Dot to Dot Festival is a triple-city, new music festival which takes place in Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over the late May bank holiday weekend of the 27th, 28th and 29th. Well-known for championing bands as they are about to break, Dot to Dot have showcased the likes of Ed Sheeran, The 1975, Mumford & Sons, Jake Bugg and The XX since establishing in Nottingham, way back in 2005.
This year’s lineup is no exception. Eclectic as ever, the likes of Mystery Jets, Augustines, The Temper Trap, Sundara Karma and Lauren Aquilina are set to feature over the three dates. We love this year’s line-up so much that we’ve put together a list of 10 artists you should probably check out if you’re thinking of heading to any of the cities, including some you’ve probably not heard of before.
The Bristol leg of the festival is strewn around the city from the Exchange to the O2 Academy to The Louisiana and Thekla, among many other cafés, clubs and pubs. As we’ve experience how overwhelming it can get trying to catch so many acts in so little time, we’ve prepared a compact list to guide you through the mayhem!
Fenne Lily
Expect nothing less than poetry and a voice to bring you to tears from this Bristolian rising star. Despite having only one song, “Top to Toe”, available on Soundcloud, the three and a half minutes of beautiful lyrics and soft melody are enough to hook us in.
Rat Boy
Rat Boy aka Jordan Cardy has been royally tearing it up wherever he goes. Labelled as the new Jamie T, Cardy and his band create a real vibe and a ruck in their live shows and have built up a loyal following thanks to prime time radio play of singles ‘Move’ and ‘Sign On’.
Liberto Wolf
This four piece Bristol-based band has enough heart-wrenching lyrics and passionate guitar riffs to make your heart vibrate. Their single, “Everyone Wants to Hurt You”, delivers the perfect alt/post rock vibe on a bed of dark words and smooth licks that sound even better live.
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Sundara Karma
The young band from Reading, Sundara Karma, will also take to the stage at this year’s festival. The indie four-piece are quickly becoming known on the band scene after supporting a variety of popular bands, appearing at a number of festivals and having their own headline tour last year.
Also releasing two EP’s filled with beautifully crafted indie anthems, ‘EP I’ and ‘EP II,’ frontman Oscar Lulu commented: “We’re hoping 2016 is going to be our year, we’re going to f*****g go for it… and maybe not party so hard.”
With their music filled with shimmering guitars and hooks, the bands singles can immediately grasp an audience’s attention from the onset. The distinct vocals from the front man, Lulu, are instantly recognisable and all four members of the band equally display their talent across their memorable singles.
Night Beats
It’s that mix of psychedelic tones and R&B which make Night Beats so unique. It’s blues, contorted and distorted in to new shapes for 21st century wastoids. And we love it.
New Palace Talkies
If you miss New Palace Talkies, you are making a very big mistake. Another notable member of Bristol’s promoter Chivern’s fleet of boundless talent, New Palace Talkies have been making a name for themselves since their formation in 2014, and we expect nothing but big things from them this summer.
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No Violet
Slow, slurred vocals and deep psych guitar licks, No Violet’s front woman’s unique croon combined with the bass-infused 60s-esque instrumental are a force to be recognised. If the taster we got from single “Your Head/ My Head” is anything like their live performance, then we’re in for a real treat.
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Spring King
Similarly, Spring King are a band that have also been all over prime time radio with slacker singles ‘Rectifier’, ‘City’ and ‘Who Are You’ – all of which definitely pack a punch. They’ve just signed to Island Records and big things are expected of them, so catch them before they blow up in size.
Van Zeller
It’s going to be loud, sweaty, and bursting with energy. Van Zeller compactly represent their musical superiority in their two minute long single “She’s Moving Right”, delivering a big bite of garage inspired rock.
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Eyre Llew
Nottingham newcomer trio, Eyre Llew bring their ambient alt-rock to all three legs of this year’s Dot to Dot Festival. You won’t want to miss them. Trust us on this one…
Delamere
Having recently proved their worth at The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham, Manchester’s Delamere will hit up all three cities of Dot to Dot in collaboration with Scruff of the Neck records. Listen out for their pop-hook-filled single ‘Bright Young Things’ – which is definitely what they are.
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The Karma Repair Kit
If this Bristolian four piece’s awesome name doesn’t draw your attention, their loud, post-punk garage sound surely will. They’ve been building up quite the reputation in Bristol, with performances at The Louisiana, The Exchange and The Stag and Hound slowly inflating their well-deserved fan base.
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Little Bribes
Having already played a load of gigs in their native city of Nottingham, alt quartet Little Bribes will play the Nottingham leg of this year’s Dot to Dot on Sunday May 29th. Look out for Little Bribes’ infectious hybrid of emo and alt-punk later this month.
Diet Cig
NYC duo Diet Cig head over to the UK this month for a tour of the country which includes all three dates of Dot to Dot. Think personable pop-punk ditties full of occasional self-deprecating delicate lyrics, perfect for a singalong we’d say.
Pale Waves
The refreshing four-piece made up of Heather, Ciara, Ryan and Hugo perfectly describe their genre as ‘reverb and glitter’. Their dreamy-indie pop vibe that the band radiate when performing live is certainly engaging, and the set up of two men and two women really makes the band stand out in a positive fashion.
The band has two singles currently available to listen to on Soundcloud, featuring their distinctive tracks, ‘The Tide’ and the track ‘Heavenly’.
The remarkable sound of the young band can be described similar to that of the Birmingham born bands such as Swim Deep, Peace and Jaws, featuring shiny riffs teamed with skating and beach-vibes.
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The Fat Angel Sings 