BLOG: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PROGRESSIVE MUSIC FESTIVALS
Jan 20, 2023
Post, Instrumental, Prog, Alt, Experimental, Noise, Groove. Whatever sub-genre your music identifies as, the progressive music umbrella has definitely expanded in the last decade, and so has the scope of opportunities for the genre, too. Fans of progressive music are generally very passionate about the genre, very dedicated fans and most of the time, more open minded than most (minus the elitists and gatekeepers). We see an eclectic fusion of genres and forward thinking musicianship that has captured the hearts and minds of a very dedicated audience, too.
Progressive music fans are great supporters of the genre and are enthusiastic collectors of music, merch and vinyl. We might not see the same level of streaming numbers as a genre like metalcore does, but the prog scene makes up for it by having a strong community of people who will travel thousands of miles to see their favourite bands, and whom you’ll likely bump into at various progressive music events with full tote bags of merch.
There are also a lot of media folk who dedicate their efforts to progressive music nowadays such as Heavy Blog is Heavy, The Prog Mind, The Prog Report, The Prog Space, amidst a plethora of other websites and radio stations. Not to mention, the one and only Prog Magazine. Prog Mag is a printed publication for all things Prog, and highlights the best in up and coming progressive music each month in their ‘Limelight’ feature section of the magazine. Their website is a central hub for all progressive music focused activity, in addition to their Tracks of the Week highlighting exciting releases from that week.
But where can you find such music and what’s the best event to go to for new music discovery, or to aim to play at with your act?
I decided to compile a list of events that accommodate progressive music and where you can integrate yourselves more in a community of awesomeness.
Euroblast Festival - Cologne, Germany - http://euroblast.net/
Okay - I might be biased because my fiancé runs the damn event. But in fact I had my first ever international festival booking for two acts I managed in 2011. The bands were Shattered Skies and Subversion, in case any of you remember them. So I’ve been going to Euroblast for a long time. The family vibe and community are next to none, and it’s probably my pit stop for new music discovery as the team build a line-up that encompasses everything from electronic music to progressive death metal. John, Daniel, Allen and their amazing crew (too many amazing people to name) do a stellar job year on year in bringing the goods. Euroblast looks after their artists to the max and ensures everyone is fed and watered. John even wanders around the festival with a magnum bottle of spirit, squirting it into everyone’s mouths on the last night to prepare them for the after-party. Muahaha. Seeing VOLA perform this last with full production was out of this world and I’d never seen the venue come to life as much as it did with a triple V attack of Voyager into VOLA into Vildjarta on the Sunday night! Minds were blown and I will always cherish being able to dance with my bands into the early hours before they have to fly home again. Cookie dough guy needs to return though. Must remember to ask John that.
Progpower Europe - Baarlo, Netherlands - https://progpowereurope.com/
Progpower also holds a special place in my heart as a hub for friendly progressive music fans. I’ve been going to Progpower since 2012 which was when I booked Shattered Skies to play (one of the opening slots!), and a fast forward a few years to 2014 and Voyager ended up being promoted to headliner there as a band pulled out. And they stepped into that slot very nicely I must say. You also get to stay in a castle, which is pretty epic accommodation for any event. The Progpower community is awesome and if you want to talk passionately about music and have a bit more of an intimate experience then this is definitely the festival for you! René and team are open to discovering and booking new music and they have a solid dose of “modern” and “classic” progressive rock and metal on the bill every year to cater to all tastes.
ArcTangent - Bristol, UK - https://arctangent.co.uk/
A more recent festival experience of mine having only first attended in 2018, but definitely one where I’m returning to over and over despite the unpredictable weather! ArcTangent is probably the biggest progressive open air festival, having multiple stages and camping. The festival has more of a foundation in the post and math rock world, but I’ve found in recent years they’ve also extended to all corners of the progressive realm, covering everything from doom, stoner, electronic, synthwave, straight up prog metal and more. A really friendly and chilled out festival, and James the owner and his team are very receptive to booking new and exciting acts, too. As a company, we have more acts performing at next year’s ArcTangent than we’ve ever had before. I’m very excited as it’s going to be like a big family gathering with all of our clients, not to mention this weekend falls on mine and my fiancé’s anniversary. So a pretty nice way to mark the occasion!
Complexity - Haarlem, Netherlands https://www.complexityfest.com/
Complexity Festival is another great indoor even for progressive metal fans, but really leaning a bit more into that ‘metal’ end of the spectrum. I’ve been here a few times and earlier this year I had Playgrounded perform. Complexity was also where I discovered the band Four Stroke Baron, whom we invited as openers on the VOLA/Voyager tour as well. So there’s something to be said about discovering killer up and coming acts at these festivals. Patronaat is also a great venue for such an event, having various different rooms and capacities, allowing for multiple stages. The production and sound in there has always been brilliant from my experience and every year they think outside the box to bring about a line-up that is fresh and featuring the best uh….complex bands, one could say!
Roadburn - Tilburg, Netherlands https://roadburn.com/
I have yet to go to Roadburn actually and I must confess it’s one of these things where I’d like to experience the event when I have one of my acts performing. It’s not happened yet, but I am hoping that I’ll persuade Becky and Walter in future hehe (if you’re reading this, HELLO!). I hear a lot of great things about this event and yet again it is another Netherlands based indoor event where the community feeling is very strong. Despite never having been, I observe the posts and photos annually and can almost imagine how electric the vibe is there. The line-up for Roadburn does not sit within the traditional progressive rock and metal realm at all, but it’s more of a boutique underground event for bands that transcend any kind of genre boundary and just make really interesting music. I think their website describes it perfectly and better than I could. I look forward to going there one day!
“Roadburn Festival has become Europe’s leading underground festival for heavy music of all types. Unrestricted by genre, the Roadburn line up regularly champions scene-defining bands and pioneers alongside up and coming artists who blur the boundaries effortlessly. Despite it’s well regarded reputation and broad critical acclaim, Roadburn remains something of a boutique festival, and very much underground in ethos but with seriously big league production values.”
Progpower USA - Atlanta, USA https://progpowerusa.com/
Progpower USA is a bit more literal in it’s name. Half of the line-up is Prog and the other half is Power Metal! Some bands do both I guess. I went to this festival when Voyager performed in 2016 and was welcomed with open arms by Milton, Glenn and crew, who actually flew me out there to surprise the band. I jumped out of a fridge and scared the shit out of Danny from Voyager who had absolutely no clue I was going! Atlanta is a very humid place I might add, but another indoor event provides the comfort of air conditioning. Progpower USA has one of the most enthusiastic and dedicated audiences I had ever seen. Voyager had a two hour long signing session, of which Simone was asked to sign some guy’s butt. I have fond memories of this event, even if Anathema did tell us to be quiet in the corridors because we were having too much fun (oops). Another event with a strong family vibe, and a lot of the acts are determined and supported by sponsors who assist in the funding of international acts they want to come and perform for the event. Playing the US for any act is expensive AF even before you’ve left your country. So if you wonder why bands never go there, it’s because you’re 5-10k in a hole before you’ve even booked your flights. So the support is greatly appreciated as not many events cover visas.
Radar Festival - Manchester, UK https://www.radarfestival.co.uk/
Albeit a young festival, Radar Festival has grown quickly and is already establishing itself as a premiere progressive event in the UK. Joe, Catherine and Ash have also been long time attendees of Euroblast, so to bring an event with a similar vibe to the UK was a great move and there are a lot of crossover fans and bands who attend, making it feel nice and familiar. It’s also nice to have something on the doorstep rather than having to go overseas for my fix of progressive music, and to also have the opportunity to bring our bands here. I’m looking forward to next year and seeing their huge expansion in Manchester, and of course having a bunch of our bands play. They were also in receipt of the “Best New Festival” at the UK Festival awards, well deserved, team!
UK Tech Fest - Newark, UK https://www.uktechfest.com/
If you like your metal a bit more tech, a bit more core, but with a regular dose of prog then UK Tech Fest is a nice and friendly indoor (but with camping) event that caters to those tastes. Another festival with an intimate family vibe and I’ve had many acts perform there over the years. I also have to thank UK Tech Fest for allowing me to connect with my now- fiancé in the shisha tent back in 2018 as we both had bands we manage performing that weekend (Voyager & VOLA). The prosecco van was a truly great move as well, and it was my bag of prosecco (no joke) that fired up mine and John’s first ever non-professional conversation. So there’s a nice love story for you! I also had my face painted like a leopard that year, so I was definitely having a great time and feeling relaxed - probably because I wasn’t running around the press area like a mad woman for once!
Anyways, you get the point. These are just some of the events I recommend. The list is exhaustive and I have plenty more to tick off my list but if you’re in a band wanting to play more festivals then these ones are a great place to start.
Other Festivals (that I can think of right now)
Midsummer Prog - Valkenburg Netherlands
Night of the Prog Loreley (France)
Winter’s End/Summer’s End (UK)
Ready For Prog Festival (France)
