A festival that refuses to compromise when it comes to booking some of the best talent in the left-field scene, this year’s ArcTanGent is once again hosting some of the finest names in all things math, post, noise and generally ‘out there’. But whilst every edition of this festival has been memorable in its own ways, this year is looking to be uniquely special. ArcTanGent 2026 will be the final time the festival is hosted at its picturesque home of Fernhill Farm before moving to a new location next year. Bittersweet indeed; it remains to be seen if this year’s festival will be the best one to date, but it’s more than likely to be the most sentimental edition so far.
Thankfully, the team have booked an incredible lineup to soundtrack the farewell to Fernhill party that is going to be ArcTanGent 2026. Much like every year, the lineup is utterly stacked. But of course we don’t need to tell you to catch Mariner being played in full in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Nor do we need to tell you to watch Primus, Chelsea Wolfe, Svalbard or our frequently covered favourites such as Din of Celestial Birds, Sans Froid or Conjurer. 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 are our top picks for the artists you would be utterly foolish to miss this year. Words by Dan Hillier, Rowan Bruce and Adam Vallely.
Bucket
From the Emerald Isle comes something unnerving. Sounding like an uncanny fusion of Portrayal of Guilt and Model/Actriz, Dublin’s Bucket fuse ear-scraping noise rock and suave dance rhythms into a maniacal sound that’s equal parts panic attack and equal parts party. But what makes this band just so striking is their intensity. Directly inspired by mental illness, Bucket’s music feels like thoughts warped by depression, bipolar disorder, and OCD made audible and presented with enough intensity to scour this world clean. If Model/Actriz is rock music for fashion runways, Bucket is runway music for the apocalypse. – DH
FFO: YARD, Model/Actriz, Portrayal of Guilt
Göstra Berlings Saga
While there are a few acts that could fight for the title of ‘Most ArcTanGent Band Of All Time’, Swedish instrumental prog collective Göstra Berlings Saga are clawing their way to the top spot. After a quarter-century of work, Göstra Berlings Saga make their ATG debut following last year’s Pelagic-released seventh album Forever Now, an eccentric exploration of dark, prog sounds that both embraces the history of the genre and shuns its overdone clichés. Although fans of big vintage names such as King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer are sure to be attracted to the intertwining instrumentals, modern listeners will engage with the band’s dark, direct approach to progressive rock sounds. – RB
FFO: King Crimson, Giant Walker, Goblin
Floating
No other band in the world sounds like Floating. The only way to recreate their sound at home would be to blast The Cure in one ear and At The Gates in the other, embracing the dissonance between the former’s swirling post-punk guitars and diving bass and the latter’s blast beats and growling vocals. The Swedish duo’s sophomore album Hesitating Lights created plenty of buzz in the heavy underground when it was released last year, and their UK debut at this year’s ArcTanGent festival is bound to receive plenty of attention from all corners of the niche metal world. – Rowan Bruce
FFO: Blood Incantation and Joy Division at the same time
Hang Linton
If you’re an ArcTanGent obsessive, you’ll likely be immersed in all the intense, obscure delights the festival has to offer. If, however, you’re craving something a touch more listenable three days into a bombardment of post-metal and pints, then Leeds-based genre-bending artist Hang Linton may be just what you need. Bringing a uniquely punk attitude to his experimental funk, neo-psychedelia and art-rock sounds, Hang Linton may be seen as too extreme and strange in normal society but is sure to be welcomed as a refreshing new voice at the UK’s home for eccentric outsiders. Despite clashing with the return of the mighty Oathbreaker, Hang Linton is guaranteed to make plenty of new fans at ATG. – Rowan Bruce
FFO: Lawi Anywar, Alien Chicks, Bloc Party
Worn Out
Despite hosting one or two acts in the past, ArcTanGent obviously isn’t the place to go if you want to see hardcore. You would be better off going to Burn It Down, Outbreak or Northern Unrest for all of that. But if there’s one band that can easily play all of the events aforementioned, it’s Ireland’s Worn Out. Peddling a kind of chaotic hardcore that’s more frantic than James Hetfield circa 2003, the band have swiftly become one of Ireland’s finest hardcore exports thanks to their agitated mathcore leanings and bludgeoning live presence. It’s little surprise the band have recently shared stages with the likes of Knocked Loose, LLNN and Heriot, and from such shows, their Friday morning set is going to be the most violent hangover cure possible. – Dan Hillier
FFO: Knocked Loose, Pupil Slicer, How Long You Been Driving
Ronker
In a scene full of ‘noise bands’, ‘post-punk’ and adjacent genres, it can be very easy to sound like the last hot slice of pie. Ronker, however, breaks that mould, as if some musical magic dust has been added to the waters in Belgium, a land of many great inventive bands past and present (see Raketkanon or Brutus for reference). Releasing their second full-length, Respect The Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever way back in January, they set the bar high for Album of the Year contenders with gritty delivery and, at times, tongue-in-cheek lyrics with a serious undertone. Walls of noise and intensity across the board will leave eardrums shredded. After a rabble-rousing show in London recently, they set the tone for a set that will leave every ounce of themselves on stage. – Adam Vallely
FFO: EYES, Raketkanon, Doodseskader
HECK
All good things must come to an end, right? Well, we said this once before back in 2017 when HECK played “their final ever show” in a packed-out PX3 tent. But this time, for realsies, the highly intense quartet will bring their unique brand of chaos to what will surely be another crammed tent full of well-wishers for one last time. Will there be tears? Yes. Will there be broken bones and bloodied noses? Probably. Expect the unexpected and more. All that can be said is when they played London’s Underworld and ATG’s sister festival, 2000 Trees, a few years back, drummer Tom ended up across the crowd, far from his kit. This is an essential set to be in attendance for.
FFO: Total bedlam, crying
Believe In Nothing
If you’ve been to ArcTanGent at least once, you’ll know full well that this festival isn’t afraid to host deeply oppressive acts. Believe In Nothing are something else entirely. Sounding akin to the negative traits of mankind pressurised into an audible form that’s more slurry than sound, the Eastbourne noise merchants are essentially the physical manifestation of the dread, futility and violence that’s inherent to the human condition. Their suitably titled 2025 debut LP, Rot, was a great example of such things, but it’s live where the true Believe In Nothing experience awaits. Each set from this band feels like a shared experience, one where the band makes watchers stage props in what can only be described as an exercise in enlivening the decay of the modern world. If you want to experience the most unconformable 40 minutes of your life, you would be daft to miss this. – Dan Hillier
FFO: Full Of Hell, Chat Pile, The Body
Sleemo
Norwich trio Sleemo are thankfully back. After a brief break and releasing the EP The End at the end of 2025, they have returned with a renewed sense of purpose and vigour. Working away on new material, hopefully some of which will be premiered at ArcTanGent, they will use the opening slot on Thursday (a slot which premieres some of the loudest and most exciting talent in the scene year in year out) to catapult themselves back into life. If you like sludgey metal crossed with post-hardcore and a mix of clean and harsh vocals, these guys will not disappoint you. – Adam Vallely
FFO: Cave In, Palm Reader, Reuben
The Intersphere
Although the name may sound extremely ArcTanGent, evoking oddballs like The Omnific and/or The Hirsch Effekt, German quartet The Intersphere are one of this year’s more accessible acts. Pulling from acts like Coheed and Cambria, Thrice and Hail The Sun, The Intersphere fit in at ATG with intricate prog textures but are sure to attract plenty of newcomers and those looking for some eclectic sounds without the brutality with their huge sing-along choruses. With almost two decades under their belt and a pair of catchy new singles out, The Intersphere could be the perfect mid-afternoon palette cleanser before Heck and Napalm Death. – Rowan Bruce
FFO: Thrice, Circa Survive, the poppy side of The Mars Volta
ArcTanGent Festival 2026 takes place at Fernhill Farm, Bristol, August 19th – 22nd. Weekend tickets have long sold out, but find the final day tickets here.