«10»: Picks for the second day of Arctangent Festival
What does the first full day of the festival have in store for us?
Από την Ειρήνη Τάτση, 06/08/2026 @ 15:04
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The warm-up is over; it is time for the full Arctangent Festival to unfold before us. With four stages instead of two and the ordeal of clashes beginning, we are already about to come into contact with a wealth of goodies. Of course, we will not limit ourselves to the ten unmissable acts we recommend here, but these are at the top of our list. Unfortunately, yet also fortunately, Thursday brings us the toughest upcoming choices between sets—the fortunate part being that the following days do not face the same difficulties. For today, the silent disco will be handled by Bruise Blood. At the same time, many promising names that the festival lineup mostly introduced to us will appear on this day, including Sleemo, Ronker and KLAMP, while a special mention should be made of both Nordic Giants and Benthos.
Cover Photo: Charlie Abbot, published at The Sleeping Shaman
1
Otay:Onii (Main Stage, 13.20 - 13.50)
If you had heard that intoxicating voice on Forn records and wondered who that fairy-like figure was. If you are a Roadburn Festival regular, then you know, as we do, that this multifaceted creature is a live experience that will captivate. From her first steps to her three-year Residency at the festival and her selection to lend her voice to the new form of The Ocean Collective, all this merely scratches the tip of the iceberg of the artistic creations Otay:Onii engages with on stage and in music. Always eccentric, always an artist in the broader sense and not restricted only to being a musician, and with a record like "Love Is In The Shit" in her luggage this year, expectations are high. Once again, curiosity about what she has prepared for her appearance-this time at Arctangent Festival-is through the roof.
2
Psychonaut (Main Stage, 14.30 - 15.15)
Psychonaut are one of the bands that caught our attention early on with their natural talent. It took the release of last year’s "World Maker", however, for them to convince everyone besides us as well. Our first live encounter with them last year at Damnation Festival makes us expect even greater things. As they themselves told us, they are by far in their most inspired period. How will the midday lights treat them and their irresistible, dynamic psychedelia? All that remains is to be there and find out firsthand.
3
Agent Fresco (Yohkai Stage, 16.45 - 17.35)
Most of us first discovered the magic of Agent Fresco in our country when they came here alongside the practically godlike-in-Greece Leprous, and we have been hooked ever since. The Icelanders’ distinctive touch on an entirely new progressive rock sound leaves unmoved only those who have no feelings. Even though "Destrier", their latest album, is now more than ten years old, with no other release in the meantime, it sounds as if it is not about to come out yesterday, but in a few months. The magical fairyland of the North Atlantic has worked its wonder once again, and we will have the pleasure of meeting it again. Might we perhaps get any news about new music? Hopefully!
4
Alcest (Main Stage, 17.40 - 18.30)
The France we will meet again today firmly holds the reins of Thursday’s powerful bands at the festival. At this point, of course, who is not familiar with the name Alcest-the people who introduced us to a sensitive, dreamlike black / blackgaze unlike anything we had encountered before? The years passed, Alcest experimented, became highly experienced on stage, and eventually returned to the sound they gave birth to and perfected, leaving us most recently with the stunning "Les Chants De L' Aurore", as well as, in our personal conversation, the disarming admission by Neige that absolute terror is having nothing you want to talk about in your art. It will be like a dream.
5
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza (Yohkai Stage, 18.35 - 19.25)
We have often talked recently at Rocking about major comebacks. There have been many lately. Following that rule, the minor mathcore legends The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, with their completely absurd name-their own, and ultimately their albums’ too-reunited shortly before the end of last year and sent chills down our spines. We may not have a new album from them yet, but we are ready for a fierce shake-up with the classics. If, that is, you can call the polyrhythms and breakdowns of their unrestrained dynamism classics. If there was ever a suitable moment for a band like them to return, then this is by far the era we are living through. They needed the popularity of the core sound, and we desperately need their madness.
6
Scorpion Milk (Bixler Stage, 18.35 - 19.25)
You may notice that this appearance overlaps with the one above. It is not a mistake, and choosing between the two will be a major problem, even though the big comeback will probably win out. Kvohst, however, and his new company are strong competition, since in other cases there would be no second thought. The evolution of the beloved musician’s post-punk side has gone through, and continues to go through, many phases, and its latest form is the creation of Scorpion Milk and the release "Slime Of The Times", which has already been loved-as if Matt did not have the magical ability to turn everything he touches into gold. If we are not there, dance like there is no tomorrow to "She-Wolf Of London".
7
Igorrr (Main Stage, 19.30-20.45)
There is a general trend right now of French producers mixing their electronics with heavy sound. Before the trend, there was-and continues to triumph-Igorrr. The enigmatic Gautier Serre and his grotesque imagery have repeatedly proved their worth, first on record and then live, and we now have the pleasure and honor of watching him climb the ranks of festival lineups. Last year’s "Amen" did not sweep only on paper and in reviews, but also in fans’ hearts. After all, we will not be ashamed to say that, as residents of the eastern Mediterranean, we cannot wait to hear the deranged "Blastbeat Falafel" and remember our previous encounters with him.
8
Shearling (PX3 Stage, 19.30 - 20.45)
Once again, we find ourselves facing a clash-but isn’t that the joy of festivals? From the little we managed to see this year from Shearling because of another clash earlier in the year, we must include them. After the dissolution of Sprain-having forever left in history an album like "The Lamb As Effigy"-Alexander Kent and Sylvie Simmons went on to create Shearling, where their sounds darken, become experimental, and the classic boundaries and dimensions of music no longer apply to their art. The single lengthy composition of "Motherfucker, I Am Both: "Amen" And "Hallelujah"" seems like the ultimate proof of the above observation. For those who are not into Igorrr’s festive madness, this is a performance they will remember for a long time.
9
MOL (Bixler Stage, 20.50 - 21.40)
MOL are a band that has slipped through my fingers live countless times, but it seems this curse is about to be broken. The dreamlike blackgaze of MOL-truly dreamlike, especially on their latest album, "Dreamcrush", where they deal with dreams themselves as an extension of everyday life and anxiety through the subconscious-will be the perfectly fitting frame for the night as it slowly falls at that hour. Their clash on the parallel stage opposite is a difficult one and goes by the name Maruja, but in my case, by contrast, I have consumed more Maruja than I can handle-is seven times in three years too many, perhaps?-so the choice seems like a one-way street. Let us lose ourselves in the gloom of dreams.
10
Chelsea Wolfe (Main Stage, 21.45 - 23.00)
Does anyone dare imply that the title of dark queen of heavy music belongs to anyone other than Chelsea Wolfe? From a shy girl to a magical woman who tames the crowd with an icy glance, we have seen Chelsea Wolfe unfold all her talent through all kinds of albums and collaborations, with the next album, "The Dark", just around the corner. She has repeatedly proved that she is one of the most suitable choices to dominate a festival, and we expect nothing less. On the contrary, we expect to be introduced from the beginning to a new, more confident and more untamed Chelsea Wolfe under the dark sky. As much as the psychedelic punk-jazz explorations of Zu nearby may try, like sirens, to lure us in, the real siren will swallow the main stage with just a nod.
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