ArcTanGent festival is generally considered the pinnacle of Post/Math/Prog & Instrumental rock music in the UK, how did you guys enjoy your experience at the festival?
It was incredible. We'd had a pretty stressful day after finding out we'd been moved to the bixler headline slot and would be clashing with both Cult of Luna AND deafheaven so we were pretty worried we'd suffer with attendance but damn were we wrong, the tent was packed all the way out with people going crazy. Definitely one of the most enjoyable gigs we've played.
Do you see your growth as a band coinciding with ATG's growth as a festival with it being an ever-more established flagship of your style and genre?
Its definitely a great place to play to a crowd that get what you're doing and to introduce yourself to fans of the genre. Its also a great place to meet new bands and fans and have all the fun you can possibly have in 3 days. As far as growth of the scene goes i think ATG is definitely helping and we'd be a part of it again at the drop of a hat given the chance.
Its definitely a great place to play to a crowd that get what you're doing and to introduce yourself to fans of the genre. Its also a great place to meet new bands and fans and have all the fun you can possibly have in 3 days. As far as growth of the scene goes i think ATG is definitely helping and we'd be a part of it again at the drop of a hat given the chance.
Fresh off the back of headlining the Bixler stage of ArcTanGent, what do you see as the next step up for ATC as a live act?
We'll just go back to our day jobs and continue being depressed, nah but seriously we'll just continue to do what we do which is play as much as possible and have fun while doing it. Longer tours would be nice but holding down day jobs can get in the way of that sometime but we do plenty anyway so can't complain.
We'll just go back to our day jobs and continue being depressed, nah but seriously we'll just continue to do what we do which is play as much as possible and have fun while doing it. Longer tours would be nice but holding down day jobs can get in the way of that sometime but we do plenty anyway so can't complain.
Bearing in mind the varying level of established and independent acts at ATG, do you think you can gauge whether there is a ceiling for the success these niche musical styles?
It's very hard to tell. We've all seen bands play to small crowds within this circuit and vice versa. It's just the way it is. Yeah it would be nice to play packed shows everytime but it's unrealistic to expect it within such a niche genre of music. There are so many excellent bands who appeal to the same crowds and people just cant go to everything, i guess we're lucky anyone shows up to see us at all :)
It's very hard to tell. We've all seen bands play to small crowds within this circuit and vice versa. It's just the way it is. Yeah it would be nice to play packed shows everytime but it's unrealistic to expect it within such a niche genre of music. There are so many excellent bands who appeal to the same crowds and people just cant go to everything, i guess we're lucky anyone shows up to see us at all :)
Do you believe that ATG festival along with the amazing talents appearing at it are raising this ceiling?
I do think so to a certain extent. There's definitely more of a buzz lately for these weirder genres of music which is awesome. Hopefully it continues to grow and get better and better.
I do think so to a certain extent. There's definitely more of a buzz lately for these weirder genres of music which is awesome. Hopefully it continues to grow and get better and better.
Would you prefer ATC's genre of music to remain in the neat, well-respected pocket of counter-culture that it is or continue its growth in appeal to a wider audience?
Everybody likes their little pockets but at the same time it is nice to see the scene grow. Yeah it would be nice to walk around a supermarket listening to Battles instead of Beiber but lets face it, it may be a while before that happens and it doesn't even really matter if it does or not as long as you enjoy doing what you do.
Everybody likes their little pockets but at the same time it is nice to see the scene grow. Yeah it would be nice to walk around a supermarket listening to Battles instead of Beiber but lets face it, it may be a while before that happens and it doesn't even really matter if it does or not as long as you enjoy doing what you do.
Earlier this year, Alright, The Captain released 'Contact Fix' to a whole host of acclaim. You have got to be buoyed by the progress you have made this year, how do you intend to keep it going toward the end of the year and into 2016?
It's been a pretty amazing year so far , to be honest its all gone so quickly but we still have a load of shows coming up all over the UK this year and we've slowly started writing for a new release so thats gonna keep us busy right into 2016.
It's been a pretty amazing year so far , to be honest its all gone so quickly but we still have a load of shows coming up all over the UK this year and we've slowly started writing for a new release so thats gonna keep us busy right into 2016.
You guys have a real knack for giving your songs quirky and amusing titles such as 'I'm Not Smart, I Don't Have All That Book Learning Stuff'. Do you think as a style, scene and community as a whole, post/math-rock is a lot more easy-going and rule free? If so, can you offer any explanation as to why? (We have our own theories of course)
I think so yeah, the scene is very friendly and relaxed which makes it such a nice scene to be a part of. Everybody helps everybody out and encourages each other. Even my boss likes to suggest loads of daft song ideas (which we haven't used yet) while we're driving around at work. Everybody's bloody lovely :)
I think so yeah, the scene is very friendly and relaxed which makes it such a nice scene to be a part of. Everybody helps everybody out and encourages each other. Even my boss likes to suggest loads of daft song ideas (which we haven't used yet) while we're driving around at work. Everybody's bloody lovely :)
Finally, a question for you as show promoters with ButtonPusher. In this day and age where music is a lot more saturated, the internet is the key tool and fans can be a lot more fickle, how important do you believe true D.I.Y spirit and the building of these small musical communities is for bands, promoters and venues?
I think we'd be pretty fucked as a band without the DIY spirit. We've always been a DIY band and booked our own tours, put on our own shows, done our own artwork etc. I started getting into putting on shows when i was 16 or 17 and it's a bug thats never left me. I love meeting and seeing new bands. Word of mouth is a great and i like to be able to help people if i can. We've met so many likeminded people along the way. Theres a real sense of community and we get to put on awesome shows in the cities we live and promote new music which people may not otherwise get to see. It's a great way to do things.
To checkout Alright The Captain follow these links;
alrightthecaptain.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/alrightthecaptain
@Alrightthecapn
I think we'd be pretty fucked as a band without the DIY spirit. We've always been a DIY band and booked our own tours, put on our own shows, done our own artwork etc. I started getting into putting on shows when i was 16 or 17 and it's a bug thats never left me. I love meeting and seeing new bands. Word of mouth is a great and i like to be able to help people if i can. We've met so many likeminded people along the way. Theres a real sense of community and we get to put on awesome shows in the cities we live and promote new music which people may not otherwise get to see. It's a great way to do things.
To checkout Alright The Captain follow these links;
alrightthecaptain.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/alrightthecaptain
@Alrightthecapn