RAKETKANON
Bloody hell.
Each year we always reach this point with the ArcTanGent line-up. There’s the slow-burn trickle of bands for the first coupe of months, maybe one must-see. The murmurs start: “I reckon 2000 Trees has got the edge this year”.
Then a care package like this drops and picking up a ticket for Bristol annual post rock, alt and tech metal gathering becomes a no-brainer. Just look at the state of that:
Right off the bat there are ATG returning heroes in Body Hound, Bossk and OHHMS. Jamie Lenman’s back a couple of years after his daytime slot on the Arc stage with another album of material and probably plenty more up his sleeve after his own Lenmania bash last year.
Zeal & Ardor are 2018’s fast risers with their incongruous mix of blues and metal, while Rolo Tomassi and And So I Watch You From Afar are the quintessential year-on-year ATG legacy bands which guarantee a killer show.
That’s before we even get to the headliners, who could only share a bill at a festival like this.
Plus, Pijn & Conjurer have been working away on a special collaboration they’re calling ‘Curse These Metal Hands’.
“When ATG & Holy Roar approached us to do a collaboration, it was something that hadn’t really occurred to either band. We’d played a few shows together and were certainly mutual fans but we had to sit down and really think about whether this was feasible. After a pretty intense 12 hours of jamming and writing, we emerged with a track that will form the basis of our performance with the rest currently being written. This sounds nothing like either band and is arguably more expansive and ambitious than either of us have gone before – we’re honoured to have been asked to contribute to ATG 2018 and are excited to bring something new to the most exciting festival in the UK.” says Conjurer.
Cover image: Raketkanon [Richard Broome Photography]
