciousness of fans the world over that longed for something new to the scene, one that took its freewheeling approach and injected an unhinged creativity that ensured every disparate element hung together. Plus, with mosh calls from this year’s Radar Festival like “show me how free your healthcare is,” can you really afford to miss them? – Will Marshall
BEAR
A frankly terrifying mix of mathcore and sludgy hardcore, Belgian crew BEAR are bringing the serious side of chaotic, unpredictable music to ATG. Think of them as the more sadistic, angular yin to the more scattered, unhinged The Callous Daoboys yang. Channelling influences as obvious as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Botch with an undertow of Cursed and Coalesce, expect one or two new tracks from their upcoming new album Vanta, mixed with ragers from their 2020 breakthrough Propaganda. One of the more likely bands to instigate some spin kicks and swinging fists at the festival, they’re certainly one to watch and though not a new band, will certainly come away with more fans and admirers. – Chris Earl
Skin Failure
You can’t go wrong with a band named for a Simpsons quote (Good old Dr Nick Riviera if you’re wondering), and you certainly can’t go wrong with having former Black Peaks duo of Wills (Gardner and Larkin) as part of that band. Far removed from the more serious, progressive sound of their former band, Skin Failure play rollicking, crossover thrash that just oozes fun. Last year’s debut Radillac was a high octane piece of punky-thrash goodness, and their live shows so far have matched the records no holds barred approach. If you’re at the festival early doors on Wednesday, these guys are an absolute must see. – Chris Earl
Din Of Celestial Birds
As well as hosting some of the biggest and inspirational names in post-rock, ArcTanGent has long been a launchpad for some of the best new talent in the national scene and beyond. In fact, it’s common to see acts scaling up the rungs of the lineup over the years. However, one such band set to ascend right to the top of the bill in record time are Din Of Celestial Birds. Performing just days after the release of their phenomenal debut LP The Night Is For Dreamers, the Leeds collective intricately and emotionally detail the mercurial nature of the human form in a way that’s moving, tender and utterly spellbinding. Truly, as the aforementioned record attests to, their craft explores the entire spectrum of human emotion in way that makes language seem utterly redundant. Also, they have a song literally about ArcTanGent, naturally called ‘Downpour’ of course. – Dan Hillier
Hidden Mothers
Channelling the bleak existence of living in Sheffield into powerful blasts of blackened post-metal, northern crew Hidden Mothers are something of a cult band in the British scene, but that could be about to change. The band have been hard at work in the studio on the follow-up to their scorching 2020 EP Beneath, To the Earth, meaning there’s a chance we might get treat to a snippet of some new music. Whether that’s the case or not, you can expect a show high on intensity and passion from the Yorkshire lads, as they weave beautiful atmospheric passages with flesh-tearing blast beats for an aural assault that’s as beautiful as it is abrasive. If the sun is shining (or even if it isn’t) if cider is your thing then you should keep an eye out for their Ascension Cider collaboration. – Chris Earl
Grief Ritual
If you’re wanting some nihilism in your festival weekend, then look no further than the incredibly pissed off Grief Ritual. Fusing death metal and hardcore with a litany of other extreme influences, the band are known for their forthright, outspoken feelings on the current state of British politics and have woven that into their music. Their debut EP Spiritual Disease is a dark, furious blast of anger at the state, and with things the way they are at the moment, you can only imagine it fuels their live performances to be even more bile filled. One of the British metal scene’s best kept secrets, don’t miss out on seeing these guys. Go and scream along, vent your fury, lament the present and hope for a better future. – Chris Earl
Wallowing
There’s lots of acts offering serene, tender and downright beautiful music at ArcTanGent this year. Wallowing isn’t one of them though. In fact, Wallowing are here to straight up disintegrate you. The interstellar act are without question one of the most unique and inspired acts in death metal, with the band taking inspiration from the worlds of sci-fi, pop culture and more in order to create noise that sounds akin to a gamma-ray burst coming from the depths of the Andromeda itself. In fact, Wallowing are so devoted to their craft that their records – including their brilliant recent debut LP Earth Reaper – tell the tale of a whole conceptual universe further explored through the likes of graphic novels, props and actual physical action figures. Wallowing exist purely within a universe of their own collective design, and if their recent sets are anything to go by, their set is going to be one of total sonic annihilation. – Dan Hillier
Svalbard
The Bristolian quartet have been going for over a decade now and have only become more and more essential to UK heavy music; flourishes of post-hardcore, black metal, shoegaze, post-metal and more all find a home in their scintillating, often beautiful music with lyrics that aren’t so much heart on sleeve as open heart surgery. Having signed to the powerhouse that is Nuclear Blast and with brand new album The Weight of the Mask incoming in October, Svalbard are finally getting their flowers and this weekend’s set promises to be every bit as gut-wrenching and euphoric as they always have been. They’re one of the best, most cathartic live bands in the UK, making the strongest music of their career; you’d be daft not to see them. – Will Marshall
Death Goals
Another band making their ArcTanGent debut, Death Goals offer a take on core-focused music so frantic, heavy and self-destructive that even Converge would be left somewhat concerned. As heard within their debut The Horrible And Their Miserable and this year’s A Garden Of Dead Flowers, the queercore duo offer ruminations on body dysphoria, mental health, self-loathing and culturally ingrained bigotry in way that’s strikingly imitate to the point of it being quite literal. Recent tours and shows have seen Death Goals essentially destroying themselves and all around them as they physically grapple and exercise the themes that drive them as a two-piece. Yet, there’s no hate or animosity within their sets, just inclusivity and demands for a greater day void of xenophobia. Expect carnage on level of set courtesy of The Dillinger Escape Plan, unbridled queer joy and breakdowns silly enough to void your bunnychow filled bowels. – Dan Hillier
Tokky Horror
Get in loser, we’re going to a Tokky Horror rave. One of the hardest working British acts of 2023, the queer-rave-core group have added ATG to their insane festival schedule and they’re bringing the party. Made up of Zee, Ava and Mollie Rush, their live shows are becoming the stuff of legend, mixing moshing with glowsticks, strobes and the sheer intensity of 90s warehouse parties. Fresh off dropping a remix record of songs from their back catalogue, including new EP Kappacore, featuring guests such as Pengshui and Going Off, you can bet that even having the Saturday nights slot won’t bother these virtual hardcore lot one bit, in fact it’ll suit them down to the ground. Need to shake off a drunken haze or simply have your mind blown? Get yourself down, have an open minded and be respectful and the good times will flow. – Chris Earl
Mountain Caller
It’s been one hot volcanic minute since we’ve last seen Mountain Caller, but this weekend is set to see the post-rockers crack forth from their hibernation beneath the earth to take their rightful place amongst some of the genre’s finest. Performing their ArcTanGent debut in the cavernous expanse of the main stage, their set will see the band offering up progressive and rugged post-rock in a manner most thunderous and imaginative. In fact, the weekend will also see the band ushering the next chapter of the band’s story; something quite literal, with Mountain Caller set to premier new content from their second record and their third act of their ongoing fantasy story running through their material. Get ready for a masterclass in modern post-rock and contemporary modern story telling. – Dan Hillier
Dvne
Scotland’s sci-fi post-metallers Dvne take their name from the book (their Twitter handle is SongsOfArrakis to really hammer the point home), and their music is every bit as towering and expansive as the legendary series. Their last album, Etemen Ænka was a career-defining moment for them that saw them play a titanic main stage set last year, and this year they’re playing Wednesday as returning heroes to once more bring their majestic, intensely evocative post-metal to eardrums. They might be sandwiched between Pupil Slicer and Conjurer, but make no mistake that Dvne are more than capable of holding their own. – Will Marshall
Sugar Horse
The mercurial, genre-smashing Sugar Horse have been dealt one of life’s cruelest hands; while they’re (deservedly) headlining the PX3 stage, they have to do so against Converge on the main. If you can tear yourself away from the Massachusetts wrecking crew, though, you’ll be richly rewarded by a band with a rich command of dynamics and texture, one that freely blends gothic melancholia with walls of unseemly noise that’ll demolish ears even with earplugs in. The nuances of their music take full flight live, as Sugar Horse can swap from subdued croons to intense bludgeonings as the band do their utmost to overwhelm PAs and eardrums alike. Loud, with some of the best tunes you’ll hear all weekend, and well worth half an hour of your time. – Will Marshall
Curse These Metal Hands
Practically ArcTanGent in band form, Curse These Metal Hands were originally commissioned by the festival in 2018 and comprised members of Conjurer and Pijn. In 2019, they treated the festival to a playthrough of their stunning debut, the self-titled celebration of Buckfast and friendship while the rain poured (though a brief visit from the sun during High Spirits was revelatory), and this year they’re back to one more entreat the crowd to celebrate their friends, each other, and really letting your hair down surrounded by some of the best and weirdest music in the world. Death metal, sludge and beautiful post-rock swells all find a home in a sonic mire that’ll give you Baroness energy, a strong desire to rip your shirtsleeves off and chug tonic wine. – Will Marshall
ArcTanGent Festival 2023 takes place next week at Fernhill Farm, Bristol. The final tickets and additional information can be found here.