Is it a hot take to say that Arctangent is the best metal fest in the country, given the UK is also home to Download and Bloodstock? Yes. Is it something that I will gladly argue with each and every one of you about until you’re too tired to continue? Also, yes.
I’ve been a regular at the Bristol four-dayer since the pandemic, and over the course of those five years, I’ve never been to a festival that fosters the same sense of community and curiosity. For those who don’t know, it started as a post-rock event before gradually expanding its borders, now open to anything that pushes back against heavy music’s mainstream. Headliners have ranged from Converge to Devin Townsend, Heilung to Mogwai.
