Some festivals you have a look at the lineup and resolve whether or not to go. Others, you go since you love them regardless and also you watch the lineup bulletins excitedly after getting your tickets. My associate Jem, who was already a daily, took me to ArcTanGent for the primary time in 2016. It’s been within the second class ever since. Because it targets the maths/put up-rock/steel area of interest, there’s at all times some good bands on. And because the greatest pageant on this planet for these particular genres, it attracts some surprisingly huge names for a small occasion. You’ll commonly see bands out within the viewers for different exhibits. Past the music, it simply has a very nice vibe. The individuals are pleasant, the meals is sweet, the bogs tolerable, and the rain value it.
After two years of pandemic cancellations, we have been overjoyed to be again. This 12 months, it was additionally a pleasure to be joined by ATG beginner Carcharodon and his pal Little Brittain.
– Sentynel
“I don’t even know the place we’re. Is that this Bristol?” deadpanned Mikael Åkerfeldt throughout Opeth‘s headline set at ArcTanGent 2022. I’m virtually sure he was joking however, for me, there was little doubt about the place I used to be. The highway to my first ATG was an extended one, starting in late 2019, once I purchased my ticket for August 2020. ATG had been on my ‘should go’ record for a very long time. A comparatively small pageant, centered on progressive, math and put up steel, ATG may be very a lot my bag. Till this version, the pageant’s eighth, nonetheless, I had by no means been capable of get to it. Now, in August 2020, I’d be heading there and fortunately forked out the additional £50 for VIP tickets, which means devoted campsite and parking, showers, a VIP bar, some swag and extra. Headlined by private favorites Cult of Luna and Opeth, this was going to be an opportunity to spend three days listening to superior music, consuming too many beers and catching up with one in every of my oldest and greatest pals, whom we’ll seek advice from as Little Brittain. In additional excellent news, I knew Sentynel and Jem can be there too, as they’ve not missed an version of ATG for years.
However, after all, it was to not be, as everybody’s favourite virus noticed first 2020 after which 2021 canceled. Lastly, in 2022, nonetheless, almost three years after shopping for the tickets, I pitched up within the lovely Mendip Hills within the South West of England and located a sunny spot within the VIP space to arrange camp beneath some bushes (pointedly suggested to be at my very own threat). And so started my time at among the finest festivals I’ve been to.
– Carcharodon
Images on this article by Sentynel, Carcharodon and Jem. Cameraphone pictures heroically rescued in enhancing by Jem.
Sentynel
Between a redesigned format and a 3-12 months hole because the final ATG, arriving introduced a way of dreamlike close to-however-not-fairly familiarity. Happily, the welcome sight of returning common meals distributors just like the pad Thai place, the crêpe place and the stonebaked pizza place helped settle us in. By the point we’d pitched our tent and seen our first set, it felt identical to dwelling once more. For a pageant infamous for its rain—it has rained closely to torrentially all weekend each earlier 12 months we’ve been—the climate was suspiciously good. Thursday night rained a bit, however the levels are lined so it’s a light inconvenience. In any other case, it was heat and sunny, however not the 40C heatwave afflicting earlier festivals.
The most effective issues about ATG is highlighting some actually attention-grabbing tiny bands by way of a small stage for little-recognized artists. As with the remainder of the lineups, band booker James Scarlett does a fantastic job. In previous years, I’ve found enduring favorites like Jo Quail (extra on her later), Hexcut, Midas Fall, and Sithu Aye by means of their exhibits on the little PX3. As ATG has grown and the levels with it, the PX3 can’t actually be described as “small” anymore. So this 12 months, a fifth “Elephant within the Bar Room” stage was launched for these exhibits, itself bigger than the PX3 in my first 12 months. My indie spotlight of the 12 months goes to Coldbones. Their upbeat God Is an Astronaut-esque put up-rock deservedly packed the room, and so they have been clearly having a blast. Additionally enjoyable have been the inexplicably named bouncy math-rock duo Let’s Swim, Get Swimming, full with mid-set celebration popper interlude. I additionally want to say Axiom right here. I didn’t personally see them (resulting from a regrettable determination to see Emma Ruth Rundle in the identical slot—see Carcharodon‘s ideas on that), however Jem did and reviews they have been good. Taking part in Thank You Scientist (an unlucky final minute cancellation themselves) sort dancy prog rock, I like their recorded work rather a lot and want to hunt out a stay present.
Saturday introduced a run of latest-to-me successes, beginning with Aussie violin math-rock band Seims on the primary stage. Argentinian jazz-infused math-rock band TOTS adopted with nice music, regardless of a clumsy stage presence. Each introduced enjoyable twists to the essential formulation. Breaking the maths streak, I used to be unexpectedly impressed by Sergeant Thunderhoof. Noodly stoner/psych rock can simply go off the rails, however their set was loud, tight, and a great deal of enjoyable—good pageant music. Lastly, whereas put up-hardcore isn’t my private favourite little bit of ATG, Japan’s Mass of the Fermenting Dregs killed it with their excessive-power, poppy tackle the style.
No pageant might be all success on a regular basis, after all. My private lowlight was a boring set from Pertubator, the place the one attention-grabbing ingredient was the lighting rig. Opeth completed half an hour early within the huge headline slot for no apparent cause and scarpered with no phrase. A confused crowd have been left yelling “encore” on the techs dismantling their equipment. This put a bizarre power on the finale, regardless of an in any other case on-level set, saved solely by the VIP bar afterwards. Additionally lame have been a few regrettable cancellations, a coach trip which was startled by what number of vacationers they’d booked after which hilariously tried to enter the location by way of the unsuitable entrance (a lot to the dismay of the unlucky stewards managing parking), and never having the ability to discover any candy potato fries all weekend. Look, it’s a fantastic pageant, there’s hardly something to complain about.
Now we come to the hits from bands I already knew. First up, these I get pleasure from however not often truly sit down and take heed to. Palm Reader fall someplace within the Svalbard-led area of interest on the melodic finish of put up-hardcore I get pleasure from. They placed on an superior present on Friday evening and I had much more enjoyable than anticipated (and definitely greater than I’d have had with TesseracT‘s headline set in the identical slot). Zeal & Ardor, annoyingly hit-and-miss recorded, have been phenomenal stay as ever (additionally they performed 2019). A singalong crowd packed out the second stage for a very intense efficiency. And reformed ATG staple Maybeshewill introduced again their attractive put up-rock, seven years since they final performed right here. It’s nice to see them taking part in once more, and I used to be actually impressed by their new materials—I undoubtedly have to right my failure to take heed to them recorded.
Lastly, my two private picks for one of the best performances. First, Jo Quail‘s major stage set was actually mesmerizing. Fairly an improve in scale from her aforementioned 2018 look, she reduce a lonely determine with solely her cello and a loop pedal to fill such a big house, and appeared (understandably!) nervous. However from the second she began taking part in, the viewers was enthralled, as I used to be the primary time I noticed her. Some intelligent lighting design helped fill the stage. Rigorously composed and meticulously layered, watching her stay is as technically spectacular because the music is gorgeous. “I performed this within the lodge final evening and it was shit,” she quipped at one level, earlier than demonstrating she has a wildly miscalibrated definition of “shit.” Second, twinkly math-rock stars Covet performed an exuberant set. Each they and the viewers have been clearly having a good time, and so they make their advanced, uplifting melodies appear completely easy. In addition they win the award for greatest stage banter, with their introduction “Howdy, we’re Black Sabbath! No, wait, we’re Blur. No, we’re only a Covet band.”
There have been extra bands, extra meals stands, and extra happening than I’ve phrases to say right here. After two years with the world stopped, and a few furry moments as ATG crowdfunded to stay in enterprise, returning introduced each pleasure and reduction, and jogged my memory of the whole lot I really like about it. I’ve my 2023 tickets, and all I can do now could be look ahead to bulletins to begin once more.
Carcharodon
Arriving at ATG felt unusual. Between a ruptured Achilles, a minor international pandemic and a persistent shark pup infestation that I’m struggling to get underneath management, it’s been some time since I pitched up at a mass gathering like this. After the preliminary stress of being the primary one there and having to pick a tenting spot for myself, the Sentynels and Little Brittain, I set off to discover my dwelling for the subsequent three days and alter. ATG is pretty small pageant, with maybe 10,000 individuals there. Having forked out for VIP tenting, it was a mere three-minute stroll by means of a spinney of bushes and sunny fields, previous the inviting VIP bar and into the world correct. Full of scrumptious meals stalls—the stonebaked pizzas, a specific spotlight—and a wholesome variety of bars, which by no means appeared to have a queue, it was the proper house to float round between bands I needed to see.
The primary such band for me was GardensTale favourite Dvne. I’ve by no means actually ‘obtained’ these progressive sludge sellers earlier than, with their final two efforts being held again by, for me, sub-par vocals. Reside, nonetheless, Dvne is a really totally different beast. Regardless of taking part in pretty low down the invoice on a sunny Thursday lunchtime, the Scots commanded ATG’s major stage, weaving spellbinding riffs and leads, set to percussive assaults from drummer Dudley Tait, and even the vocals labored. Clearly having fun with themselves, songs like “Sì-XIV” sounded enormous and kicked off a feast of techy, progressive, put up-steel that stored me going till the epic Sunday morning hangover.
With a barely older demographic than many a pageant I’ve been to—I’d put the typical ATGer’s age within the early to mid-30s—ATG has an amazingly chilled and pleasant vibe. I had a whole lot of good chats with full strangers whereas ready for made-to-order pizzas or perusing tees and vinyl within the merch tent. And so it was that, with pizza crumbs littering my beard and the phrases of a beautiful (and really drunk) lady from Plymouth ringing in my ears, I set off to see the “too fucking depressing” A. A. Williams. Now, it’s true, nobody might accuse this gloomy songstress of being uplifting however she delivered a lush, attractive set, with tracks like “Soften” filling the tent with swirling melodies, as Williams‘ wealthy voice soared.
I virtually used the phrase ‘spellbinding’ to explain A. A. Williams however stopped myself as a result of I’ve to order that phrase for Jo Quail‘s unbelievable one-particular person set. Cellist Quail completely blew me away. Her superb, self-deprecating stage presence, as she looped quite a few parts of her efficiency to assemble enormous, mesmerizing soundscapes, was actually superb. Little Brittain shouldn’t be actually a steel fan however had come to ATG at my invitation and Quail was one in every of his standout moments. She held the mainstage captive for each second of her one-lady set, with the one disgrace being that she had a mere 30 minutes to play with. Not almost sufficient time for somebody who offers within the epic, fastidiously constructed items she does.
Sadly, even a visitor look from Quail couldn’t save the automobile crash of a set delivered by Emma Ruth Rundle. This was my largest disappointment of ATG. Having found Rundle on the gorgeous On Darkish Horses, hers was one of many units I used to be most excited for. And so, the portentous assertion from Jem that they wouldn’t be becoming a member of as they didn’t “get the hype about ERR – she’s simply nothing particular” ringing in my ears, off we went. “I simply hope,” I mentioned to Sentynel, as we waited for the set to begin, “that it’s not all Engine of Hell stuff,” as that final file didn’t fairly do it for me. Rundle wandered onto stage and, after faffing about for some time, introduced she’d be taking part in Engine of Hell in full. Fuck. It went downhill from there. I can actually say it was one of the boring stay units I’ve ever seen, feeling lackluster and with some suspect piano taking part in, which noticed quite a few missed notes. This was paired with a pompous and off-hand stage method from Rundle, together with a number of complaints that she wasn’t positive her guitar was correctly tuned, which I disliked intensely. Little Brittain declared himself ‘out’ midway by means of and left, with Sentynel and me not far behind.
I don’t know what occurred with IT as a result of the engineering was one of many highlights of ATG for me, with almost each band sounding improbable. Helped, I anticipate, by the acoustics of the large prime tents erected over every stage, the sound was on level for everybody from avant-garde French black metallers Alcest—who performed a blinding set full of classics and a brilliantly charismatic Gallic stage presence—by means of instrumental put up-rockers Outlander to put up-steel jazz droners 5 the Hierophant. Certainly, very like Dvne, I used to be gained over by 5 the Hierophant. The London trio quite disenchanted me once I reviewed their sophomore album however stay, they killed it, as did Finnish psychedelic black metallers Oranssi Pazuzu. The truth is, Oranssi Pazuzu killed it in two respects, taking part in a spellbinding half hour or so of bonkers key- and synth-infused black steel, earlier than completely murdering the final track of their set, throughout which their drummer merely left midway by means of and the remainder of the band appeared decided to outdo one another in attempting to show it as much as 11. Certainly, so chaotic was it, {that a} good portion of the gang (me and LB included) drifted away whereas they have been nonetheless going.
Barnstorming units from the likes of Danish put up-black shoegaze outfit MØL and UK sludge quartet Conjurer—seemingly sponsored by the undrinkable monstrosity that’s Fireball cinnamon whisky liqueur—turned up the depth, as each selected to play the heaviest of units drawn from their respective discogs. ‘Depth’ is the one phrase you’ll be able to actually use to explain the guts-crushing masterclass delivered by Belgian doom steel legends Amenra, with a shocking rendition of “A Solitary Reign” a specific spotlight. Whereas with UK stoner sludge act Tuskar there isn’t any selecting between a heavy and fewer heavy set; heavy is all these guys do, steamrolling all earlier than them with partitions of suggestions-laden guitars. Not a band I used to be actually accustomed to, I went to see Tuskar primarily for my spongy ListMate TheKenWord, who lately found the band and fell in love with them. Nicely Kenneth, I can affirm that they placed on a helluva present.
I’ve considerably free-wheeled by means of this write-up, displaying no respect by any means to the order of the road-up, nor even the times on which totally different bands performed. Maybe that was already patently apparent. However at this level, I’m left with solely three bands that I need to say one thing about: Cult of Luna, who headlined the Thursday; Zeal & Ardor, who ought to have headlined the Friday (although that honor went to TesseracT, in step with ATG’s djenty origins) and Opeth, who closed the pageant on Saturday.
For Opeth, I didn’t know what to anticipate. I’m diehard fan of the whole lot the band did as much as and together with Ghost Reveries. Thereafter, I quite lose curiosity and so it was that I hoped we’d be getting extra Oldpeth, much less newpeth. I used to be to not be disenchanted, as Åkerfeldt and accomplices belted out the likes of “Ghost of Perdition,” “Demon of the Fall” and “Material Falls,” closing on an unbelievable “Deliverance.” Åkerfeldt himself was in glowing type, and never solely on guitar and vocals. His dry wit stored the gang baying for extra, as he tossed out self-deprecating quips, coupled with a number of wry feedback, together with a dig at Machine Head‘s Robb Flynn Regardless of a stellar efficiency and nice setlist, Opeth did handle to piss off everybody mightily by strolling off stage half an hour sooner than billed and, due to this fact, ending the entire pageant early. The group gamely waited, screaming for an encore that was to not come, earlier than drifting away muttering darkly, barely deflated.
It was a flat word to complete an in any other case unbelievable pageant on however the Sentynels, Little Brittain and I did our greatest to make up for it, first within the VIP bar after which again at our tents with a bottle of Islay scotch. And so it was that I rose blearily on Sunday morning to take down the tent and begin the 5-hour drive dwelling, sure that I will likely be again for future editions of this excellent ‘little’ pageant.
