The Moshville Times - ArcTanGent 2026 reveals huge headliners including Primus, Chelsea Wolfe and a special Cult of Luna set

The organisers of the award-winning ArcTanGent Festival have officially unveiled the main stage headliners for the 2026 edition of the event. Returning to its home near Bristol from the 19th to the 22nd of August 2026, the festival has secured a trio of headline acts that includes major UK exclusives and long-awaited debuts.

Leading the announcement is the news that experimental rock legends Primus will headline the main stage on Friday. This performance will mark the band’s first-ever appearance at ArcTanGent and their first show in the UK since 2017. Given the band’s vast and eccentric back catalogue, it is anticipated to be a highlight in the festival’s history.

Thursday night will see Chelsea Wolfe finally take to the main stage. The American singer-songwriter was originally booked to headline the festival in 2020, a set that was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the success of her recent album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, her rescheduled appearance is set to be a powerful redemption arc for fans who have waited years for this moment.

The final main stage headliner for Saturday is a massive coup for the festival: Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas. In a UK exclusive performance for 2026, they will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of their collaborative masterpiece, Mariner, by playing the album in full.

Discussing the reunion, Johannes of Cult of Luna said: “In 2016, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Somewhere Along the Highway. At the time, it already felt like a lifetime had passed since we recorded it. That same year, we released Mariner with Julie Christmas and somehow, ten more years have gone by in what feels like an instant. Julie is now a dear friend, and we’re grateful to ArcTanGent Festival for giving us the opportunity to return to this material together.”

Julie Christmas added: “This will be an experience, not a performance. Blood, sweat, and tears… light, love, and sound so loud I might shatter. Cult of Luna changed the way I think about making music forever. The ArcTanGent Festival is run by some of the most hardworking, brave and passionate people I’ve met. I’m terrified; I feel the electricity already.”

Beyond the headliners, the festival has announced a wealth of talent to flesh out the weekend. Wednesday’s festivities will be headlined by UK tech-metal pioneers Sikth. Joining the roster across the weekend are grindcore icons Napalm Death, Oakland’s High On Fire, and British post-metallers Conjurer. Additionally, cellist and composer Jo Quail will perform a UK exclusive set with the Crossbones Ensemble.

Festival organiser James Scarlett expressed his pride in the line-up: “The stars really have aligned for this set of ArcTanGent headliners – and it’s safe to say all three have been firmly at the top of our wish lists for a very, very long time. Primus at ArcTanGent is well overdue, Chelsea Wolfe can finally make that headliner appearance following the booking, announcement and then cancellation from back in 2020 due to Covid, and Mariner by Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas is 100% one of the greatest albums of all time. To have them all headline ATG in the same year is literally unbelievable.”

These new additions join a line-up that already boasts names such as Igorrr, Perturbator, Chat Pile, Alcest, and Oathbreaker.

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ArcTanGent 2026 Line-up so far (new additions in bold):