Reviews

ArcTanGent 2016: A Really Long Review

Posted on: 2016-08-23

ArcTanGent’s winning melting pot of post-rock, math-rock, instrumental-pop, tech-metal, and anything else with a hyphen, seems to work wonders – with stages being packed out day after day.

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ArcTanGent Festival in Bristol is a three day fest of math-rock, post-rock, and anything inbetween. Many of my favourite bands have been discovered through this festival, so I went down to see it in its fourth year.

 

Thursday

 

First Impressions:

 

Back again at ArcTanGent Festival and for once the sun is actually shining! Bristol’s finest hyphenated rock festival looks set to be a beautiful and potentially moving few days, and most of the stalls are already up and running by the time we arrive. A few changes have hit ATG this year, including new food options, longer stage times for headliners, a retro gaming arcade, and a new system in which people set up camp BEFORE obtaining their wristbands and entering the main site. Presumably this is to speed up the entry process, eliminate lines, and stop people having to carry heavy gear around with them for hours before the gates open to the public. Seems to have worked, as most people are content with sitting in their tent until the lines are down, a significant improvement on the crazy queues of previous years. One big change that really hits you as you walk in for the first time is that the stages have been shuffled around. The intention was to reduce the likelihood of people having to run from one stage to another, and also means that there is barely ever noise pollution from other stages, but it does seem to cramp the Arc Stage a little. There is none of that grand walking down a hill to see a lone stage on the horizon this year, the Arc is well and truly in the midst of things. It remains to be seen whether this impedes on the quality of the headliner sets or not. Another point worth mentioning is that this Thursday is far busier than any previous year, and people have really put the effort in to see three whole days of bands, which is nice to see.

 

The site, or one field of it anyway.

 

Band of the day:

 

My Thursday band of the day this year have to be TTNG (formerly known as This Town Needs Guns), because putting aside all personal bias in their favour, they really did deliver a solid set that allowed an incredibly talented and well established band to explore their albums in some detail. In fact, their varied set was tailored to include at least one song from every album, including their new album Disappointment Island, which came out in July. Whether performing or out of their own desire to support their fellow musicians, TTNG have attended ArcTanGent every year so far, and every time I have seen them play they have only ever exceeded expectations. Their many varied rhythms and time signature changes have helped to shape countless up-and-coming math rock bands, and the endless energetic drum fills replace the dull back beat of many other musical outfits, setting them far apart from anything in the mainstream. In fact, there are so many factors that set this band apart in terms of style and quality, both on and off their recorded works. Henry Tremain’s beautiful fluctuating vocal style shows off an impressive range and adds the tear jerking quality to some of their more complex offerings. I could witter on about TTNG all day, as it happens, a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away I did just that, so if you do want some more affectionate fawning, have a read. After changing guitars and bass after almost every song, the effort required to be one of the ever friendly members of TTNG is enough to give them this ultimately meaningless Band of the Day award. Nice one lads.

 

Henry and Tim from TTNG.

 

Notable others:

 

Thursdays are always pretty great, with a long list of tried-and-tested bands returning to give us all another taste. Talons were very sharp (sorry) as always, using space and silence as their playthings as they whisked up great mounds of emotional tension and droning inescapable sound. The long length of tracks kept a steady flow but the response to each song was varied – some were positive, rousing journeys, and some dismal and fear-inducing treks across dissonance and uneasy etching instrumentation. Fancy language aside it was absolutely brilliant, and enjoyed by all.

Three Trapped Tigers are also worth a mention, their jumpy eclectic sound was a shot of anarchic energy into the line-up. The contrasting sections of their songs always seem to be cleverly planned, like a great piece of artwork that only makes perfect sense when complete. Lots of busy, chattering synths and up-front electricity had everyone jumping about and nodding their heads, at times giving off a sort of 8-BIT feel proving that the ArcTanGent crowd will find a way to dance to anything.

 

Headliner:

 

Today’s headliners were Mono, a band that I must say I could be more familiar with. I am, however, aware of their immense popularity so I was ready to experience something pretty amazing. I was not disappointed. The extended song length was a perfect canvas for sonic exploration, and despite the tranquil and calm overtones, the music was clearly a vessel for something deep and terrifyingly emotional. Long crescendos and complex dynamics are paired with strings, piano, and woodwind to create thick textures and dramatic effect – resulting in a sound that is not far off an epic film sound track. A relaxing and ambient end to an excellent first day.

 

Thats me, being a massive dork, outside one of my favourite bits of ATG decor.

 

Friday

 

First Impressions:

 

Today is a little colder, and a touch of rain has crept in, but now it’s time to get the festival kicked off good and proper. The line-up… well, more on that later. For now let’s focus on the Boss truck that has come all the way from America. Offering freebies and advice throughout the festival, the truck was filled with playable instruments hooked up to some of Boss’ most innovative tech. This is an exciting prospect, and all morning before the scheduled bands hit the stages, there were short displays of pedal-flogging power from some of the artists taking place on the ‘stage’ of the truck.

 

The Boss Truck. Not the best photo ever but it was extremely crowded.

 

Band of the day:

 

No. I’m not going to do this and no one can make me. For the three years I have been frequenting and reviewing this glorious festival, I have never once deviated from the format, but this year calls for something drastic. There is no way on earth that one band can be singled out today, this was possibly the best line up I have ever seen at any festival, so I would like to give equal credit to the following bands for being bloody amazing: Arcane Roots, Agent Fresco, Animals as Leaders, Cleft, Toe, and Nordic Giants. Absolutely exceptional performances from all involved, and not a mistake among them. And obviously the headliner, who will be explored later…

Arcane Roots have a suitably dramatic sound, which parallels that of Agent Fresco. The two bands added in a touch of vocal beauty to the otherwise relatively heavy line up, and both were a joy to watch. Smaller audiences grew at the sound of their unique styles, and many will have found something new and exciting in these bands. Animals as Leaders delivered a brutal set of technical perfection, and despite their clash with Cleft, drew a sizeable crowd (with many running between the two). Cleft’s last ever show could have been tragic, but the sense of fun and anarchy that flows through the music trampled any atmosphere of sadness and loss. We will all be tremendously sad to see Cleft go, but they leave behind a musical legacy that can be said to have shaped countless bands in the math-rock scene, and brought joy to countless people, myself included. They played through all their most popular songs, leaving no stone unturned, and performing a medley at the end with the likes of The Ace of Spades fading into Rebel Rebel. A play-through of the ever-popular Trapdoor had the crowd singing the guitar parts, which is always pretty funny to watch. All the way from Japan, Toe gave a suitably moving set that was watched by an enormous crowd of loyal fans, and most of their fellow bands could be seen watching in amongst us as well. They distanced themselves from those watching by keeping a cool silent front, but played and played, even using an acoustic guitar for some songs. As for Nordic Giants, their incredibly dark and unsettling presence was truly theatrical in all the right ways. Screens showing their incredible Tim Burton-esque music videos lit up the stage while the masked and tattooed band members played with great passion to an enraptured crowd.

 

Farewell, Cleft... Sad times but a great performance. 

 

Notable others:

 

As if there wasn’t enough fawning going on in this review, let’s add a couple more notable acts to the list. Plini and Intervals both played well, with mainly the same members filling each band. Mr Plini himself is an incredibly talented man, someone who is a pleasure to watch and experience. The songs range from peppy and electric to dark and stormy, but the whole thing hung together extremely well. Considering Plini’s clash with Godspeed You! Black Emperor they drew a nicely sized crowd. Vasudeva were also very good and worth checking out if you haven’t already, sounding like a less complex and less bass-heavy Animals as Leaders. La Dispute really aren’t my thing, but they proved extremely popular, playing a set to a huge turnout.

 

As terribly handsome as he is, Mr Plini does not seem to stay still enough to be the subject of a good photograph.

 

Headliner:

 

Where do you even start with a band like Godspeed You! Black Emperor? Their sound was unsettling, beautiful, haunting, atmospheric, destructive and enlightening. A band like this defies description and sometimes even understanding. Before they came on, the space around the Arc was so packed that stalls were having to put away their chairs and billboards to make room for more people, as everyone jostled to get a view. The huge screen at the back of the stage was home to some beautiful ethereal patterns that mixed with the smoke and rain to create something abstractly moving. As the opening whirrs and groans of Mladic filled the stage, people were literally screaming. An elaborate light show ran alongside the band for their two hour set, and by the end of it people were swaying almost trance-like to a band who have truly made their mark across multiple genres. I think it’s fair to say that this year’s headliners are something a bit special, and those attending the festival were treated to some incredible performances.

 

I think I'm fully famous now. Here with the boys from Agent Fresco, and Envoys. Interviews to follow.

 

Saturday

 

First Impressions:

 

The weather is in danger of ruining the last day, everybody is walking around blue-lipped and noses dripping, and no one seems to be having much fun. But it’s early in the day so we shall see. Looking at the line-up, I’m sure today will take a turn for the better, and it really isn’t the festival organisers’ fault that December came early. Aside from that, the festival is looking spotless, though very muddy, and the toilets still have paper in them, so high scoring points from me. Some live spray paint art is taking place over in the second field so that’s something cool to watch from the shelter of my inside-out umbrella.

 

Band of the day:

 

Ok my first impression was changed today, I went from shivering and moaning about the state of things to suddenly gazing awe struck as the stage lights danced across the rain and the sound of And So I Watch You From Afar transported everyone to a place that was no longer dismal. Honestly this band just know exactly how to create any atmosphere they want, and the sheer beauty of their set was enough to turn the whole day around. As they said themselves, in a particularly moving speech, ArcTanGent is a place for all the weirdos to come together, no one has to explain what they’re into or why – everyone is accepted. And the band asserted that THIS was what makes ATG the most important gig of the year for them.

 

Gloomy skies over the festival, this was taken in the five minutes of the day that wasnt rainy.

 

Notable others:

 

Raketkanon were also solid, as per usual, with their aggressive techy music coming up quite early in the line-up, and Black Peaks provided a darker tone as the weather fluctuated and people risked it all to run from one tent to another, shouting “open this pit up” as if anyone needed any encouraging. Space Blood were on top form, with their unique blend of sketches and masked music, they succeeded in Malorting Boris Johnson at one point, which, whether or not you know what Malorting means, I’m sure we’d all like to do. Their sound was full of energy and left me thinking, why don’t more bands use confetti cannons? They were also joined on stage by Dan from Cleft to play I Can’t Stop Seeing Creed, which seemed to be just as exciting for the band as it was for the audience. Owen gave us all the feels with his brutal but soothing lyrical style, giving us all something to pre-cry over before American Football’s headliner slot. Another notable act was Enemies, who have such a summery sound it was hard not to feel joyful as they played, and these strong contenders for danciest math band really played with everything they had. There were some harmonies in the song Executive Cut that had some interesting intervals, singing in the root note in unison before adding the typical third (like every other singer), and then doing something a little bit interesting... After adding the third, the singer of the root note sang the major 7th just below the root note which created some beautiful colourful tension/dissonance which then resolved nicely. Such a pleasure to listen to, Enemies will always be one of the first bands I recommend when someone asks me about math-rock (which isn’t often). This was the last show for Envoys’ bassist as well, who gave a really grand final performance that anyone would be proud of. Their sound was a little different from the other bands playing, and sounded like a couple of blokes jamming out a few random ideas, but it worked for them so who am I to knock it. They sounded pretty great from start to finish – but I really have to stop adding bands now and talk about…

 

Headliner:

 

American Football! The unwitting starting band of a cult that would become emo and then lead on the emo revival we see today, they had arguably the best turn out of the whole festival. As far as bands with one 90s album go, this was pretty impressive, but it isn’t hard to see why American Football have endured. Not only were they the originators of the emo genre but they helped math-rock to flourish, and have been consistently cited as an influence by many. Here was a chance to see older generations coming together with younger generations – hugging strangers and having a good old ironic cry. The band managed to hurdle through most of their only album along with some select tracks off their EP, each one met with cheers and rapturous applause. Everyone floated together on a raft of teen angst, of both being misunderstood and yet so deeply understood in that moment. It was an incredible experience and something that moved me to my core – though that could have been the high emotions of being delirious with cold. Varied time signatures, chill chords, and melancholic yet melodic vocals define this band, and have gone on to shape the sound of many other bands playing at this festival. No doubt the sound of American Football will endure even further, as their first album in 17 years is due out on the 21st October. Wow.

 

Space Blood without masks... Space Blood with masks. And me and my photographer, we don't get masks.

 

Summary:

 

ArcTanGent 2016 was a very different kettle of fish from ATG 2015, -14, or -13, but then what else can we expect from one of the most forward thinking festivals in the country? ArcTanGent’s winning melting pot of post-rock, math-rock, instrumental-pop, tech-metal, and anything else with a hyphen, seems to work wonders – with stages being packed out day after day. The arrival of a more mainstream crowd this year means that the festival organisers may have to think of ways to expand, as this once small-time festival is already booking legendary bands and drawing huge numbers. The stalls were spot on, serving up a selection of food including all vegan, veggie, and gluten free options; the clothing stalls offered nice variety and seemed to encourage creativity and small businesses; the site was decorated with traditional artistic flair; and the bands all seemed to have just as much fan as those attending. There is nothing quite like ArcTanGent, and I am sure next year’s incarnation will bring more surprises and mind-bending music to the people of Bristol and beyond. 

 

For more photos click here. Also keep an eye out for our video interviews which will be coming up sometime soon. 

 

Reviewed for 365 Bristol by Miri Teixeira

Photos by Miri Teixeira and Rahul Chawla.

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