Opinion

REVIEW: Coheed and Cambria kick-off ArcTanGent 2019 with a bang

Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Sarah Smith

Intergalactic rockers Coheed and Cambria closed out the opening day of ArcTanGent Festival with a singles heavy set, which pleased both long-time fans and newcomers alike.

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Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Bathed in smoke and dark-blue light, the New York prog masters exploded onto the stage with Dark Sentencer, the opening track to their latest album Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures.

Frontman Claudio Sanchez then skipped through the title track to their latest record, Unheavenly Creatures, before playing fan-favourite In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3, which saw long-time fans erupt with a cheer as they began to play the opening notes to the eight-minute long call to arms, which saw a the first of many singalongs as Sanchez demanded the packed tent to 'man their battle stations'.

Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

The 75-minute set then featured a myriad of tracks, mostly taken from their latest record and well-known Good Apollo records.

Though, as a long-time fan, it was a little disappointing to not hear a single song form the band's debut Second Stage Turbine Blade or Afterman.

Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

ArcTanGent is the first time the band has headlined a major festival, and the visualisations made me wonder what they could achieve if they ever played a full-blown stadium gig which allowed them a canvas as grand as the musical universe they have created.

Regardless of these ponderings, it was clear - the band were having a ball and the crowd were too.

Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Coheed and Cambria closed the opening day of the ArcTanGent festival 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

After closing with their upbeat tale of rekindled love In Flames, Coheed returned with a two-song encore featuring the heart-warming ballad, Pavilion (A Long Way Home), complete with visualisations which took the audience on a trip through a utopian city and the cataclysmic grandeur of Welcome Home.

It was a suitably epic end to a fantastic first day of the festival at Fernhill Farm, which saw some phenomenal sets across the Bristol festival's five stages, with highlights including sets from mysterious instrumental post-rock duo Nordic Giants and synthwave legend Carpenter Brut on the Arc Stage, as well Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Polyphia on the Yohkai stage.

Carpenter Brut at ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith Carpenter Brut at ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith

ArcTanGent concludes today (Saturday).

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent. 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent. 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019. Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith

Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith Festival goers flocked to ArcTanGent 2019 Picture: Sarah Smith