This year marks the tenth anniversary of Dot to Dot. Starting life as a one-day festival in one city, it’s now become a weekend-sprawling mix of eclectic artists across three cities and numerous venues...
One of the first ‘urban festivals’ which are now increasingly prevalent across the Summer gig calendar, it’s a mix of hard work and sublime booking which has seen the event explode triumphantly into a decade of existence. While the likes of Saint Raymond might top the bill, we’re casting our eyes further down the running order to highlight three bands you might have missed.
The Hotelier
Hitting UK shores for the first time since ‘Home Like NoPlace Is There’ topped numerous ‘Album of 2014’ lists, The Hotelier are a huge coup for Dot to Dot. The band manage to cover more genres in their album’s 40 minute runtime than many of their peers manage across an entire career and the result is an eclectic mix fitting for such a varied and exciting festival. While some of their material is earnest and yearning, other songs positively explode with ferocity.
Menace Beach
The offshoot of numerous bands who have carved out devoted followings, Menace Beach came together in Leeds and have so far refused to be remotely categorised in terms of genre and musical style. Their releases to date sway from explosive bursts, rippled with punks snarls and chaotic percussion to meandering indie numbers. The scope of their catalogue, given the relative youth of the band, suggests that very exciting things still lie in wait.
Cymbals Eat Guitars
One of the most innovative bands to be consistently lumped into the ‘indie’ genre. Cymbals Eat Guitars ooze inventiveness and their latest album ‘LOSE’ harnesses that free-range approach and distils it into an explosive documentation of the death of a friend. Powerful and moving, the lyrics drag you into the melee of passion and the band’s live shows are truly captivating. They may be on their third album but this is arguably the first release with Cymbals Eat Guitars as a concrete outfit rather than a revolving cast. They’ve not let this stability restrict them and they’re sure to prove on of Dot to Dot’s most compelling outfits this year.
Dot to Dot takes place in Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over the weekend of May 22nd – 24th. Full dates and line-up are shown below.
May
22nd – Manchester
23rd – Bristol
24th – Nottingham
The Hotelier
Hitting UK shores for the first time since ‘Home Like NoPlace Is There’ topped numerous ‘Album of 2014’ lists, The Hotelier are a huge coup for Dot to Dot. The band manage to cover more genres in their album’s 40 minute runtime than many of their peers manage across an entire career and the result is an eclectic mix fitting for such a varied and exciting festival. While some of their material is earnest and yearning, other songs positively explode with ferocity.
Menace Beach
The offshoot of numerous bands who have carved out devoted followings, Menace Beach came together in Leeds and have so far refused to be remotely categorised in terms of genre and musical style. Their releases to date sway from explosive bursts, rippled with punks snarls and chaotic percussion to meandering indie numbers. The scope of their catalogue, given the relative youth of the band, suggests that very exciting things still lie in wait.
Cymbals Eat Guitars
One of the most innovative bands to be consistently lumped into the ‘indie’ genre. Cymbals Eat Guitars ooze inventiveness and their latest album ‘LOSE’ harnesses that free-range approach and distils it into an explosive documentation of the death of a friend. Powerful and moving, the lyrics drag you into the melee of passion and the band’s live shows are truly captivating. They may be on their third album but this is arguably the first release with Cymbals Eat Guitars as a concrete outfit rather than a revolving cast. They’ve not let this stability restrict them and they’re sure to prove on of Dot to Dot’s most compelling outfits this year.
Dot to Dot takes place in Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over the weekend of May 22nd – 24th. Full dates and line-up are shown below.
May
22nd – Manchester
23rd – Bristol
24th – Nottingham
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