Round Up
I headed into ArcTanGent full of pride and excitement that Yeah Buddy! would be taking a huge step in the right direction as we cover what is becoming a landmark event of, not only the genres that the festival represents but all of alternative musics calendar on a whole. I had high hopes and piqued curiosity, needless to say, my hopes were met and my curiosity was expanded beyond what I thought my imagination was capable of.
ArcTanGent is a special festival. It is a community, it is a party, it is a holiday, it is a beacon, it is a cult, it is like the gathering of a vastly expansive family at Christmas time. Everyone is excited, everyone seems to know each other, everybody has some kind of involvement in the scene. We seen so many faces we recognized pottering around- Ben and Lucy from Bad Grammar, The Chiyoda Ku lads, the guys from (Atlas), the Death and the Penguin bunch, not to mention the fact that all the billed bands were just casually mingling with the revelers. The smaller scale of the festival allows this feeling to thrive and gives the event a truly remarkable atmosphere.
Our coverage of the festival is going to comprise of several articles, photos and videos so make sure you catch the lot. We got to speak to a whole bunch of folks including the festivals organizers, Polymath, The Algorithm, Alpha Male Tea Party, CHON and more so lookout for all that.
Grand Theft Audio (They Stole The Show)
Quite simply has to go to Cleft and Alpha Male Tea Party. When AMTP joined Cleft onstage to play a riff medley the excitement was almost tangible. This will go down as an eternal ArcTanGent moment, one that people will be reminiscing about next year and well beyond that.
Pleasant Surprise
Juffage has to be the definitive answer to this question for me. I've seen the name and it has intrigued me, I can't make sense of its meaning but its real fun to say, so I thought 'hey, why's the hells nots'. The PX3 stage saw many brilliant up and comers over the course of the weekend but for me personally, Juffage had me glued. He really stood out from a lot of the other acts on the line up with his loose and fluid style of performing his melodic songs. He was a real breath of fresh air on Friday morning.
Boundary Pushers
Well the boundaries have been stretched out of all proportion by these musical genres as it is, so it is very difficult to pick out a real innovator from the mix of experimental acts on show. Do I say the organizers for putting together a real unique festival?- they sure deserve all the credit in the world. Do I say Becky's Bhaji's for her incredible creativity in making some of the most delicious Onion Bhaji's out there?- She deserves high praise too. Do I go with the likes of Alpha Male Tea Party, Cleft and Delta Sleep who're not just pushing boundaries but are finding that such niche bands CAN crossover into popular culture?- How important could that prove to be!? I'm torn, call it a draw.
YB!'s New Darlings
Oxygen Thief who headlined the PX3 with BBC Introducing on Thursday night were raucous and entertaining by the gallon. We caught them straight after their set for an interview which you can see below. They're signed to Xtra Mile Recordings so if that isn't a huge statement of their quality then I don't know what is. We recommend you check them out.
All In The Detail
Kudos to Si, James and GoC. They managed to organize a high-functioning festival which covered all of the needs/wants of a festival goer. More so though, they added so much thought and detail into the show that people got a lot more than they expected.
I have to give a whole heap of credit though to whoever organized the set times for this event. Clashes are the worst part of any festival. ArcTanGent managed to soften this blow by having 2 stages running at once then transferring to the other 2 stages. Arc and PX3 ran together then onto Yohkai and Bixler. It meant that you only had one choice to make. It helped things run very smoothly and also ensured that bands on smaller stages got really good audiences. Case in point when Pocket Apocalypse admitted on stage that they thought they would struggle to fill the tent...people were crowded in their droves outside and in.
http://clashfinder.com/s/atg15/?user=043zbm.hb
Proud Uncle Section
And to finish everything off on the ultimate high, I've got to say how pleased I am to be able to have worked with some of the undeniable talent on show at ArcTanGent. To be able to say that there were a good few bands on show at ATG that are members of the Yeah Buddy! makes my belly tingle. Pocket Apocalypse took their biggest step as a band yet. Alright The Captain continue to bulldoze their way to the top of the scene. Cleft require no words. Vodun blew mind. Vasa's popularity was underlined on Saturday night and USA Nails added a vital edge to the festival. It makes my heart bleed.
http://yeahbuddydiy.weebly.com/band-profiles.html