In honour of the annual ArcTanGent Festival, we sat down with a selection of bands playing in order to grill them about the festival, and much, much more.
Next up was Jamie Lenman –
The annual ArcTanGent Festival is coming up this August; are you guys excited for it? Have you ever been before, either playing or as a punter?
I’ve only been once before, when I played it back in 2014. I loved it – I love the slightly more math-y end of rock and metal so this kind of festival is perfect for me.
What are your thoughts on the line up this year? Is there anyone you’re particularly wanting to see or meet? And who would you recommend our readers look out for?
Glassjaw are one of my favourite bands of all time so I’m looking forward to seeing them, although I did manage to see them back on their second album tour before they had to cut it short. My good friends Arcane Roots and Vennart will be playing, so I’ll go see them and hopefully hang out – I dig Bossk too but I don’t know them so well. I like wandering round and checking out things that just sound good from whatever stage – that’s the beauty of a festival.
What is ArcTanGent like compared to other festivals? It seems to be relatively small – do you prefer playing smaller festivals or bigger ones? And which are your favourite festivals – both to play and as a visitor?
ArcTanGent is very similar to its sister 2000 Trees in terms of vibe – it feels less like a festival and more like a big village fete. It’s not crammed full of people so there’s room to move around and everyone seems really happy. A great feeling, definitely my preferred option.
How do you find playing a festival differs to a normal show, and which do you prefer?
With a festival crowd, you’ve got to be prepared for lots of people who haven’t heard your stuff so you have to dress up nice and make a good impression. On the other hand, that lifts the weight of expectation that can build up at your own show, so that’s nice. It’s always a bit awkward and sketchy to play outside with no soundcheck but I think that adds a certain energy which I like. I know it’s a boring answer but playing your own show or playing a support show or playing a festival are all so different I can’t choose a favourite. I dig ‘em all!
Are you embarking on a tour as well as playing the festival? If so, where else are you playing and when?
We haven’t sorted out what we’re doing in the second half of the year yet so I can’t exactly say. I’d like to do my own tour and I’d like to go out supporting someone else so with any luck we’ll do one or the other or both.
Do you have any new music set for release soon? If so, what can you tell us about that?
I have a new double single out now with guest spots from Andrew Groves [Arcane Roots] and Justine Jones [Employed To Serve] so that’s pretty exciting. One half, Irrelevant, is a very soft version of the title track from my latest album Devolver, and the other half is a super-heavy new joint called Long Gone. It’s gonna be available as a limited 7” with an exclusive screen print through Big Scary Monsters on 27th July and I can’t wait to get my copy.
What would you say to people to recommend them to come and see you perform at ArcTanGent?
Just that if you like big riffs and big choruses and bags of energy then it’s a pretty safe bet for you. We always have a great time at the festivals.
And any last words for your fans?
Wubba lubba dub duuuuuub!
By Jane Howkins