REVIEW: Dot To Dot Manchester

Dot to Dot marks the second big event in Manchester’s festival season, another all-day city fest following Salford’s Sounds From the Other City a fortnight ago. Dot to Dot brought a mostly indie-rock fair to venues across the city centre from the Albert Hall to Aatma, and despite some scheduling problems, proved to a very fun day out.

The first band on were indie-newcomers Stillia, who conquered some poor door management to win over a venue that should have been much busier than it was. Whilst the doors were meant to open fifteen minutes before the band took to the stage, it took until a few songs into the set to really start to fill out. The boys played with charm from the beginning though, and their dainty soft-indie is instantly likeable.

Over at Gorilla, few acts of the day had a tougher job to win over a crowd than rapper Bexey. The London based Lil Peep affiliate had a small throng of dedicated fans at the front, who screamed every word back at the emo-tinged trapper. The wider audience was less convinced; they hadn’t come to see this. But Gorilla remained relatively busy throughout his set and Bexey’s magnetic stage presence did a lot to assure the crowd he was the real deal.

Hotly tipped bedroom pop act Gus Dapperton took over the Ritz with a swagger that looked as though he had been playing live much longer than he had. The dainty singer-song writer gives a fun, upbeat performance replete with just one too many chest high leg kicks. Everything about the performance is choreographed but that doesn’t make it any enjoyable – Gus and co have a bright future.

Marika Hackman would have fit perfectly in the grand confines of the Albert Hall, but her set at the Ritz works just as well. The sweet, mostly lo-fi set entrances those in the stalls to the rafters; there isn’t a whole host of crowd interaction but it isn’t needed, the music speaks for itself.

The Regrettes stormed Gorilla in a pale burst of punk energy. The charisma from all three of the girls in the band was absoloutely evident as they blasted through tracks from last years Feel Your Feelings Fool! and this years Attention Seeker EP, before finishing on an astounding cover of The Sweet's Ballroom Blitz like Wayne's World's Cassandra come to life.

Over at Jimmy’s, there’s a host of cool punk bands throughout the day, but none quite as cool as YOWL. The Londoners’ drip with attitude, and when vocalist Gub comes into the crowd there is a genuine sense of adrenaline and danger. With tracks that negotiate their way from post punk to full-on hardcore yelps, their set flies by.

The final band of the night were Turnover. Originally set a mid afternoon slot at the Albert Hall, traffic problems meant the American band were moved back into a night-closing slot at Aatma. Despite their new headline status, Turnover only got a half hour set.

.. The set leans slightly too heavily on their newest record, and tracks from Peripheral Vision certainly get the biggest response, but when they had no idea of the shortened running time, it’s understandable. The sound isn’t the best, and the venue is too small, but Turnover put the best show they could have in the circumstances.

Dot to Dot had its flaws, but the scale of the vent is impressive, and for just £13 a ticket, it's a fun day of new music Till next time.

All photo credit Georgina Hurdsfield

#festival #indie #punk #turnover