ArcTanGent 2026 was always set to be an emotional one, with fans of the more niche end of the underground scene gracing the grounds of Fernhill Farm for the last time. Tickets sold out not long after the announcement that the festival would be moving to new pastures for 2027, and there’s a palpable sense on site that everyone in attendance plans to make the most of every minute of their time here this weekend.
Words: Ellie Odurny // Photos: Paul Lyme
Ronker
The early morning rain has all but vanished, and the sound of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Sexyback’ drifts across the fields from the Yohkai tent. ArcTanGent is a beautiful mixture of bands who take themselves very seriously, and those who absolutely do not. Ronker are very much in the latter camp. With big energy, the power of three guitars and an enchantingly animated vocalist, the Belgian noise rockers fill the stage with moustaches, mullets and a whole lot of sass. Calling for the slowest circle pit ever, they may not have been aware that Swamp Coffin opened the festival yesterday and set the bar incredibly slow. Everyone here is clearly having too much fun to put the brakes on and there’s a healthy space for the more energetic pit action, with bodies bouncing gleefully into one another during a cover of Kelis’ smash hit ‘Milkshake’. Slower numbers like ‘Snuff’ display a more sensitive side to the band, who excel at storytelling as much as they do playing hard and fast.
Michael Sarah Palin
There is a universal sense of community and belonging that ripples throughout the weekend, with many bands highlighting the importance of inclusivity, diversity and support. Michael Cera Palin are one such band, with vocalist Elliott Brabant expressing solidarity “…for all my fellow Queers, fellow Homos, for my trans brothers, sisters and siblings waiting for an answer.” Musically, the Midwest emo influences are strong, with melodic vocals, clean guitar tones and upbeat rhythms. It’s the lyrical content and fierce energy that set MCP apart from so many other bands in that category, the passion positively oozing from every inch of stage covered by the Atlanta trio.
Alcest
Word trickles back through the crowd meandering towards the main stage for Alcest that they’re running late. Some people hang around, others turn around and walk away, presumably hoping to catch a few minutes of XO Armor over on PX3. When Alcest do appear, it’s immediately apparent that their delayed arrival meant they’d not had time to get the mix right. The treble is tinny, the screams are muffled and there’s nowhere near enough weight in the bass. That being said, the ethereal waves of guitar and dreamlike vocals in the slower sections still float around the space with sensitivity, and there’s no doubt that the crushing contrast of the heavier post-black-metal infused sections would have been fabulous if only they filled the tent with the intended intensity. The short set is not their finest, and we can only hope that they will return to the new site in the not-too-distant future to set things right.
Igorrr
Opera, synth, blast beats and heavy, blackened metal shouldn’t work together. But somehow, they absolutely do when presented through the ritual of an Igorrr show. What started as a solo project from French multi-instrumentalist Gautier Serre has grown into a full spectacle of a live experience. Darting between baroque rhythms and guttural growls, techno beats backed up with ferocious drum fills and operatic vocals soaring over devastating riffs, there really is no other outfit that produces such a multifaceted sound. At times it borders on terrifying, but in such an enjoyable way it’s impossible not to be drawn in. The aptly named ‘ADHD’ sums up the clever melee, with dark, harpsichord tones running into heavy techno synth in an indescribably effortless way. There are moments of pure serenity that descend into demonic screams, an all-out rave in the middle suddenly becomes a savage onslaught of hefty riffs without leaving time to take a breath. It’s all-encompassing and entirely brilliant.
Maruja
Whilst the clever scheduling and convenient layout of ArcTanGent mean there’s only ever a 50/50 choice between acts playing at any one time, it does mean that there’s very little time to decompress if you’re planning on catching two bands back-to-back. Nonetheless, there’s a steady procession of mildly shell-shocked punters making their way over to the Yohkai tent where Manchester post-punk jazz quartet Maruja have just appeared. Known for their fiercely political content and intense saxophone-drenched crescendos, Maruja manage to lean into the free-form nature of jazz whilst still sounding cohesive and concise. The instrumentation grows like a living beast into a frantic, monstrous noise; vocal passages teeter between emotive poetry and heated rage. In their own words, “We may be aggressive, but our message is one of peace. This festival is a testament of solidarity, of love.” This is a sentiment that is echoed countless times over the weekend. Be noisy, be furious, go wild in the pits, but be kind, stand together and look out for each other.
Chelsea Wolfe
For all the chaos that bounces around site earlier in the day, ArcTanGent often chooses to book darker, less erratic headliners, and this year is no different. Chelsea Wolfe is at once powerful and delicate, brooding and tender. The anticipation for tonight’s set is doubly loaded, this being a rebooking from the cancelled 2020 edition as well as a day before the release date of new album ‘The Dark’. The sun has long set now, and the stage lights add to the atmosphere of gothic fantasy, silhouetting Wolfe against a minimal backdrop. The whole set is minimal in a way, with big, rumbling chords carefully placed to drive the sonic journey ever forwards at a considered, calculated pace. Despite the overt simplicity of the material, nothing feels lacking. In fact, the live show has injected another level of ineffable intensity, the fuzzy bass bringing additional warmth, the soaring vocals just that bit more haunting. It’s a welcome sight to see (and hear) Alcest’s Neige appear for guest vocals on ‘Vex’; a redemption of sorts after the difficulties of their own set. Three tracks from the new album are delivered at the end of the set, aptly welcoming the inevitable dark of the late night. It’s a gentle end to the first full evening, but one filled with depth, emotion and quiet assurance.
ELLIE ODURNY
