“New Years is the saddest and most honest song I’ve written for Brightr”, explains Laurie Cottingham, the man behind the emo/acoustic brilliance of Brightr. “Without giving everything over, it’s about the painful realisation that someone you value the most in the world might actually be better off without you around. The song goes through the stages of facing up to this brutal truth, until finally coming to the conclusion that no one other than me will understand the hard choices I’ve had to make; that there are always Two Sides to the story. In regards to the video, I felt like making something relatively fun to offset the level of sad in the song; a theme that I guess I’ve always followed throughout the life of Brightr. I should’ve really filmed a “making of” this time around, as this video was a bit nuts…I based it around the artwork that Graham Clark (drawnin1985) designed for ‘Two Sides’, copying as much from the cover art as I could to make into pencil-puppets. I then made a scene for the video, which is essentially my dining room table, raised up on piles of books and covered in A4 white paper, which ended up kinda looking like a padded cell. All in all, one of my favourite videos to make.”

On the subject of his upcoming EP, Cottingham explains: “I’ve been writing ‘Two Sides’ pretty much since I completed ‘Year One’, but it’s been a lengthy work in progress. I think it took time because this is very much a purging record for me. Realising I’ve forgotten how to feel, how to actually release my emotions over the years, which is not at all healthy. I found myself in a place after ‘Year One’ where I was happy again, with everything around me, truly happy, but under the surface all of the memories and past experiences were like a virus eating away at me. I began writing, but even though I was happy with the music side of things, the words felt forced, which is something I never wanted for Brightr. I decided to just write down these painful thoughts and feelings, lay it all bare for this record and take my own advice (I often encourage people to just be themselves, especially when I play live). All in all it’s made for my saddest collection of songs to date, but a record that feels like a solution, a cure and a signal of new beginning, whilst being the end of that chapter of pain.”

Brightr has a handful of shows coming up in support of the new single; you can check out those dates, along with the fantastic video for ‘New Years’ below:

FEBRUARY
15 BRIGHTON Pipeline
16 CARDIFF Undertone
18 LONDON Old Blue Last

“Tired Teeth is the first new music we’ve released in almost four years, so I’m extremely excited for everyone to finally listen,” says guitarist/vocalist Chris Durpree, “It’s personally one of my favourite songs on our upcoming record ‘…a little less lost’. As with most of the songs we write, it has some pretty personal roots, but I think it’s always best for the listener to interpret it in their own way.”

Check out ‘Tired Teeth’ below:

You can follow Men and Mountains on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Bandcamp.

‘3X3’ was recorded at the Seventh Wave compound in central Philadelphia in under a week with a very specific sound in mind. Working alongside producer KouqJ, the band tuned every instrument, from the drums and guitars to the tower of synths, to 432 Hz. According to studies, some of humanity’s finest thinkers and creatives use both brain hemispheres together, in unison and 432 Hz music works to balance both hemispheres of the brain, forcing them to work in harmony.

Check out the effect on ‘3×3’ below:

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“We really wanted to make this year’s compilation as big as possible with a focus on showcasing female representation and some of the great Australian artists that are making some noise at the moment in addition to pulling in as many international acts as we could”, say’s Penultimate Records owner Jamie Mallinder.

Among the international acts is Punktastic favourite Brightr. The full list of artists on the compilation are: Back Garden Light, Brightr, Bukowski, Carried Away, Carrington, Castlefield, Elbow Room, Eyes Open, Felicity, Flicker, Gold Steps, Goodfella, Grenade Jumper, H_ngm_n, Meanings, Oaks, On The Verge, Painting Rockets, Rain Check, RCKLSS, Romancer, Satellites, Shorelines, Squid Fishing, The Playbook, Triggerlip, Two Trains Left, Val Astaire, When The Clock Strikes and Why Everyone Left.

Keep up to date with Penultimate Records on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

DECEMBER
12 STOKE Sugarmill (with KING810)
23 STOKE Underground (Christmas Show)

Check out the live session of ‘Break The Routine’, below:

Check out Black Coast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“We’ve been writing/playing/changing this song for about two years now,” the band explain, “but we finally feel like we’ve got it. This tune’s about being in another terrible relationship that no matter how hard both parties try, it’s still just the same old story.”

You can catch the song live at one of Wrthless’ upcoming shows at the start of 2019. Check out the dates, along with ‘Same Old Story’, below:

JANUARY

25 EDINBURGH Sneaky Pete’s
26 GLASGOW The Classic Grand
27 MANCHESTER The Castle Hotel
28 LEEDS The Fox & Newt
29 NOTTINGHAM The Chameleon Arts Cafe
30 BRISTOL The Exchange

Check out Wrthless on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The band describe ‘Water Palace Hyper Raceway’ as “the triumphant peak of ‘Apex Emotion’, shot live at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge.” The concept of the record revolves around Red Snake, “a world champion racing driver and international playboy who finds himself in cryogenic stasis after a near fatal accident on the track, only to awaken three-hundred and thirty-three years in the future to a nightmarish cyberpunk megacity. He vows to return to the thrill of the race in this foreign time and compete in the Phantomile at the Water Palace Hyper Raceway but standing in his way is the dominant force in future hyper racing, King Of Swine.”

To support the release of ‘Apex Emotion’ the band will be heading out on tour. You can check out the dates, along with the video, below:

NOVEMBER
07 GLASGOW Bar Bloc (free show)
08 SHEFFIELD West Street Live
09 BRISTOL Crofters Rights
10 LONDON The Victoria
11 BRIGHTON Green Door Store

Images: William Pavli, Words: Mark Johnson 

Bradford’s Trigger Thumb open the Arc for the final time this year and they do it in style, stunning the festival’s early risers with a raft of creativity, originality and diversity. Arron Dulay’s incredible vocal range manages to sound like Matt Bellamy of Muse in one instant before dropping to low, growling screams and everything else in between. Musically, their angular, mathcore riffs are interesting and clever, but also laced with heavy grooves that aren’t too dissimilar to Arcane Roots at their heavy moments. Bass player Damen Hughes continues to command the stage – only this time with more room than when we last saw Trigger Thumb at StrangeForms – twisting and contorting his body in time with the jagged timing of their riffs. It’s great to see this hugely talented act move so quickly to the main stage of ArcTanGent and based on the reception they’ve earned here, there will be plenty of people looking out for them in the future.

Only Echoes Remain have a more direct approach to instrumental rock than most of the acts we’ve seen this weekend, diving headlong into big passages of noise with an urgency that doesn’t care for protracted build ups. Forceful and driving drums lead the band eagerly through passages of swelling bass, tremolo guitars and delicately overlaid lead lines that all converge to create a mass of sound. At times the band drift slightly apart as they navigate various time signatures and tempo changes, but it’s a minor hiccup in an otherwise solid set that shows the virtues of the more forceful side of instrumental rock music.

Over at Bixler, the noise intensifies further as Ilenkus arrive kicking and screaming, directly into the faces of the crowd. They’re currently touring with fellow noise merchants God Mother and their set seems almost like déjà vu, coming across very similar to yesterday’s offering from their touring partners. Heavy instrumentals, screamed vocals and a singular mission to ramp up as much intensity as possible, it’s a decent performance that makes sure the day three crowd is thoroughly wakened, though it does become monotonous as the set goes on.

VLMV released their gorgeous album ‘Stranded, Not Lost’ earlier this year and their minimalist, emotive songs provide a calming break from the ferocity that preceded them. The set gets off to a delayed start due to technical issues, the sound desk clearly struggling to accommodate the range of equipment necessary for VLMV to recreate their compositions live – including guitars, loop pedals, a laptop, a keyboard and vocal effects, as well as dual screens to lend a visual aspect to the performance. It’s a disjointed start once the set eventually gets underway, both musicians taking time to find their way around stage and settle into the performance, but as the set goes on the beauty of their music transcends any onstage gremlins. Vocals soar above gently strummed chord patterns, accompanied by electronically triggered ambiance to create a soothing atmosphere. It’s a shame that, just as they’re getting into the swing of things, their set has to be cut short due to the late start – but with so much potential on offer here, VLMV could become a hugely compelling act if they can fully coordinate everything on stage and make the performance as seamless as their beautifully constructed songs.

There’s nothing minimalist about Telepathy, however, who commit fully to their darkened brand of post rock with gusto. Their instrumental concoctions sound enormous on the Yokhai stage, conducted by powerfully struck drums and booming guitars that give their sound a sinister edge. There’s an underlying majesty to their songs, making them epic in scale, but with a sub tone of melody that means it’s not just bluster, the subtle harmonies making each track sound like an emotional reprieve in an ancient war that’s about to break loose. In the moments where this tensions snaps, drummer Albert Turek pounds the double bass and the bass guitar grinds low to add extra power, giving Telepathy one of the more impactful and memorable sets of the day.

Coldbones’ recent album ‘Where It All Began’ displayed a remarkable understanding of instrumental post rock for a band so young, and live, their material is even more breathtaking. Hitting the sweet spot between build up and pay off, their songs dance along at a perfect pace that always heads towards the most satisfying conclusion. On stage, the quintet play with such passion and commitment that it’s impossible to not get sucked in by their enthusiasm and as they visibly feel each note they play, the emotion bleeds through into the crowd.

Ever since Black Peaks released their phenomenal debut album Statues back in 2016 the wait for a follow up has been excruciating, but thankfully we now have a release date for album number two – ‘All That Divides’ on October 5 – and to tide us over till then, another flawless festival performance. Old favourites ‘Say You Will’ and ‘Saviour’ go down a storm as ever, but the raw power and ferocity of the new tracks, including new singles ‘Home’ and ‘Electric Fires’, are the real stars of the show. Demonstrating refinement and progress over their already staggering existing material, the wait for hearing the whole thing will now be even more painful. The voracity of drummer Liam Kearney and the unbelievable vocal talents of Will Gardner make for an unrivalled combination and with a barrage of clever yet biting guitar riffs, it’s a formula that never fails to leave a lasting impression in a live setting.

When a band can entertain you simply during a soundcheck, you know you’re in for something special. The front man of Belgium’s The Guru Guru continues to talk through an interesting tale about fish while he sound checks his microphone, giving the perplexed crowd an indication for what’s to come. The band groove through fuzzy riffs laced with the odd electronic effect, and unique vocals that bark and yell over the top to create one of the most zany and eclectic sets of the weekend. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s great to see the range of diversity at the festival and it’s a welcome taste of the bizarre.

This closing day of ArcTanGent 2018 has been a celebration of variety and up next at Yokhai is another unique act, with Mouse on the Keys. Centred around two keyboard players and a drummer, the Tokyo act weave intriguing piano melodies around a constant stream of excellent, hard hitting drum grooves, pivoting around clever timing changes and tangential harmonies. Occasionally the band introduce saxophone parts into their songs as well, giving yet another dimension to an already diverse and enthralling act. A thoroughly enjoyable performance that attracts the largest crowd at Yokhai we’ve seen yet.

Arcane Roots’ recent record ‘Melancholia Hymns’ took their sound to grand new heights, expanding their angular alt-rock with an epic new soundscape, one of the catalysts being vocalist Andrew Groves’ newly found experimentation with electronics. Tonight though, there’s no synth to be seen on stage and the new-wave Arcane Roots sound is temporarily parked in favour of churning out all of their heaviest hits. ‘Triptych’, ‘Slow Dance’, and ‘If Nothing Breaks Nothing Moves’ all sound enormous on the Yokhai stage and when the band choose to air new tracks, it’s in favour of the more forceful ‘On The Floor’ and ‘Landslide’. Their ability to land bone crushing riffs amongst angelic vocal passages and melody is astounding and with Groves’ voice on top form as ever, the whole performances whizzes by in an instant. This setlist blends new with old better than any performance we’ve seen to date from Arcane Roots and their spotless execution might just make this their crowning achievement to date.

It falls to Shellac to close out another superb year of music at ArcTanGent and the veteran trio rise to the occasion well. Guitarist/vocalist Steve Albini has lent his production talents to many acts in the past and tonight his own band get the benefit of his intervention, the guitar tone sounding crisp and massive, whilst somehow maintaining a minimalist, clean feel. It’s backed up by a vibrant, lively rhythm section that’s so perfectly in time, despite navigating ever-changing time signatures, that you wonder whether the three band members all share the same brain. Despite being around since 1992, Shellac have managed to stay sufficiently under the radar to prompt many festival goers around us questioning the identity of tonight’s closing act, but after an hour of the band’s chunky riffs and driving drum beats, it’s clear that Shellac have earned their status as headliners.

This year’s stellar line-up has provided the chance to savour some favourites, as well as discover new hidden talent, and the new, fully-enclosed setup on the Main Stage has proved its worth against the seemingly constant drizzle. These incremental improvements, on top of the festival’s already established core, is what makes us eager to return every year. Bring on the next one.

MARK JOHNSON

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Images: William Pavli, Words: Mark Johnson 

Seven Colour Drive open the Arc on day two and the combination of an early start and a particularly slow, gentle opening song gets their set off to a laboured start. As the instrumental quintet progress through their set, the build ups get shorter and the crescendos heavier, creating a more active spectacle for the still-waking crowd. There’s a sludgy, stoner vibe to the riff heavy, half tempo sections which are balanced nicely against more melodic, finger tapping guitar breaks and soaring chord progressions to round off an interesting instrumental palette. Though the band admit to some nerves, they don’t show, making for an assured set that displays a lot of potential.

The instrumental prowess continues with Blackpool’s Blanket. The post rock quartet sound huge on stage, striking with more power than anyone on Yokhai so far and in particular, tracks from the quartet’s recent new record ‘How To Let Go’ are pristine and full of impact. Blanket’s cinematic sound is highly visual, often conjuring images in your head with sweeping soundscapes and emotional tones, and to make this more literal, they stream visual clips and videos to accompany their songs on a pair of monitors. It’s an altogether visceral event and with Blanket having just released their best work to date, this is a band definitely on the rise.

Codices’ brand of instrumental rock takes a more direct approach that’s less concerned with build up, preferring to deliver defined riffs and recognisable song structures. It’s rare to decipher verses and choruses in instrumental music but while this may seem overly conventional for an ArcTanGent band, the repetition of certain passages does their music a great service rather than detract from it. Having central riffs to come back to gives Codices structure and purpose and when the riffs are as good as this, it’s worth hearing them more than once. This quartet shows that you don’t have to be overly complicated to succeed in this genre and their set goes down as a head-bobbing crowd pleaser.

God Mother grab us by the scruff of the neck and yank us out of our instrumental reverie with blast beats, pulverising riffs and guttural screams. The Bixler stage didn’t open on day one, and having been dormant until now, vocalist Sebastian Campbell is quick to explore it, jumping straight into crowd, all the way to the sound desk. There’s not much subtlety in what this Swedish hardcore act produce, but an aggressive onslaught like this would never pretend to be anything different. It’s the first time the quartet have brought their ear drum damaging barrage of noise to the UK and off the back of this performance, there will be plenty of people begging for their return.

Having been bruised and battered by God Mother’s onslaught, Astralia offer comfort with the warm and soothing embrace of their ambient, instrumental post rock. With a cinematic quality like Blanket before them, Astralia conjure up images of natural beauty, like a soundtrack to a film of sweeping mountain ranges as dusk begins to settle. Beneath it all lurks an imminent threat of darkness, a minor tone always threatening to punch through, which lends a sinister subtone to their music. This edge gives each track suspense, never knowing when, and if, something heavier will break out and when it does, the impact is breathtaking. To generate this much atmosphere between just three musicians is superb and Astralia can be proud of lifting the whole mood of ArcTanGent with this performance.

We last saw Talons at StrangeForms festival back in April, their first performance in 22 months. Now back on the main stage at ArcTanGent and with a brand new album under their belts, it’s safe to say that the instrumental sextet are back and bigger than ever. Opening with their signature wall of sound, with two violins leading the way through a cacophony of noise, Talons make their way through endless rabbit holes of musical exploration, building to rousing crescendos that justify why they came back to write another record. Talons have plenty of creativity still to offer and when they can execute as well as this, there’s no wonder so many people crowded into the Arc to witness their triumphant return.

It’s been an outstanding year so far for Conjurer, who stunned us all with their jaw-dropping debut ‘Mire’ back in March, and have since taken every opportunity to blast it in our faces on stages across the country. And much to our delight, they’re showing no sign of slowing down. There have been some heavy acts at this festival so far, but nothing quite as punishing as Conjurer; if violence was distilled into a sound, this would be it. Far from being mindless violence though, there’s a premeditated complexity to the band’s sound, characterised by the shifting tempos, seamless transitions between time signatures and the startling amount of atmosphere that cuts through the chaos. It’s a marriage of styles that can only be executed by superb musicians and with yet another mind-blowing performance to add to their name, the future looks very bright for this quartet.

Vennart bring together several of the varied genres and styles of music we’ve seen thus far at ArcTanGent into one package, managing to be ambient and atmospheric in one instance, building gradually to a measured impact, heavy and riff led in another, then purely pop rock, led by catchy vocals. It makes for a multi faceted and interesting set, but while they may be jack of all trades, it may be better to lean on one aspect more heavily to truly be a master of at least one of these, as some of their transitions ultimately fall flat. It’s difficult to put your finger on Vennart’s sound and while that’s admirably creative, it comes at the risk of being forgettable once the festival crowd disperses and seeks its next, more easily definable, fix.

Tides From Nebula emerged as one of the stand out acts of Tech Fest last month, thanks in no small part to the respite their ambient post rock offered against a slew of otherwise heavy, aggressive bands. Here at ArcTanGent, the band are surrounded by kindred spirits playing a similar form of artistry but even among their peers, this Polish quartet stand out as a masters of their craft. Though the band’s sound is often ethereal and ambient, painting vivid dreamscapes of imagery in your mind, it’s delivered with venomous potency, imprinting each vision firmly inside your skull. The swelling bass tone and thundering drums do much of the damage while the guitars swirl and cavort with soaring melodies. It’s another best in class set that underlines an impressive festival run for this excellent band.

Six figures in white boiler suits, hoods, face masks and sunglasses step out onto the PX3 stage and stand in formation while a voiceover states that our Black Futures expedition is about to start. As a countdown from 10 begins, the two musicians that make up the band take their positions behind a drum kit and synth-station ready to start the set. The band’s sound is heavily drum groove orientated with synths, samples and guitars thrown in for good measure, punctuated by shouted, anthemic vocals that intend to rouse and engage the audience. At the end of the first song, it’s clear that’s not all that’s intended to engage the crowd, as two of the white clad figures hop into the crowd and dance to the next track, inciting those around them to join in. It’s one of the more visually interesting sets of the weekend and this kind of creativity is always warmly received at this festival.

Strobes’ sound is pieced together with drums, a guitar, keyboards, samplers and loop pedals, which offers a wide range of creativity and intrigue and while this initially holds true as they begin their set, it fails to come together as one coherent package. Too often their ideas meander at tangents to one another, rarely meeting in the middle to produce something memorable.

Tides of Man’s first foray into instrumental post rock, 2014’s Young and Courageous, was one of our stand out albums of that year and still remains one of the genre’s crowning achievements. Until just recently that is, when the Florida-based quartet released follow up ‘Every Nothing’. With a four year gap between albums, it’s clear that the band haven’t wanted to rush perfection, and now the record is in our hands, it’s impossible to argue with that sentiment. Last time we saw the band, the turnout was sadly meagre, but here they come out to a fully packed tent and by the time their set is through, the crowd goes beyond the tent boundaries into the field beyond. The reception clearly touches the band, who can’t thank the crowd enough, and it’s no less than they deserve; every song has been precisely crafted to produce just the right amount of build up before progressing to the next stage of the journey, which often ends in a stunning conclusion. No moment of any Tides of Man song feels too drawn out or unimportant and as they impart their hearts and souls into each note live on stage, the emotion in the music transcends even that of the records, to produce easily one of the best sets of the weekend.

In its five year history to date, ArcTanGent has been known to snag some high profile headliners, last year’s UK exclusive performance by Explosions In The Sky being an obviously noticeable one, but even among these past acts, legendary post-hardcore heavyweights Glassjaw might just be the biggest yet. With a big name comes big expectations and the set doesn’t exactly start with a bang. There’s a lengthy pause beyond the band’s scheduled starting time while soundchecks continue, but as they launch into their opening track, it’s not clear what the engineer was taking so long over, as the sound is muddy and unclear, with the guitar particularly difficult to decipher. Luckily Glassjaw have an arsenal of excellent songs to draw from and the likes of ‘Mu Empire’, ‘Ape Dos Mil’ and ‘Tip Your Bartender’ are good enough to incite enthusiasm from the crowd despite any technical difficulties. Tracks from the band’s new album ‘Material Control’ make up the majority of the second half of the set and they mix into the playlist well, letting us know that Glassjaw are well and truly back in business. The new era Glassjaw is fronted by a more subdued Daryl Palumbo than the front man of old, choosing to pirouette around his mic stand without expending too much energy, delivering his lines competently if not as enthusiastically as his younger self. Ending with the ferocious ‘Siberian Kiss’ provides a wonderful hit of nostalgia and reminds us how the name Glassjaw got so big in the first place. The production may have been underwhelming compared to our day one headliners, but their stature and collection of excellent songs make for a solid end to day two.

MARK JOHNSON