the first ArcTanGent is well organised, well thought out & brilliantly programmed

ArcTanGent Festival 2013

Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st August 2013
Fernhill Farm, Cheddar Road, Compton Martin, Somerset, BS40 6LD, England MAP
£59 for a weekend ticket

Daily capacity: 5,000

A brand new festival for 2013 by the creators of 2000 Trees, ArcTanGent specialises in punk, prog rock, hardcore techno music. A small well organised festival with a 5000 ticket capacity, set in the Mendip hills just above Cheddar Gorge. Gates opened on the Thursday with music kicking off at 4pm and finished Saturday night, with a final clear up and kick out on Sunday morning. Although their music license meant a cut off at 11pm each night, they managed to pack 72 bands in on 4 stages over the weekend, so plenty to keep you entertained.

Arriving late on Friday night (9.30pm) there were no entrance signs, gate numbers or stewards and we drove straight past the event only realising that it was there because of the lights across the fields.

Camping was in the main arenas, so you could pick which stage you wanted to camp by, and spread over three fields there was plenty of space. Facilities were adequate and well maintained but if attendance is higher next year more toilet blocks would be a must. The site was kept tidy and pretty much rubbish free with plenty of recycling points and regular collection.

There was a small trading lane with mainly food and drink vendors, one or two garment stalls and a shisha lounge. The one and only real coffee vendor had an hour long cue pretty much all day every day, I'm surprised they still managed a smile on Sunday morning, well done guys. There was just enough to provide for your needs over the weekend, but the emphasis was very much on the music. Any stall owners out there looking for some good festivals for next year give this one a go, especially if you sell real coffee, I'm sure they'd be happy to have the competition.

Over the three field site there were four stages, the Arc or main stage, Yokhai, Bixler and PX3. Sound was well engineered on the three main stages, whilst PX3 had more of a techno studio set up with some innovative techno sound creations happening all weekend. One of which was Giant Swan, using guitar, bass and vocal triggers for their synthesised sound loops they produced a soothing hypnotic music which carried you away in the sunshine.

Delta Sleep opened Friday night on the Arc, with tight well held syncopated beats and melodic well constructed songs, with a few verbal Jack Blackisms thrown in for good humour. A good mix well worth checking out if you haven't already. It's not often that you get to hear something really new musically, but Islet on Saturday afternoon were as unique as it gets these days. They not only played the usually array of instruments but also the railings, the floor, the stands and anything else they could get a good sound out of. Very entertaining. Playing their last festival of the session And So I Watch You From Afar, from Belfast, gave us a fantastic instrumental rock set. Headlining on Saturday night were the Fuck Buttons, with head pounding techno wizardry and funky a visual display.

Best song title, "If the only way is Essex you can kill me now" and best festival quote, "I don't like mosh pits but I won't piss on your chips" goes to The St. Pierre Snake Invasion, throwing out some excellent punk rock on Yokhai. Followed by Among Brothers who were somewhat tame in comparison and may be a little out of place at this festival, but a very good band none the less. Yokhai closed Saturday night with Bo Ningen a crazy heavy metal band from Japan. Lots of hair and lots of noise, something somewhere between the last Samurai and Cowboy Beebop.

The Bixler delivered screamo rock in the form of Castrovalva, who's lead singer had a very good voice and interesting vocal techniques. Not really my cup of tea, but a very talented band none the less. The Nordic Giants, later in the afternoon, where excellent. Beautiful vocals and atmospheric instrumentals played to a back drop of Manga crossed with Gilliam style animation and a silent thriller short film. Turbowolf went down a treat as the last act offered up on Bixler.

All in all this was a great festival, well organised, well thought out and brilliantly programmed. No big names as such, certainly none that I had heard of, but all excellent musicians and quite an eclectic mix for a genre specific festival. I hope ArcTanGent sees a successful future as it certainly had a successful start. Check this one out in 2014. Good luck guys.

review by: Louisa Shorney

photos by: Federica Pacifico