FESTIVAL REVIEW: ArcTanGent 2019 – Friday

Time for round two of the ArcTanGent Festival coverage. After a busy Thursday, we were pretty meek when it came to going back on site thanks to the biblical downpour that drowned out a lot of weekend campers. We made it on time to catch another string of epic bands, back to back, ending with a wonderful headline performance from a band you might never have even heard of, so read on for our full review!

THE OCEAN – Arc Stage

Coming on 20 minutes late is a real kick in the teeth for any fans of THE OCEAN considering how precious little they are over on our shores. With this said, the band are still tight and epic sounding, even if their slow-paced set takes some time to recover from the very late start. It’s the vocals that keep things on track here, with impassioned screams and emotive crooning lacing itself atop the surprisingly prog music from their set, taking the time to show of their more ethereal sounds as opposed to bring out the big guns. It’s clear THE OCEAN wanted to create a more expansive set as opposed to their usual heavy tirade, but the mark has been far from hit today. There is still a lot to be liked thanks to the varied sounds THE OCEAN possess, but even with a great live sound the band just aren’t able to make up for the lost time.

Rating: 6/10

SLEEP TOKEN – Bixler Stage

Currently lauded as one of the best new musical groups, SLEEP TOKEN have done a fantastic job at making their performances feel like actual occasions. Still lacking a full release but drip feeding their fans tracks, the band refuse to play on a regular schedule and as such have created an amazing sense of occasion for whenever they grace the stage. This set is no different, and despite playing almost exclusively freshly released material, SLEEP TOKEN are able to establish an incredible connection with the ArcTanGent audience. Despite all being masked, every band member is emotive and distinct, as they dance around the stage to their delicately fused pop before crushing the audience with frightful eight string grooves. Emotion is at the heart of this performance, and as the closing song elicits actual tears from elusive frontman Vessel, there is a sense that an entirely anonymous band is more human than any other act on the line up. We know it’s probably becoming cliche now, but worship SLEEP TOKEN, because they deserve all of it.

Rating: 9/10

PALM READER – PX3 Stage

It’s surprising when PALM READER reveal that this is in fact their first time at ArcTanGent. The band seem tailor made for a festival like this, as their rapid machine gun fire post hardcore sound kicks up a bit of a fuss in the first few rows of the crowd. The band refuse to let anything hold them back, as they kick into fresh cuts from Braille and work them alongside the fierier cuts from their second album. The set feels well-paced, and the band offer ample pit fodder for those who are still keen to get aggy in the mud, but even if the songs keep the energy up there still feels to be dips in momentum in-between songs. What is definitely felt at the end of PALM READER‘s set is that they need to be back, and given a tad more time in order to really sink their teeth into the festival.

Rating: 7/10

BLACK PEAKS w/ Jamie Lenman – Yohkai Stage

Easily one of the leading reasons for the Friday being such a hot line up, this special performance is tinted with bittersweet reasoning yet still hits an absolute home run. Stepping in for Will Gardner, Jamie Lenman makes BLACK PEAKS his home for another night and it works out better than anyone could’ve thought. This was always going to be good, but Jamie‘s vocals are perfectly suited to the DEFTONES-y, heavy BLACK PEAKS sound and it gives this set a real sense of exclusivity. Having some Jamie Lenman originals breaks up the affair, but it goes without saying that these tunes are additional treats alongside the PEAKS main course. The stage energy is different, and this is where Will is sorely missed, as his command of the audience is part of the reason BLACK PEAKS are as big as they currently are. There is a distinct feeling that BLACK PEAKS should have waited for Will to return to form, but this is a proactive way to prolong the hype of All That Divides whilst giving the crowd something new as well. The closing Aether is a wonderful moment, and this is definitely one of the coolest things to happen at ArcTanGent.

Rating: 8/10

RUSSIAN CIRCLES – Arc Stage

Instrumental bands are par for the course at ArcTanGent, and amongst the best are RUSSIAN CIRCLES. Their clear doom and stoner influence comes through in not only the thick chugs and grooves but also in their guitar and bass tone, which sound crunchy as you like. With an explosive intro, the band almost immediately hit technical difficulties that grind the set to a halt after barely five minutes of play time. Rather than linger, when the band are up and running, the set is kicked into a higher gear immediately and any lost momentum is earned back on a few songs. When the threat of another difficulty arises, the band don’t let it stop them, as they jam out and prolong segments to allow for the issues to be solved. In the face of a mid-set bump that would derail most, RUSSIAN CIRCLES deal with it and then refuse to let anything else stop their set. The professionalism is wonderful, and the result is a set that triumphs more than it flops. The annoying thing is that RUSSIAN CIRCLES could well have laid claim to the whole weekend if they had a full hour unabated by technical bollocks.

Rating: 7/10

FRONTIERER – Bixler Stage

The technical issues follow on from RUSSIAN CIRCLES, and this time claw their way into a band that really can’t afford to have them. FRONTIERER have a sound chaotic enough, let alone when there are areas of the sound maimed by tech issues. Coming on a bit late means the band have blood in their eyes, and they are out for it as well. There is a THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN-esque feel to their stage antics, and the strobe lighting enhances the frankly mental levels of energy that the band throw into the crowd. The guitars are non-existent in the mix for the majority of the FRONTIERER set, rendering their assault to just drums, bass, and vocals for the majority of their time on stage. Whilst not a killer, it does mean that every swerve and every musical explosion hits with such a lacklustre force compared to what is expected that a lot of this set goes by without impacting nearly as much as it should. Eventually, by the final moments, the sound comes through, but there is only so much carnage one can watch on stage before the need for some better audio kicks in, especially with a set an hour long. This one is genuinely annoying, because the heights FRONTIERER could’ve reached are utterly missed due to shit sound, and the set suffers because if it.

Rating: 6/10

BRUTUS – PX3 Stage

Closing a stage is no easy task especially for bands as young as BRUTUS. Luckily the band are fully up to task, and come out with beaming smiles ready to convert an entire PX3 Stage to life-long fans. The trio sound uplifting, and the delicate yet strong-as-steel drum work provided the best bedrock for the hefty bass lines and melodic lead guitar to work their magic upon. The vocals are full of echo and reverb and it creates an incredible effect of making BRUTUS sound even bigger than they already do. Their set dips at the midpoint, with a vocal led piece giving a nice moment for the audience to catch their breath at the sacrifice of pacing, but this never truly harms the overall impact of the set. ArcTanGent is incredible at offering newer bands cut their teeth on longer sets, and to top bills they normally would never be near, and BRUTUS are such an incredible example of why this has to happen. There is a real, overwhelming sense of potential in BRUTUS, and the only way really is up for this Belgium trio.

Rating: 8/10

And that rounds off our coverage of day two of this year’s ArcTanGent! Keep posted to Distorted Sound as we bring you our final day of coverage soon!