Music / preview
Preview: Dot to Dot festival
The travelling musical circus that is Dot to Dot lands in Bristol once again on Saturday, ready to take over with a day of quality headliners, esoteric sideshows, and spotlit-underground musical discoveries.
It’s set to be another wild journey for music fans as fresh sounds fill every corner of the city for over 12 hours, before the caravan departs for Nottingham and a second round on Sunday.
Bands that fall loosely under the indie umbrella, but ranging widely from pop to alt-folk, shoegaze, post-punk and noise, are gathering from across the UK, Europe and America to join the show on the road it takes annually from the west country up to the east midlands.
is needed now More than ever
Panic Shack have gained fans for their catchy punky-party songs of modern life including ‘who’s got my lighter?’, ‘the ick’ and ‘meal deal’ – photo: Panic Shack
‘Weird and wonderful’ alt-pop duo Jockstrap headline the O2 Academy, with happy-go-lucky Welsh punk party Panic Shack and high-intensity rock-n-rollers Bug Club bringing tongue-in-cheek tales of the everyday to the venue’s afternoon.
Elsewhere, Wunderhorse headline SWX in their biggest show to date; introspective lyricist Antony Szmierek and The Dare’s ‘dancepunk electroclash’ top off the night at Thekla; and progressive folk revivalists (and Green Man Rising 2023 winners) Eve Appleton Band kick off the day at the Fleece which culminates with the ‘intergalactically grandiose synth riffs’ of Soft Launch.
Those looking for a dose of Bristol magic in the mix have got a wealth of different sounds, vibes and venues to choose from.
Bristol’s Hamburger play music FFO ‘sad songs about aliens’ – photo: Sarah Currie
Noise collective Knives bring their chaotic brand of post-punk to the top slot at the Lanes and splurge-pop outfit Trans-Siberian Express will fill the Louisiana with their erratic folk dynamism. Fans of ‘sad songs about aliens’ should head to Rough Trade for a mid-afternoon set from Hamburger, while early evening at the Exchange features ‘pop music you can beat your friends up to’ from Bitter Kisses.
And if none of the above ticks the box, who could resist checking out any one of the enigmatically-named Sulk, Trout, Ugly, Search Results, Welly (‘new pop for the CBBC generation’), Unpeople or the glorious Shania Twainsaw Massacre?!
With shows also taking place at Strange Brew, Dareshack and Mr Wolf’s, there’s almost too much to discover. Tickets are still on sale but last year’s event sold out so get in quickly to avoid missing out. Find the full lineup and tickets at www.dottodotfestival.co.uk
Main photo: Antony Szmierek
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
