Dot To Dot Festival, Bristol - Review (Part 2)
Posted on: 2017-06-01
Our rating:
The second half of Martin Allen's take on Dot To Dot Festival, which took over central Bristol last weekend.
Throughout the festival line-up, it was a case of ‘get there early or miss out’ and this was no more true than at The Louisiana for Gothic Tropic, the LA-based indie-pop band fronted by Cecilia Della Peruti. Those that managed to squeeze in for this mid-afternoon slot would have heard how their tracks ‘Stronger’, ‘How Life Works’ and ‘Your Soul’ (all from the debut album ‘Fast or Feast’ out this month), take on a new dimension when performed live. No doubt this set should have been at a larger venue, but such are the logistics of a festival such as this.
Other prime acts on the Louie’s main stage included the sublime Low Island, the crazy Confidence Man and the must-see Banfi, who Bristolians will be able to catch again at the same venue on 15 September.
Thekla served as the festival’s main hub and boasted a programme of acts befitting that status. Hotly-tipped singer Liv Dawson made an appearance early in the day, followed by the summer sound of Swimming Tapes (above). Festival-goers would have been forgiven for camping out here for the whole day however, catching a stellar line-up on board the Good Ship Thekla that also featured Cosmo Pyke, Parcels, All We Are, and Josefin Ohrn + The Liberation - all of which are well worth checking out if you missed them.
Upstairs on the top deck, Indian duo Parekh & Singh wowed with their melodic dream-pop, brilliantly and beautifully delivered. Alt-pop singer/songwriter Hannah Georgas was also a revelation.
HY Brasil Music-Club welcomed several superb acts onto its modest stage too. Brash pop from Avante Black, underrated energetic showmanship from Norwegian Sondre Lerche, and the genre-crossing electronic/R&B sound of CROOX, were all an absolute treat to witness up-close in an intimate venue such as this - particularly the latter, whose frontman Howard Kaye got in amongst the crowd to inject further bounce into an already lively performance.
.jpg "Cousin Kula Bristol")
There was also a wealth of local artists performing too. She Makes War, Cousin Kula (above), Cassia, Keir, Fossette, Skies, Youth and Three Kings High were some of the names on an extensive list of acts from around the Bristol music scene taking part.
There was so much talent on show right across the city throughout the day that it is hard to comprehend the amount of planning that has to go into not only curating a line-up such as this, but being able to transport it all lock, stock and barrel across three cities over three days - Bristol being the middle leg of stops in Manchester and Nottingham.
Only cities with the rich diversity of city centre venues that Bristol possesses could possibly host such an endeavour, but long may this important festival for showcasing new music continue to return again and again. Exhausting… but euphoric.
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As a lifelong music obsessive, Martin brings his extensive journalism experience to bear on reviewing some of the many gigs that make Bristol's music scene one of the liveliest in the country. Originally from London, he spends his time following AFC Wimbledon, tormenting his children with Dad Jokes, and getting out to see as much live music, comedy and theatre as possible.
