ArcTanGent Festival 2024: The Review – Wednesday
The first day of the 10th birthday for what may the best festival on the planet, the Wednesday of ArcTanGent 2024 was a day of riffs, joy and cosmic horror. Here's what transpired. Words by Dan Hillier, Tom Bruce, Adam Vallely and Will Marshall.
It’s difficult not to think about how both so much and so little has changed between last year’s ArcTanGent and this year’s edition. After all, when stepping onto Fernhill Farm again, it feels like only weeks have passed since Devin Townsend closed last year’s festival. But so much has changed. The global math, post and general left-field scene has changed. Bands have stepped into the scene as much as legends have left. And perhaps most of all, the cultural and communal significance of ArcTanGent can no longer be understated.
From humble beginnings in a muddy field to becoming a globally renowned event in an even bigger muddy field, ArcTanGent has become the go to destination for lovers and pursuers for all things experimental, progressive, forward thinking and just a bit overall weird. And now, with the festival celebrating its 10th anniversary as an event, it’s clear that the team have well and truly pulled out the stops for its biggest edition yet. Which is why Host Body are here to open the festival.
As those here early enough last year might remember, last year’s openers Ogives Big Band opened the festival with a bona fide ribbon cutting. How do the local mathcore noiseniks follow this? By offering nothing but pure aggression and intensity. Forgoing fun in favour for a ruthless barrage of industrial-speckled noisecore, the local legends offer a set of sharp, serrated and downright penetrating onslaught of no-nonsense extremity. They may offer a different approach to last year’s brilliant openers and local scene staples, but much akin to Ogives, this is music straight to the point and can cut through more than just ribbon. Plus the early birds nursing the first of many pints this weekend clearly love it.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Dadds
Immediately following, it’s Hidden Mothers. Returning as alumni following their appearance last year, it’s pretty clear that many within this tent have purposefully arrived early for this set. But despite the wee hours that clearly saw many departing for this festival, it’s clear no one has any regrets regarding travel fatigue. This afternoon, Hidden Mothers sound absolutely monolithic. Opening with new single ‘Defanged’, prior to delving into new material, this set serves as a showcase and sampler of the new record and overall sound from the Sheffield bruisers. Their blackened foundations remain uncompromised, but with their new material harkening new textures from the wealth of fabric that is the UK scene, their new sound stands as being towering and dynamic. Honestly, Hidden Mothers in 2024 sound like the tenderly raised love-child of Oathbreaker and Thrice, and an appearance from Ed Gibbs (Copse, Devil Sold His Soul) only makes this sentiment irrefutable.
Another band making a return due to sheer demand, Din Of Celestial Birds take flight immediately following. Opening with a cheeky 2 Promoters 1 Pod montage, the Leeds post-rockers counteract the hurt of Hidden Mothers with a balance of gorgeous splendour and giddy energy that can only really be challenged by tonight’s respective headliner. As they flutter through cuts taken from last year’s brilliant The Night Is For Dreamers, Din Of Celestial Birds sound transcendent, the inherent within their craft displayed with a sense of clarity that’s beyond language. ‘Downpour’ an ode to the community of this very festival, articles this wonderfully, especially with the Yohkai now fully packed out. Honestly, to see this band play to a crowd of this size is fantastic; not only have Din Of Celestial Birds come to embody the spirit of this festival, but it’s hard to think of a different band within the UK post rock scene more deserving of this moment. Main stage next time, yeah James?
Bringing up the energy after the more atmospheric Din Of Celestial Birds, Belgian progressive metal quintet Cobra The Impaler bring non-stop Mastodon style grooves to ArcTanGent’s first day. With a whirlwind performance from frontman Manuel Remmerie involving sharp screams, huge clean harmonies with bassist/backing vocalist Michele De Feudis and berserk, snake-like movements that steal the spotlight even in instrumental sections. Riding the wave of their latest album Karma Collision the 5-piece deliver a confident and thunderous performance closing on the ambitious track ‘Assassins Of The Vision’ which leans heavily into ArcTanGent’s love of brutally heavy yet wildly experimental progressive music.
Photo Credit: Carl Battams
With the perfect mix of post-metal energy, stoner grooves and prog complexity for the ArcTanGent audience, Belgian trio Psychonaut immediately fill the Yohkai with an infectiously upbeat attitude following Cobra The Impaler. Wearing their Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin inspirations on their sleeves just enough to trick your dad into listening to post-metal, Psychonaut waste no time in diving deep into their back catalogue of deliberately paced, immersive yet complex hits. In the hands of a lesser band extended tracks like ‘The Fall Of Consciousness’ could easily be filled with riffs repeated ad nauseam but the Belgian three piece’s non-stop energy and subtly off-kilter performances keep the crowd transfixed until the very end.
Also returning for their second year on the trot is perhaps this festival’s house band, What started as an ArcTanGent only project (and maybe a joke gone so far as to actually record an album) Curse These Metal Hands return to their birthplace, the grassy fields of Fernhill Farm. Conjurer & Pijn join forces once again for a set full of uplifting riffs, fun and added chimes & banjo (the chimes repeatedly getting a cheer when played). CTMH are the perfect band for the 10th anniversary, bringing a sense of joy and metal themed party vibes. Finishing with aptly named ‘High Spirits’, it’s hard to envision this band anywhere but here.
Perhaps spurred on by BTEC Baroness’ empowering performance, something miraculous happens at ArcTanGent; the sun actually comes out. In most instances this would be nothing but a good thing especially given this festival’s meteorological track record – but to say the glorious summer sun contrasts against LLNN’s borderline apocalyptic output would be a touch of an understatement. Still, sunshine or not, LLNN sound fucking terrifying. Essentially sounding like the end of days via cosmic cataclysm, under throbbing synths, slamming mantric riffs and the wrathful snarl and stare of Victor Kaas the band bludgeon the early evening crowd with a kind of deliverance that harkens that of vengeful gods, something made palatable with a crushing rendition of ‘Desecrator’ alongside ‘Imperial’ . Granted, this set might not be as intimate and downright devastating as their headline slot last year, but as ever, LLNN leave nowt but celestial devastation in their wake.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Dadds
The tent is heaving as Bossk take the stage to a choral intro for the first of two sets this weekend. They’ve promised two vastly different setlists as well, with tonight dedicated to both unreleased and never-played songs alongside a smattering of covers. On a stage in light, the band look like silhouettes, cutting striking figures against the colourful backdrop. It’s a treat for their most dedicated fans who’ve helped not only pack out the Yohkai tent today but sustained them across a near-twenty year career, a captivating performance with deep cuts and surprises aplenty including an appearance by earthtone9’s Karl Middleton during a cover of Arc Tan Gent. In under an hour, Bossk reaffirm why they’re one of the UK’s most uniquely fascinating post metal exports.
As for tonight’s headliners, well, opening with the ET soundtrack implies a lot of things. It suggests your set will be full of giddy energy, a throwback to when life felt, you know, good. At its most it could be taken as an indication for a set that’s out of this world. Tall promises, but ones that And So I Watch You From Afar uphold here. Saving content from their brilliant new record Megafauna for its full album play-through later this weekend and playing a purely fan voted setlist decided by Wednesday ticket holders, as the NI post-rock icons launch into ‘BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION’ , they deliver on all of these indications. They might be back for their fifth weekend here, but tonight, pretty much as always, the band are nothing but total life affirming joy.
From the offset, as the band fly through choice cuts like ‘Search:Party:Animal’, ‘Wasps’ and ‘7 Billion People All Alive At Once’ there is nothing but energy aplomb, both on stage and off. It anything, it’s hard to think of a mostly instrumental post-rock band that can have this effect on crowds. As the band fly through their high-octane take on post-rock, crowd-surfers fly and crash, push pits open and swarm and people scream along to hooks void of vocals. It’s literally just pure ecstatic carnage that can only come from this particular band playing this particular festival, an exchange of energy and genuine dynamic that just highlights the unique energy and human connection that lies as the ultimate crux of the community that binds this festival together. And as And So I Watch You From Afar ring out the night with a rare airing of ‘S Is For Salamander’ and the eternal joy that is ‘Big Thinks Do Remarkable’, it’s hard to envision a better way to kick off the 10th birthday bash that is ArcTanGent Festival 2024.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Dadds