LIVE: Arctangent 2025
Arctangent 2025 – Highs, Lows and Surprises
Bristol, UK
August 13-16th 2025
Live Review by Oli Gonzalez
Another year, another trip down to the beautiful Bristol countryside for an annual celebration of the alternative weird and wonderful side of music. With some of my clothes still drying from Bloodstock Open Air and my ears still ringing, it was an early start on the Wednesday morning as we wrestled with the traffic on the M6 and through Birmingham at rush hour (good planning, that!). But I knew the trek was going to be worth it, given last year’s mammoth 10 year celebration that featured the likes of Meshuggah, Amenra, Explosions In The Sky, and Animals As Leaders!
How would this year compare? Here’s my account of events: the highs, lows, and surprises of Arctangent 2025!
Highs
I had missed the band at last year’s festival, so this night was time for redemption as the Norwegian quartet took to the stage. Despite standing at barely 5ft tall, vocalist Katrine had the most gargantuan of presence on that Yokhai stage and had the crowd in the palm of her hands! The band’s blend of traditional Folk elements and modern Rock production is one that feels authentic, intelligent, and void of any silly gimmicks that are rife in this business. It was wonderful to see how this music had made such meaningful connections to those in attendance on this Wednesday pre-show!
https://www.facebook.com/Kalandramusic
Often imitated but never replicated, Norwegian Pagan Folk Rock legends Wardruna were to headline the Wednesday night on a history-making night by being the first (and perhaps last) band to play the Main stage on the opening evening of Arctangent! Simultaneously opening and closing that Main stage, it was clear to see why they needed it to themselves to accommodate such a huge and expansive live show. Their sound can be described as a wholesome celebration of the old Pagan ways through the medium of the Old Norse language and their music played with the traditional and authentic Folk instruments. Vocalist and founder Einer Selvik describes the custom of music and singing together as being like medicine. Being at the front meant that I got a good dose of that medicine! In a world that’s more and more divided, maybe we need Wardruna’s message more than ever!
https://www.facebook.com/wardruna
There’s heavy, there’s very heavy, and then there’s Ahab! Would you expect any less from the German nautical Doom Metal act? Rather than an attack consisting of frantic blast beats, the band bludgeons you slowly with wave after sonic wave of pummelling low end. They let you think you’re safe with some intermittent melodic passages, but this leads only into a false sense of security as you’ll once again find yourself drowning in a tidal wave assault on the senses. The whole Bixler stage was headbanging in unholy unison and appreciation at one point, I swear it!
https://www.facebook.com/AhabDoom
General Festival Vibes and Loners Camp
Despite coming down with a friend and knowing plenty who were in attendance, we decided to stay in Loners Camp, which was a fantastic idea! As soon as we plonked our tents down, we were greeted and made to feel very welcome here. Every morning in camp, it just felt like everybody had the same agenda; to talk nerdy about music and to meet people! Minutes would become hours as we chatted without even knowing each other’s names! Though I also felt comfortable knowing that I could wander around the very compact and manageable arena alone and have some good ol’ introvert social battery charging when I needed and wanted it.
I had some fantastic conversations with people while barrier camping between bands, some who I found that live fairly close to me and that have been to a lot of the same shows as me in the past but we hadn’t known! Maybe our paths will cross again in the future?
One of my bucket list unmissable bands, I had got to the barrier over an hour before their set in order to secure prime viewing position. Promoter James Scarlett had described the Irish Post-Rock band as being incredibly demanding from a technical point of view. If you’re going to be demanding, you’d better put on a performance to make it worthwhile… and by god they did just that! This was spellbinding! Magic. As close to perfect as you can get. They know their sound inside out and made sure that every ounce of emotion could be felt in every single carefully crafted note in these wonderful arrangements. Emotion that made the person next to me visibly weep due to the cavernous emotional depth… bless her! Perhaps it was the song that guitarist Torsten Kinsella dedicated to his late father? Maybe it was the added emotional depth from respected and esteemed guest cellist Jo Qual? In either case, I need God Is An Astronaut back in my life.
https://www.facebook.com/godiaa/?locale=en_GB
Lows
Emma Ruth Rundle is a fantastic musician; vocalist, singer, and songwriter. She sounded fantastic on that Friday afternoon Main stage slot. However, part of me thought that with just her by herself, it felt like that vast Main stage had swallowed her up. With another band sound checking on the stage only 200 yards or so away, this sound bleed killed a lot of the calm ambience she needed to make her performance feel special. Others nearer to the front reported that they felt a lot more immersed and less distracted, hence an Emma Ruth Rundle solo set may be best reserved for the smaller stages.
https://www.facebook.com/emmaruthrundle
Toilets
They seemed reasonably clean and maintained whenever I needed to use them. There just simply weren’t enough of them in standard camping, and it felt like a mission to walk over to them blurry eyed first thing in the morning and queue for long enough to think ‘I have an empty bottle in my tent…’
When they got to the crescendos of their songs, the atmospheric bursts were excellent. But by god they made you wait and work for it! They played at the end of a very long day of tent hopping and being stood up watching bands, including Leprous’ extremely high energy performance. Their show was very limited from a visual perspective too, with virtually zero crowd interaction too which didn’t help maintain tiring music fan’s attention. I still think their status as Post-Rock legends is valid. I just think I got to see them at the wrong time and seeing them in a theatre or a headline show would be more fitting.
https://www.facebook.com/p/Godspeed-You-Black-Emperor-100044315892195
THAT Clash
You’re always going to get clashes at festivals. Normally I’m not affected, but the universally agreed most painful clash was Between The Buried And Me and We Lost The Sea early Friday evening, as they played their respective magnum opus, “Colors” and “Departure Songs”. I totally understand the reasons why they had to be pitted against each other – namely due to scheduling and the only time two concurrent 65 minute album sets could be played. Plus they couldn’t be any different stylistically – it’s like comparing Meshuggah to Manic Street Preachers. I had got a chance to see We Lost The Sea the day prior. Though you can’t ‘out logic’ your feelings (I’m still feeling petty!) and this still makes me sad that I couldn’t see both album sets in full!
https://www.facebook.com/welostthesea
Surprises
A few weeks prior, hardly anybody even knew Dimscua existed, a Post-Metal band from Berkshire who were essentially hobbyists and cast their debut EP “Dusteater” out into the digital ether with very little expectation. An cathartic outlet for the pressures and trials of life they had collectively experienced, who would have thought that Damnation promoter and organiser Gavin McInally would stumble across it and gave the band a shout out on the Two Promoters One Pod podcasts he co-hosts with Arctangent head James Scarlett? The response on social media was phenomenal and this eventually led to the band being booked for their debut show at Arctangent! The Yokhai stage was rammed as they slowly and methodically burned through this EP, in an atmospheric emotionally charged Post-Metal attack on the senses…and heart strings, such was the palpable and emotional intensity! Even James said he was astonished by this response. Nobody could have predicted this. This was the birth of something special.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579075420766
Now, I knew Leprous were going to be good. They’re wonderful individual musicians but together they’re a refined powerhouse and Progressive Metal heavyweights! This Thursday night on the Main Stage was no different as they burned through classics such as ‘From The Flame’, ‘Slaves’, and ‘Below’ which made me (and others) sing along at unnecessary levels of volume! They brought the fire, in more ways than one, as their pyrotechnics brought an incredible dynamism and energy to the show! 50 minutes felt WAY too short and they put on a headline worthy performance. Surely they’ll headline one year?
https://www.facebook.com/leprousband
I’ve seen the Leeds Post-metallers a few times now, including at Arctangent almost exactly a year prior. HYOM always sounded fantastic but on that Thursday night in 2024, it seemed like they had been swallowed up by the PX3 stage and seemed like a band still transitioning from playing small venues to festival stages. This year though, they looked so much more dynamic and confident on that Yokhai stage. They’ve clearly invested in their lighting show and made that vast stage feel so much more intimate, making you feel closer to the action. A surprise guest vocal appearance from Will Haven’s Grady made the set feel like a ‘I was there’ moment!
https://www.facebook.com/hundredyearoldman
Between The Buried And Me (BTBAM)
I had never even heard of the band prior to them being announced in late 2024. I stupidly dismissed them as ‘some Metalcore band’. How stupid I look now! They played “Colors” in full on Friday evening and it was sublime! Despite it being 20 years since they first released it, they were still mercilessly heavy yet retaining punishing precision throughout. Most bands struggle to do one right. BTBAM does both, effortlressly. You know what surprised me the most? How much this album meant to people in the tent and the deep connection it has to some! This was evident as the crowd nearly drowned out vocalist Tommy whilst singing along to opening track ‘Foam Born (A) The Backtrack’!
https://www.facebook.com/BTBAMofficial
Closing Thoughts
All in all, Arctangent was a resounding success this year! I’m convinced that there’s something for everyone here musically. Even though you have to do your research as there really are some left field picks, as opposed to the obvious mainstream acts. Though make that effort and you’ll be rewarded with potentially discovering your new favourite band(s)! Arctangent really is where magic happens!
https://arctangent.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/atgfestival/
