“Are you brave enough just to breathe in the silence?“
Come August, the fields of Fernhill Farm are reportedly set for a most electrifying week; As just two months after an already heavily-satiating sophomore headliner update (of which in turn swiftly chased its inaugural framework by merely one month) we have been handed down a generous smattering of fourty-six acts to fawn over in the (not-so) long build-up to August’s prog-pilgrimage. Amongst these we find newcomers to the Fernhill fold such as self-appointed ‘computer-metallers’ Master Boot Record, sharp-witted shoegazers Nothing, ‘dreamo’ multitool Wildernesses (fresh out of our very own 2026 Ones To Watch article), metallic hardcor(k) menaces WORN OUT and even a new Ithaca adjacent project fresh from the mind of Sam Chetan-Welsh in moksha, who aim to give us our math rock fix with a twinge of spiritual emo on the Friday.
Forlorn, a band we’ve been covering at Boolin Tunes for many years, will also have their ArcTanGent debut this year. After dropping their haunting debut album Aether last year to much acclaim, their spiritual strain of prog-metalcore will finally be granted an audience at Fernhill Farm this summer. Forlorn are one of three bands on our wishlist that have been announced for the festival so far, and although we’ve not gotten absolutely everything we proposed from our list, we’re very glad that they were amongst the chosen. Forlorn will be bewitching the Saturday of the festival.
Those returning into our outstretched arms this summer include post-hardcore trio Mass of the Fermenting Dregs as well as the not-long-gone yet much re-requested Maruja. Modern-day mainstays Pupil Slicer will be unleashing havoc for their third time in just shy of a half-decade (fourth if you include vocalist Kate Davies’ cheeky feature during Ithaca‘s victory lap of “Cremation Party” last year). Jamie Lenman, Nordic Giants, and itoldyouiwouldeatyou just to name a few more prepossessors that only enhance our already white-hot excitement for the festival, as if it hadn’t already ‘gone nuclear’ by this point.
Perhaps the most earth-shattering of the selection finds itself the glorious return of Arcane Roots: seemingly deserving of its own separate announcement two days prior. The British proggy-post-hardcore group have returned as a 5-piece, and after a few months of ARG-like teasing finally dropped a long awaited banger of a single in “A Wave, Across The Sea”. Funnily enough, this appearance will almost exactly mark the eighth anniversary of the band’s disbandment back in August 2018, which left fans with no hope of the legends returning. Luckily for us, it turns out they had always planned on doing so and will be playing the coveted main stage slot, right before Primus on the Friday.
The new additions to the lineup are as follows: Maruja, Nordic Giants, Zu, Scorpion Milk, Arcane Roots, Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, Nothing, SOM, EIVØR, Jamie Lenman, Master Boot Record, Pupil Slicer, Papangu, God Alone (Live Silent Disco Set), Believe In Nothing, Benthos, Bruise Blood (Live Silent Disco Set), Floating, IAN, ISKANDR, L.O.E., Matador, Pil & Bue, Sleemo, Terminals, Witchsorrow, Civil Service, moksha, Night Swimming, Ringlets, The Sad Season, Señor Pink, Wildernesses, WORN OUT, You Win Again Gravity, ZAHN, Forlorn, Gösta Berling’s Saga, Hang Linton, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Leeched, lowheaven, NYOS, PLEB, PREYRS and Ronker.
They are set to join the existing ArcTanGent 2026 line up, listed here alphabetically: on Wednesday the full list has been known for a few months – Alpha Male Tea Party, Chalk Hands, DIMSCÛA, Giant Walker, Lost In Kiev, Overhead, The Albatross, Sans Froid, Svalbard, Swamp Coffin, The Grey and SikTh; and the Thursday to Saturday bands that were already confirmed are Agent Fresco, Alcest, Amplifier, Barrens, Blessings, BRUIT ≤, Bucket, Chat Pile, Chelsea Wolfe, Conjurer, Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas performing Mariner, Darkher, Erotic Secrets of Pompeii, HAAL, Heck, High On Fire, Humanfly, Igorrr, Jo Quail & The Crossbones Ensemble, KLÄMP, Meatdripper, Michael Cera Palin, Napalm Death, No Violet, Oathbreaker, Perturbator, Primus, Psychonaut, Sara Zozaya, Shearling, Tanzana, Town Portal, TTNG, and Zatokrev.
It’s no secret at all that we love to sing the praises of ArcTanGent here at Boolin as it always seems to effortlessly nail our exact vibe, year after year – and this edition finds itself no different, in fact we’re fairly certain that all-in-all this may be our favourite lineup that the festival has offered up in recent memory (so you can bet your bottom-dollar we’ll be leaving no stone unturned in covering it!). ArcTanGent 2026 will take place between the 19th and 22nd of August 2026.
Final tickets are on sale now and are available here. Be sure to check back for future ArcTanGent coverage, developments and surprises.