ArcTanGent Festival 2022: The 10 Unmissable Acts

After three whole years it's time; ArcTanGent Festival is finally back.

Arguably the premier festival for all things math, post, noise and generally experimental rock, ArcTanGent Festival is back with it’s biggest lineup to date. Headlined by Cult Of Luna, Tesseract and Opeth, the weekend is set to host some of the most prestigious names in the global scene, with the acts from all four corners from the globe descending upon Bristol for the weekend. But of course, we don’t need to persuade you that you need to see the headliners, or the likes of Maybeshewill, Zeal & Ardor, The Armed, Amenra, Caspain or Bossk. Nor do we need to tell you catch our favourites in Ithaca, Sugar Horse, Heriot, The St Pierre Snake Invasion or MØL. But beneath the headliners and gargantuan names lies some of the best and most dynamic emerging talent to be found within the experimental rock scene. With that in mind, here’s 10 bands you may not have heard of that are crucial viewing at this years ArcTanGent.

FES

Previously going under the moniker of Flat Earth Society before acronyming their name after being contacted by one too many conspiracy theorists – yes, really – FES follow in the footsteps of acts such as Orchards, Tricot, Fish Tank and Signals to deliver sweet math-pop in it’s most uncompromised form. Whilst their brilliant LP debut With Regards From Home proved their sugar-infused dynamism, their live show is where this all becomes paramount, with recent appearances with the likes of Standards, Last Hyena and Delta Sleep being masterclasses in the genre that resonate a sense of infectious energy. Look, they’ve also been endorsed by Paramore’s own Hayley Williams, and if they’re good enough for her they’re definitely good enough for you.

Skin Failure

Named after the very real and very fatal disease that causes total discombobulation, Skin Failure is the latest project formed of members of Memory Of Elephants and Black Peaks. As their name subtly implies, the band’s game is gnarled thrash in it’s most flesh-tearing form, harkening back to the classics of the genre whilst still brining a sense of progression to the table. They’ve only released one track thus far and have only played one set to date – a secret set with Benzo Queen no less – but make sure to get yourself down to the Bixler stage nice and early Thursday to hear the pipes of Will Gardner once again.

Bruit ≤

Don’t bother attempting to find Bruit ≤ on streaming services; you won’t find them. Born from a disdain of the modern music industry, the French post-rock collective hold their sociopolitical ideals and creative and ideological integrity above all else, producing work that is not intended to be a disposable commodity or restricted by industry regulations. This may sound a touch pretentious given the history of bands stating similar mission statements, but what separates Bruit ≤ from their peers is how their ardent ethos is palpable within their inspired work. The band subvert the conventions of post-rock to create art that’s cinematic, impossibly expansive and strikingly emotive. From modern classical to ambient electronica, Bruit ≤ borrow elements from a spectrum of sounds to weave a rich tapestry of sound that counteracts the notion that post-rock is a genre lacking in innovation. Simply, if you have even the slightest penchant for post-rock in it’s most immersive and boundless form, this isn’t a set to miss.

El Moono

Listen, we adore El Moono. So does ArcTanGent head honcho James Scarlett. We’re even willing to bet that if you don’t love them too it’s likely because you’re still yet to experience them. Thankfully if that is the case you can rectify that by popping down to the Bixler stage on Friday. Offering up riffs galore, the group take off-kilter rhythms of Phoxjaw and fuse them with the dirge of Sugar Horse prior to delivering with the final output with both the snarl and swagger of Deftones. But still, to even try and pinpoint their sound and make such comparisons feels redundant. El Moono have a total and welcome disregard for genre conformity, with motifs of post-metal, doom, hardcore and even noise jettisoning from their sound. In full transparency, the only way to get an understanding of their take on progressive metal is to see them for yourself and fall in love like the rest of us.

Dead Bird

They’ve only performed one set to date, but there’s a clear reason why the Brighton post-screamo quartet Dead Bird are already a topical point in the national scene. Stating that their namesake symbolises the transition between pain and respite, Dead Bird create work optimised for those moments of struggle and strife, periods where pain dictate one’s path. Of course, this isn’t what one would call pleasant listening. However, the band’s work is truly human to a near harrowing degree, with the tracks composing their recently released record In The Absence Of  being aching lamentations delivered with metallic intensity and tear-streaked sincerity. Dead Bird are intimate to the point of being deeply uncomfortable, and it goes without saying that their set on the PX3 Stage Saturday is going to be a group exercise in musical therapy.

Lightining Sharks

With a festival boasting a lineup of this calibre you’re going to need an act most impactful to open it. Thankfully Lightining  Sharks are more than capable of doing the honours. True to their namesake, Lightening Sharks deal in the kind of unhinged noisecore that’s optimised for tearing you’re head clean off, with recent shows with the likes of Ithaca, Traps and even Party Canon being electrifying full frontal affairs. Make sure to get down early Wednesday, throw your tent up and head down to the Elephant In The Bar Room Stage for 2pm to catch who can only be suitably described as the Bristolian Botch.

God Alone

Even amidst a lineup full of acts specialising in frantic musical experimentation God Alone stand out. Originally beginning life as a kitschy post-black-metal project prior to releasing an EP during lockdown that could only be described as avant-garde jazz mixed with the Minecraft OST, the Irish group don’t ignore genre conventions as much as they dissect and genetically hybridise them. It’s their current work that see’s the band at their most inspired and delirious though, with the singles taken from their forthcoming debut full length ETC seeing the band fly through the likes of math rock, noise rock, post metal and the kind of outsider dance popularised by acts such as Battles and Fuck Buttons on their way to their nondescript final destination. They’re weird, eccentric and quite frankly not to be missed.

We Never Learned To Live

We Never Learned To Live are a band that we would fully and wholeheartedly recommend catching at any point, but their appearance at ArcTanGent 2022 is not to be missed for one simple reason – it’s their final show. After one decade and two spellbinding records the transcendental post-hardcore band are set to perform for one final time this weekend, with ArcTanGent being the last time one will be able to witness the band’s dynamic fusion of sci-fi narration and fraught human emotion. They may be partially clashing with Cult Of Luna, but to miss the final farewell from one of the nation’s best and most criminally undervalued acts would be obscene.

Lakes

ArcTanGent 2022 is filled with acts specialising in ardent intensity in all it’s various forms. For those wishing for a brief respite or quick change of pace come Thursday afternoon Lakes are a must-see proposition. Marring third wave mathy-emo with midwestern charm and UK DIY lilt, Lakes offer up are charming melodies, twinkling catharsis and haplessly soothing ambience in abundance, with their debut LP Start Again being a first-class exercise in dynamic and well considered indie-pop. To say this set is poised to be a lovely time would be a frank understatement; Lakes’ set is going to a loving, soothing and inclusive affair welcome to all.

Straight Girl

A self-confessed rave grave succubus, Straight Girl may be a more dance orientated affair but they still retain all the intensity of their lineup contemporaries. Specialising in discordant synths and overwhelming beats, Straight Girl practice in experiential dance most feral and ferocious, with their live sets being total onslaughts optimised for sensory overload. Their set on the Elephant stage isn’t going to be any different, and whist they may be clashing with one of the most intense acts of the weekend, don’t be too surprised if you see Straight Girl piloting a rampaging conga line straight into Bixler before commandeering Rivers Of Nihil’s set.