Storm Static Sleep: A Pathway Through Post Rock

by Jack Chuter

In 2015, the likes of ArcTanGent festival in England and dunk!festival in Belgium signify a colossal moment in the post-rock narrative. The term has now crystallised to the extent where these festivals advertise themselves as showcasing post-rock, and listeners know exactly what to expect when they arrive. Attending ArcTanGent in 2014 was one of the best festival experiences of my life. I knew that post-rock had spawned online communities of like-minded listeners who share large overlaps in music taste. If someone proclaimed to love Mono, you could take a guess that they were probably into Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Rós too. It’s a shame that the term has all but evicted the likes of Seefeel and Pram, bands which led Simon Reynolds to see post-rock as an “open plain of possibility” back in the 90s. Yet post-rock’s tangible meaning has brought with it a sense of devotion and community, and to experience the congregative energy of post-rock in the context of a festival was an absolute delight.