Fernhill Farm in Somerset gathers around twelve thousand festival goers each year to experience live acts like no other. Defined widely on the internet as a ‘British rock festival’, The Mic’s Tabitha Smith explores her experience at the small-but-mighty festival, aiming to underpin how the wide variety of acts, from post-punk to math rock, stoner metal to techno-punk fusion, just make sense in the way that they are all ‘*so* ArcTanGent’.
ArcTanGent was often used as an adjective over the course of my week at the festival, as coming into the festival relatively in the dark about just how varied the lineup was, it seemed a fitting way to encapsulate the choice of music across the five stages. After arriving and pitching up the tent, it seemed Wednesday evening’s acts were the perfect way to introduce the festival’s dedication to its loyal community.
The festival’s tradition of bringing returning artists to the stage on the first evening helps establish what is yet to come, with Curse These Metal Hands catching me completely off guard. The brainchild of members of Conjurer and Pijn respectively, their sonically dynamic music, alongside the effects of the long drive and sleep deprivation, made me weirdly emotional. Many Conjurer fans across the week could be seen sporting ‘I can’t believe it’s not Baroness’ t-shirts, and catching the American group’s set later in the festival, I can see where similarities could be drawn. However, the tongue-in-cheek merchandise helped solidify the sense of respect these bands all have for one another in how much one generation of post-metal has inspired the next. After recovering with a pot noodle, which was brutally judged by the woman who gave me the hot water to cook it, we went over to LLNN, a group whose name means ‘Hell Unknown’ but is inexplicably missing a few letters. Their stage presence helped pick up the energy on the Yohkai stage, and certainly set a darker tone for the evening. We caught a little of And So I Watch You From Afar, a math rock band from Northern Ireland, whose acronym caused many difficulties across the week; ASIWYFA, or ‘ah-siff-wah’, became increasingly difficult to pronounce as the week went on. As the band were playing another set on the Saturday, we decided to rest up for a full day tomorrow.
The podcasts each morning on the Elephant stage were a perfect way to wake yourself up for the day with some in-depth discussion on artists and the industry. Thursday morning’s discussion on women and fangirls by the presenters of Fan Girrrls podcast was really insightful and a cool facet of the industry to hear about. We caught a little bit of Kulk, a Norfolk duo whose name is surprisingly derived from their joint love of the Home Alone movies, then headed to the PX3 stage to see Oddism, a group from Lille in France. These were my favourite of the festival so far as their energy was unmatched; frontman Gio did high leg kicks while screaming punky vocals, at one point slamming the microphone hard against his skull, all the while smiling at how much it was stirring up the crowd.
Conducting interviews over the course of the festival meant missing a few groups that we were looking forward to seeing, with Unpeople in particular being a band I was heartbroken to miss. Having heard the majority of their set from the press area, I managed to run over and catch the last few songs. The band are growing from strength to strength, with many remembering their performance at Dot to Dot festival in Nottingham in May, going from this to supporting Metallica in Austria the following month. Their music, a seamless blend of alternative rock and punk create an almost anthemic sound that appeals deeply to the emo in me, and the crowd they attracted made me really excited for what’s to come for them.
Baroness took the main stage later that day, a firm favourite amongst the festival goers from the sheer amount of merch I saw. Their 2023 release Stone sees the band enter a new era, away from their projects named after colours, and the tracks sounded incredible on the Arc stage. The blood red lighting was the perfect backdrop for their gothic set, drawing in a vast crowd in the early afternoon that consolidated their sizable following and their suitability to the festival’s diverse lineup. After fueling up on a tasty jackfruit taco, we headed to see Spiritualised, who were a last minute replacement on the lineup but did not disappoint. Finding out that the frontman Jason Pierce goes by the name J. Spaceman, the concept of Spiritualised fell into place, as their performance had the feeling of floating in space, with the haunting loneliness of some of the vocals often making me turn to people in the crowd just to reassure myself that I was firmly on the ground.
Heading straight to the Elephant stage, Tokky Horror brought an altogether different atmosphere with their underground, punk/techno fusion. Entering the stage to the Strictly Come Dancing theme music, I immediately knew that this would be an amazing set. Tokky Horror are disbanding by the end of the year after a triumphant stint, with the group forming over lockdown to amass a cult following. The group gave it their absolute all, with vocalists Mollie Rush and Ava Akira dancing and jumping along; at one point the group played an audio of a broadcaster announcing the death of Prince Phillip and then dropped the beat, which was a personal highlight. Amongst remixing The Prodigy and Insomnia, the group performed a song that got the crowd to yell along ‘free Palestine’, which, despite the set’s silliness, didn’t feel out of place, and energised the crowd even more. It feels like such a shame that this will be my first and only experience with Tokky Horror, but I have had them firmly in my on-repeat ever since. Explosions in the Sky closed the night, which was mesmerising. From the sound of their name, the music could have gone one of two ways, but their intricately layered instrumental tracks were beautiful to hear as it went dark.
Haal and i Häxa opened on Friday morning, giving contrasting performances. I love the versatility of the acts at ArcTanGent, it’s something the festival really prides itself on. i Häxa embodied a sense of witchiness and mystique that I loved, while Bristol’s industrial post-rock quartet Haal provided a grounded, gloomy set, with the group announcing their appreciation for such a large crowd coming to see them so early on in the day. El Moono’s set was a highlight too, their sound intersecting a lot of the genres across the festival, being delivered with confidence and style. Having really enjoyed their new album The Waking Sun, it was joy to meet them for an interview later in the day and see their enthusiasm for what they do, as well as the silly questions we got to ask them, about Pokemon and their hot girl summer anthems.
Another exciting opportunity was getting to meet Blood Command. Vocalist Nikki Brumen and guitarist Yngve Andersen were a joy to speak with, singing Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso over the tiny interview mic, and made me so excited to see their set. Watching their performance from the barrier added something extra to the experience, watching Nikki effortlessly climb the structure of the PX3 stage and dance amongst her band members, at times feigning to choke both her guitarist and bassist with her mic lead. Her relentless energy and insistence on creating a pit to every song made everyone dance along twice as hard. A few songs in, Nikki admitted that at a recent show she was grabbed without her consent while stage diving, and the experience had truly shaken her. The confession roused huge support from the crowd and demonstrated the level of respect the audience had, not only for Nikki and her fellow band members, but for creating a safe space, particularly for women, at shows like this. Nikki bravely crowd surfed later on in the set, showing immense trust in the ArcTanGent crowd that I hope she continues to feel at future concerts.
Swedish metal band Meshuggar headlined Friday night, and were by far the most anticipated act of the festival. I had heard rumours throughout the day that the band may be playing their most popular, yet most technical track, Bleed, one that they rarely play due to its difficult, exhausting-looking drumming, so this added to the excitement. Packing out the main stage, the band’s syncopated riffs demonstrated an impressively technical performance and maintained high energy throughout. The seasoned group have amassed a huge following in the scene and are widely considered as founding the djent genre in progressive metal music, something you can definitely hear in the chugging guitar riffs that punctuate each track. Many of the bands we spoke to across the week expressed a deep admiration for the band, and it is evident that many of them would not have even existed if it weren’t for the inspiration Meshuggar provided. To top it off, the rumours were true; as I was heading back to the tent prematurely to get some sleep, I heard the infamous introduction to Bleed and just knew that every single person in that tent had had their evening made.
Maebe were one of the first bands we saw on Saturday, and they pleasantly surprised me. The word colourful springs to mind when describing the local instrumental rock band, yet they are hard to place into one box. Making their ArcTanGent debut on the Elephant stage, I hope the festival asks for them to return next year, as I see a lot of potential in the group to cement themselves firmly in this scene. We caught some of Leeds’ Thank, with their punky vocals reaching the very back of the crowd. With their recent signing to Big Scary Monsters in anticipation of their new album being released this autumn, it was amazing to see the band thriving on stage. We then caught a bit of KEN Mode, who had come highly recommended by others in the press tent. The group brought us back to the heavier end of the music on display at ArcTanGent, with their own definition of ‘chaotic hardcore’ seeming the perfect description for their performance.
After a few more interviews and taking down the tent, we attempted to prove just how easy it is to catch your favourite acts, even if there are clashes in your schedule, by seeing three bands across three stages in fifty minutes. I anticipated that Thot on the Elephant stage would bring a similar irreverent, punk vibe to Blood Command, but their industrial rock set was equally as impressive, with dynamic vocals often stripping back to quieter moments before bursting into noise once more. Brontide were an important band to catch as this was their first show back since they announced their split in 2017. The band had played the festival before back in 2013 and you could tell they were ecstatic to be back; with the group releasing new music across the rest of this year, it was the perfect way to welcome them back. The third band to clash in this slot was another important staple of the festival, iconic metal quintet Earthtone9. ArcTanGent itself is named after the band’s 2000 album, so managing to catch their set was important in rounding off my experience at the festival.
The last act we saw was Electric Wizard, a group whose music has been defined as ‘stoner metal’. The band have been around since the nineties, with their album Dopethrone not only being a popular record but its name firmly places it in the genre. Their sludgy riffs and distant vocals were a delight to hear, and hard to walk away from. Deciding to leave the festival a little earlier to beat the traffic, we missed headliners Mogwai and a few other acts, but I left ArcTanGent feeling like I had consumed as much as I possibly could have. The experience of going to a festival with an unfamiliar bill to newly discover artists is second to none; speaking to press and other attendees of the festival, I admire the investment in such diverse acts, and you can really tell that ArcTanGent is a special place to each and every person there. Despite the heavy nature of the music, it is a testament to the festival’s atmosphere that there were children on site, enjoying the music as much as the adults, albeit with huge ear defenders on. As I said before, ArcTanGent is small but mighty, and I am so glad to have attended, as it has diversified my taste hugely; perhaps I’ll attend next year being familiar with more of the acts!
Tabitha Smith
Edited by Alice Beard
Images courtesy of ArcTanGent on Facebook, image of HAAL courtesy of Hannah Young via HAAL
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