ArcTanGent 2024 Preview

5 smaller bands to discover at ArcTanGent Festival 2024

by Asher Kenton - 12/08/2024

Having been to every edition of ArcTanGent Festival so far, I feel confident in calling this year (their 10th anniversary) one of their very best lineups to date. ArcTanGent was an inspiration for us to start Portals Festival, so this weekend is like Christmas for me. You’ll likely see me constantly running from stage-to-stage trying to watch as many bands as humanly possible, with only occasional stops to feed and water (or beer) myself. 

Here are 5 of my top picks for smaller bands you should check out at the festival:

Blackshape - Friday 12:45 @ Yohkai Stage

Blackshape create profoundly inspiring post-rock which incorporates elements from post-metal and math-rock. Their debut self-titled album was one of my favourites from 2021. A seamless piece of music, the record creates an emotional journey culminating in a stunning climax with the breathtaking vocal part in ITIIITIATIIHYLIHYL.

For fans of: Caspian, Maybeshewill, Shy, Low

Aiming For Enrike - Thursday 14:30 @ PX3 Stage (Additional silent disco set - Wednesday 23:30 @ Yokhai Stage)

Aiming For Enrike are so good that ArcTanGent have asked them to play twice this year: once late at night as part of a silent disco set that you’ll only be able to hear with the silent disco headphones & again the following day.

The 2-piece band from Norway sound a bit like the last rave before the apocalypse. Despite being only drums and guitar (with a lot of effects and looping), their sound is huge and chaotic with infectious grooves that will lead to something in between a mosh pit and a disco. 

We’ve put them on many times in London and can’t wait for more people to discover them.

For fans of: Bearcubbin', Battles, Carpenter Brut

God Alone - Saturday 16:55 @ Elephant in the Bar Room Stage (Additional silent disco set - Friday 23:10 @ Yokhai Stage)

If math-rock-dance-metal wasn’t already a genre, it is now. God Alone combines hefty grooves with bouncy beats and dark, twisting breakdowns. They completely let loose on stage, making for a captivating performance which blew us away at Portals Festival 2023. The band, hailing from Cork, Ireland, have the potential to be huge.

God Alone are also playing a silent disco set and a regular set during the weekend.

For fans of: Battles, Neurosis, Brontide

Sans Froid - Friday 12:45 @ Elephant in the Bar Room Stage

A truly unique band that’s hard to describe,Sans Froid refer to themselves with the elusive descriptor of ‘art-rock’. In a sense, the band is set up to support the soaring vocals and piano of Aisling Rhiannon Whiting. However, the rest of the band provides so much groove and interesting dynamics that they’re also a huge part of what differentiates them from other bands on the ATG bill. 

For fans of: James Blake, Chiyoda Ku, Radiohead

Brontide - Saturday 18:35 @ Yohkai Stage

Okay, I’m cheating a bit with this one as Brontide are fairly high up the ArcTanGent bill. However, they haven’t played a gig for 7 years and haven’t released an album for a decade so some people may have yet to discover them. One of my favourite bands in the whole world, Brontide perfectly integrate the technicality of math-rock with the emotive power of post-rock. Utilising loop pedals with incredible precision, the songs build and develop before crashing forward with mighty riffs in a euphoric pay-off. 

What’s more, the band have just released a brand new single called ‘Mineral’ which you can listen to now. Check them out and discover your next favourite band.