Once again I find myself at the end of another festival season. I just didn't have enough proverbial fuel left in the tank for Bestival, so it's here that I 'call it a day' for the year. It's been a busy summer and I've seen a ridiculous amount of good music, met a plethora of amazing people and drank an inordinate amount of good beer. Fast becoming my end-of-festival-party-till-I-drop event is ArcTanGent Festival (ATG), where the weird, the wonderful and the mildly abstruse gather just outside of Bristol for the biggest math-prog-instrumental ho down this side of the Atlantic.

I had not one, but two jobs to do this year. My Thursday was occupied filming/recording the Yokhai stage with Small Pond Recordings, which meant an unaccustomed 5:30am wake up call to gather bodies and gear for the task at hand. It also unfortunately meant my drinking would have to wait until later, but upon realising my front-of-house position was perhaps the best viewing spot in the crowded tent my annoyance quickly diminished. 

The stage played host to a number of excellent bands, with a tight set of new material from The Physics House Band being a day time highlight, along with Baby Godzilla bringing their usual chaotic antics to a new level shortly after. However it was And So I Watch You From Afar who stole the show that night, and as I precariously danced around sound desks to songs I fell in love with years ago I experienced the strangest occurrence; a large crowd of people singing along to a song with no words. Truly magical, and not the last time it would happen over the weekend.

Cleft

Friday. Time to get serious. It was a busy day ahead after all, and it looked like it was going to be a muddy affair. A lap of the site revealed all the familiarities of the previous year, along with a few additions. Moving the PX3 stage in closer with their bigger brothers was a great idea, as it felt rather out of the way last time around. 

Too many great bands and not enough words leaves me with little choice to be briefer than I would like here. Irish boys Enemies definitely caught (and held) my attention with their playful instrumental melodies and shouty choral hooks, whilst Cleft absolutely tore the Bixler tent a new 'entrance'. Finishing with a Rage Against the Machine inspired medley with a supporting cast from Alpha Male Tea Party, (who were also great in the early morning), you'll rarely hear a two piece make as much racket as them.

Enemies

This Will Destroy You was a welcome addition having longed to see them live for years, they gently seeped into my ear canals and soothed my brain from the inside out. 

This Will Destroy You

Stepping up their game this year ATG organisers managed to bring in the Sergant House big guns of Russian Circles, of whom I have managed to catch on their European dates many times in previous years. As the rain flew sideways into The Arc, burning my face with its cold sharpness, their end-of-world anthem 'Death Rides a Horse' battered down with it. A fitting end to one of the best full-on days of music I've experienced in a long time.

Russian Circles

It had been a wet evening, and my spirits were slightly dampened (pardon the pun), most likely also due, in part, to the copious amount of gin I had consumed. It was Luo who brought me back to life however, with their groove laden live electronic musings kicking off the day in the right direction.

Luo

The Alarmist closely followed, and upon second viewing I'm certain that I should give up being a musician entirely, chop off my hands and be done with it. Playing guitar licks with one and keys with the other they really are a technical force to be reckoned with, and proof that there is some bloody good music coming out from Ireland at the moment.

The Alarmist

My first trip to the smallest stage of the festival were for Bear Makes Ninja. Reminding me of old Biffy Clyro cross-bred with Colour, three part harmonies and big riffs were aplenty, making the stage appear twice as big as it was. A chance to see the Japanese wizardry of LITE is one not be missed, and they seriously did work some magic on stage. The sound was flawless, the riffs were unstoppable and I wanted them to keep on playing for the rest of the night, and I'm certain everyone else did too. 

Luckily the headphone disco was ready to see out the rest of the festival in its usual nostalgic manor, finding a large group of uber men singing (dance moves included) along to Spice Girls 'If You Wanna Be My Lover' a particularly amusing part of the experience.

Bear Makes Ninja

The camaraderie present here is truly something unique to ATG . In an age where X Factor drones run rampant, Nicky Manaj is a thing and God lets Justin Bieber live it brings hope to be here jumping around in a field to music like this. Music that I genuinely believe means something. A meeting point, a congregation if you will for the abstract. I supposed it's time to get back to reality again...until next year...

Review by Liam McMillan Photos: Chris Poots (Except top photo)