Ten Bands to Watch at Arctangent Festival 2026
Words: Matt Noble
Photos: Tim Finch
We are well into summer festival season, and the UK’s flagship event for the slightly weird and whacky side of heavy music has to be Arctangent Festival. Offering four nights of live music, silent discos, Bunny Chow and an unbelievably lovely community, I am already getting my list of must-watch artists ready for what will be the festival’s final instalment at Fernhill Farm, its longtime home. Arctangent offers plenty of big, if niche, names near the top of its bill, but one of my favourite things to do is to walk around the festival arena over the course of the day and watch an artist I’ve never heard of, playing a style of music I don’t listen to at home, and leave the tent as a fan. Here are ten of my favourites that I’ll be nailed on to watch. Perhaps there’s a new name in here for you.
ALCEST – Thursday
After a blinder of a performance at Arctangent 2022, the post-black metal troupe are back for more this August. 2024’s wonderful Les Chants de l’Aurore proved that there’s still plenty of life and vigour in the band, whose soundscapes have sent thousands of listeners far off into another realm, somewhere dreamlike, somewhere beautiful. Plenty of bands blend the sound of the darkness with that of the sublime, but few really connect the dots between emotive, ethereal and – at times – crushing sonic weight the way Alcest do. Of the bands on the bill to stand around and pensively stroke your chin to, Alcest are amongst the must-sees.
CONJURER – Friday
Arctangent Festival mainstays Conjurer are back for their first appearance at Fernhill Farm since the release of Unself, a deeply personal and creatively mature offering that breathed new life into the band’s musical output as they looked within. But it’s easy to take for granted just how consistently great their live shows are. From Conor’s iconic presence whipping his hair about at stage centre, to the sheer brutality of the heavier runs, to the atmosphere and emotion when they bring everything down, to how tight, precise and polished they are on a technical level, Conjurer gigs do not underwhelm. Could they eventually headline festivals like this?
CULT OF LUNA/JULIE CHRISTMAS – Saturday
In a UK exclusive performance for 2026, Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of their acclaimed collaboration, Mariner, by playing the album in full. This is a serious coup for Arctangent, on what will be the final mainstage performance at Fernhill Farm. Julie has already promised an experience, rather than just a performance. In any case, any self-respecting muso won’t want to miss a second of this live rarity. Both have played the festival in recent years, doing their own sets, but Arctangent always strives to offer something a little different, including giving a stage to collaborations like these. Now’s a good time to remind ourselves just how special the atmospheric demolition of a record Mariner truly was.
IGORRR – Thursday
Another artist that completely fits the bill for Arctangent, and in a way, Arctangent completely suits his vibe as well. You won’t find a blend of Gautier Serre’s influences in one place anywhere else but under Igorrr, and that’s a promise. Most reading this article will know who Igorrr is by now, but it can be easy to forget just what a spectacle the live shows are, and how much insane creative genius lies in the music. If the musical draw for Arctangent is to see something different from other events, you can’t miss Igorrr. If the entertainment factor is to be blown away by a live performance, you can’t miss Igorrr. If you go every year for the friendly community, everyone will be making sure they aren’t missing Igorrr.
MEATDRIPPER – Saturday
The buzz around Birmingham’s psych/sludge witch coven Meatdripper is something in itself. They’ve shot up, seemingly out of nowhere, to grace stages in the UK and abroad that have included Bearded Theory, Desertfest London and Obsidian Dust. But the proof is in their enchanting live shows and whimsical approach to the genre, which at times can feel oversaturated with copycats worshipping the same gods. That really can’t be said of this band. So if the power of the riff compels you, but you’re after something a little different, you could do far worse than to see what sort of noise these four women have to conjure up for us all this year.
HIGH ON FIRE – Saturday
Matt Pike might not have been on the new Sleep song, but he’ll be tearing it up at Arctangent in a few weeks, likely without a shirt on. The Grammy-winning sludge/thrashers, now with Ben Koller of Converge fame on the drum throne, promise sonic annihilation and a set that’ll probably showcase the best of 2024’s Cometh the Storm along with some classic ragers that have built them to the name they are today. The word ‘legend’ is tossed around a lot, but I feel it’s safe to apply it here. This one could be a set talked about for years to come…
PERTURBATOR – Friday
Going into my maiden Arctangent in 2022, I had no idea what to expect going into the main stage for Perturbator’s set. Four years on, I’ll be going back ready and fully prepared for James Kent’s apocalyptic goth rave, promising a crazy light show and undeniable, non-stop fun. There are plenty of artists on this bill to stand around to, or lose yourself within to, or feel the full emotional spectrum to, or simply be crushed by. And this is exactly why Perturbator needs to be on your watchlist. When you need a breather from the typical Arctangent fare at a multi-day festival, this is the place to be.
PRIMUS – Friday
I mean, this is the big one, isn’t it? They’ve always been in the conversation of ‘who’d be a good Arctangent headliner next year’ and finally, we’ve got them lined up for their first UK show in nine years. A band that needs no introduction, their weird experimentalism, groove, and instrumental wizardry has given them a one-of-a-kind place in the annals of music history. Whether you discovered them through South Park, or because you play bass, or because you see yourself as a musical connoisseur, this is a bucket list gig to go and see, and then brag about. I expect the main stage tent to be packed past capacity. Whether you know one, ten, or all of their songs, surely you don’t duck out on the chance to see Les Claypool doing his thing.
SVALBARD – Wednesday
Svalbard will play what appears to be their final scheduled show just short of 14 miles outside of their home city of Bristol on the Wednesday evening at Arctangent. Let this celebrate a decade and a half of one of the country’s brightest lights advocating for mental health, and creating unashamedly unique music that draws from black metal, hardcore and post-rock, to name just a few. They leave an enviable legacy of four albums, each with their own character, that have connected with many in the UK metal underground. This could be the last time. Worth going to the festival a day early for.
SWAMP COFFIN – Wednesday
Swamp Coffin – affectionately known as Swamperz to some – celebrate a decade of nihilistic sludge metal this summer. Returning to Arctangent after 2025’s biblical ‘world’s slowest wall of death’ made (glacial) waves around the festival, they’ve already promised a bigger, slower, and even more ridiculous wall for this time round. Silliness aside, 2024’s glorious Drowning Glory saw them begin to break out of underground circles and build momentum for something even greater. A sludgy suckerpunch of a record that translates fantastically live, at this stage in the album’s lifespan you wonder what they might have up their sleeves for the next chapter. We slow again.
Photo credits: Tim Finch Photography
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