Thursday is cooking. It’s impossible to sleep off last night’s indulgence easily with the fierce sun rising early to punish the tent dwellers of Fernhill Farm. Only one solution, right? Damn right. Codespeaker are a band I know better than many. This marks the first time the 5-piece post-metal band have crossed the barrier and graced the stage at ArcTanGent, after so many years attending as enthusiastic patrons like so many others. I know how much this show means to them and you can feel the adrenaline in their performance. The occasion is not lost on them. It’s cathartic and earnest, but also hits with ferocious weight. The sludgier riffs are laced with fury and the atmospheric passages have purpose and emotion. The songs from 2024’s album Scavenger are a leap forward in structure and composition, showcasing the band’s unique take on a genre that can be accused of homogeny. The tent, while well populated to start, balloons throughout their set as festival-goers make sure not to miss them despite opening proceedings today. Codespeaker are a perfect ATG band in so many ways, one that is making deserved strides to play with the big boys. [LMC]
Hightailing it over to the Bixler stage I’m among many eager to catch The Grey this morning. Crowds are hit head-on with a wall of seething riffs from the Cambridge-based trio. Their take on largely instrumental post-metal has both heft and fury, and the band’s work ethic is apparent as they are both sonically and viscerally commanding in their performance. New record Kodok has been on heavy rotation this year and is a superbly structured slab of heavy music with immersive atmosphere and head-banging fuzz. The weekend’s second appearance of Will Haven singer Grady Avenell, this time for a rendition of the iconic “Carpe Diem”, is electric. He joins them for several tracks, and you can feel the energy spark as the vocals bring a cutting hardcore edge to the band’s razor-sharp sonic dissonance. Speaking to the band at length afterwards, their recent graft has been formative. The Grey have planted their flag and the next chapter is going to be immensely exciting. [LMC]
Lemondaze are a new one for me, and oh boy, was I hooked as soon as I heard the first song. Listening through their album Celestial Bodies is like being slowly airlifted up into space, while wrapped up in a brand-new duvet and having some kind of out-of-body experience. I was very excited to hear them live, rushed straight to the front and was happy to get a nice bannister to lean on and enjoy them while giving my legs some mild respite. They were an absolute delight, one of my most anticipated bands of the festival, and had a huge crowd turn out. They remarked it was the biggest crowd they’ve ever played and shared their thanks. They did not disappoint for one second. The pure floaty bliss followed up with head-snagging shoegazey riffs like that of their song “Art Form”… I couldn’t help but bounce along and was smiling the entire set. [ST]
Ni convey utter self-awareness and then throw it out the window in the space of seconds. An incredibly fun live watch, these French masters of mathy mayhem show a hilariously playful array of talent in multiple fields of math-rock, jazz, metal and noise. Their mastery of wild, off-the-rails complexity shines through enough to leave you completely, and consistently, awe-struck. It then does just that, and goes completely off the rails. The constant shift of “take us seriously, actually no, don’t” had everyone staring in disbelief at the spectacle they were witnessing. These guys were definitely a new favourite for me and their catalogue will be getting thoroughly rinsed when I’m home. [ST]
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I was feeling very peckish after that and opted to sit down on the grass and eat a load of chips from one of the stalls that kindly made half-and-half of Cajun chicken and haggis because I mentioned I was also eyeing it up and I thought I’d indulge. I then sat chugging water, listening to REZN absolutely burst the tent in front of me wide open with nothing but fuzz and riffs so thick and tasty that you’ll forget you even had breakfast. Hell, it was about time for elevenses anyway. Now I think about it, I blame them for my weird half-and-half food choice, most likely giving me vicarious munchies through their sound alone. REZN were a band I knew would be fantastic live from the moment I heard them, and they most certainly were. With pendulum-swinging sludgy guitar riffs and smoky infused tones, I knew they’d be up my alley. The Chicago-based quartet did not hold back in their full-on assault of everyone’s ears. I think if I’d have been inside the tent, I’d have left with my tinnitus in a far worse state — just the way it should be. Bravo boys! [ST]
It’s an interesting time for metal, the new blood having to establish themselves with raw power, intuition and skill. There aren’t many bands doing it quite like Vianova. Whether it’s their hilarious approach to promotion, or the genre-bending madness of their carefully crafted sound, these guys aren’t messing around. This was their first ever gig in the UK and it did not disappoint — but honestly, how could it? Like a two-stepping ballet dancer springing off the walls of a padded cell, Vianova don’t hold back, giving you an energetic, ricocheting spin-kick and spit in the face, breaking the boundaries of “where you think this is going.” This was only amplified, quite literally, seeing them live. These guys have been probably my favourite “what are you listening to at the moment?” band for the last few years, for pure unadulterated musical insanity. The most fun that I, and by the looks of the crowd, they had had all weekend. This was the most movement I had seen from any band so far and I was ecstatic to hear a load of my favourites live. Mid-set, they let loose with “Más Rápido” and “Uh Yaya”, two absolute bangers whose ridiculously heavy riffs and relentless grooves didn’t let up for a second, with the exception of some sexy shuffling during one of my new favourites, “Whatever Alright”, before it ripped into the most spectacularly serrated stabbing riff you’ll hear this year. They ended the set with newly released single “Obsolete”. I wasn’t aware of it being released and my best friend had texted me about 20 minutes before to ask if I’d heard it. I opted to wait and hear it live for the first time, which was the right choice. The perfect close to a phenomenal set, this bouncy ballad had everyone with their hands up, swaying back and forth and drawing my second-favourite show of the weekend to a close. When these guys come back to the UK to tour, do not miss them. They are only going to keep getting bigger and are a true force to be reckoned with. Vianova have not been breaking moulds, they have been setting them. [ST]
By the time Melvins came on, my legs were telling me to take a seat, which I think I might actually bring next year just to recharge on the go. I didn’t want to miss these guys. They showed up and instantly proved why they are such a resounding influence for a variety of genres, with elements of doom, punk and experimental rock. I left wishing I had the energy to stay for the whole show. The crowd was absolutely loving it, and with a huge turnout, once again showing the utter love and respect they’ve earned across the years. I only caught about a quarter of their set before grabbing some water and heading back to rest for a little bit. Unfortunately for me, that rest turned into one of those weird half-awake naps, which went on for longer than I had planned… [ST]
As I awoke from my half-nap I was met with panic. I saw the time and the notification that Leprous would be starting in fifteen minutes… five minutes ago. Despite all my physical and mental pain, I fled to catch the most captivating performance of the festival yet, and my god, it did not disappoint. There have been many calls for Leprous to headline next year, more so after this performance, and honestly, they played as if they were headlining anyway. There are few words that would really do it justice, but I couldn’t look away for a second. As much as the pyrotechnics were a deal-sealer for most of us there — because “big fire whoosh make monkey go wow,” and go wow we did — the sheer energy and precision given off by all of these guys was immense. My buddy Harrison, their keyboardist who I’d seen the night before, had hinted that they may be playing my favourite track “Like a Sunken Ship” from their new album. I still reacted with utter giddiness and joy when that unmistakable melody started. The set ended with a couple of other favourites, “From the Flame” being a highlight for all the old-school fans, as the crowd was so involved and loving every second of it. This was one of the best responses I had seen from a crowd the entire festival, and I expect it’ll only get better next year — when they headline… right? [ST]
Sungazer are a band whose YouTube exploits I had followed on occasion, both the documenting of their life on the road as well as bass player Adam Neely’s prominent musical education channel. The New York jazz-fusion quartet display chops that would be the envy of any musician at ArcTanGent this weekend, but all thoughts of chin-stroking swiftly disappear as their infectious energy and super-slick groove emanate from the tent at all angles. Drummer Shawn Crowder bends and folds the band through sonic space-time with outlandish dexterity. The rhythmic complexity never gets in the way of a good time however, as Sungazer get everybody busting a move for the duration of Thursday’s golden hour. They lean into the heavier parts they have. They can read the room. Everything they send out, they are getting back in multiples. People might not know they’re dancing in 11/8. But they are. And they’re loving it. [LMC]
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After a scorching summer’s day abundant with challenging and thought-provoking modern progressive music from across a vast spectrum, how do you want to close out your evening? In the background Godspeed You! Black Emperor are tinkering away, inching their way towards the first emotionally-crippling introspective crescendo of their hugely anticipated headline set. Yeah, nah mate. First I need some riffs. Aussie sextet Battlesnake hit the stage clad in white and gold robes with singer Sam Frank wielding his trademark dual-horned helmet. Part Monty Python theatrics, part Judas Priest riffs, the band tear into opener “I Am the Vomit” after a dramatic opening monologue read from a suitably dusty tome. The NWOBHM-tinged riffs land perfectly, the band are rampant on the stage and the element of fun only adds to the enjoyment of the music, which is perfectly constructed battle-hardened heavy rock of the highest calibre. The climax of the set ends with an AC/DC cover of “Let There Be Rock” (naturally), Frank stripping to his pants, and all 3 guitarists crowd-surfing in unison around the PX3 tent. Suitably well-oiled from the day’s antics, the crowd can’t get enough of the righteous chaos. For a festival that could be accused of being quite serious business at times, this was a magnificent evening’s aperitif. [LMC]
I opted to start my following show with Arab Strap to support my local Scottish guys. I caught the first half of them while enjoying some lovely mac ’n’ cheese, their catchy entrancing beats accompanied by the hypnotic and clean-cut Scottish-accented vocals making it very hard to walk away. Yet I had to go and check out Sungazer. I’d been a big fan for a while, and unsurprisingly the tent was packed with a lot of folk who had the same idea. I found myself pulled to go back to Arab Strap, but was enjoying them well enough to hang around for the end of their set and see some wildly jazzy silliness. [ST]
Godspeed You! Black Emperor are absolute titans of the scene and create such a massive atmosphere. They’ve been a special band to me for a good few years and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss them this year. I wanted to see them and honour the memory of one of my best and closest friends who sadly passed away last year. He was responsible for a lot of the most wild, experimental and out-of-the-box music I’ve ever heard across the years, the kind that would even have your regular ArcTanGent goer going “what the hell is that?”. He was the person who introduced me to Godspeed, and I have many fond memories with him and them surrounding it, so this was also a special one for me. Their performances are always ones you can’t “just see a bit of.” You’ve got to really sit in it and experience it in its entirety. That’s exactly what I did, and I loved every second. Godspeed brought an energy all of their own to the main stage. At this point, my back was in real pain, yet I couldn’t draw myself away. My body was screaming “bed” and whatever part of me remained at this point persuaded me to stay for the whole show. It was also a pleasantly relaxing gig and end to the Thursday. I did hear phenomenal things about Battlesnake afterwards, such as their outrageously fun outfits and the fact that by the end of it they were all crowd-surfing and yet hitting every note bang on. It sounded like an absolute whale of a time and honestly like something I’d usually 100% be down for. It was undoubtedly a great night for all who hadn’t blown themselves to smithereens on the Wednesday night. Would I have been able to perform some kind of frail, limp and shuffling attempt at dancing if I’d gone to check out Battlesnake? Perhaps… though very unlikely, so I had absolutely no regrets that I stayed and enjoyed a beautiful, audible cinematic experience that I will never forget and that I know my friend Oscar would have loved. [ST]
Words by Linz Conway [LMC] and Sam Taylor [ST]
Header image by Derek Bremner
