Dot To Dot Festival cruised back to Bristol this May bank holiday for a third year of live music, DJ’s and mass amounts of Tuborg spread over 8 fantastic venues. The one-day festival extravaganza hits both Bristol and Nottingham on the same weekend, with bands swapping days kind of like the Reading and Leeds festivals. Featuring some of the best emerging and established bands of the moment, it’s no wonder Dot to Dot is slowly being dubbed the ‘Camden Crawl’ of the midlands.

The festival has undergone a series of transformations over the years, originally starting off as a one day festival in Nottingham only, but despite these changes, Dot To Dot has been a consistently notorious launching pad for bands already on their way to success. Past years have seen performances from Klaxons and Kate Nash, and this year sees the likes of Vivian Girls, Patrick Wolf and Little Boots taking to the stages.

When I arrive the atmosphere is extremely relaxed. It’s not very often that the sun decides to grace Britain with its presence, particularly in terms of festivals based in May and June (see: Glastonbury 2007), but when it does, by God do we know how to make the most of it! When not jerking around madly to their favourite bands, many punters resort to lazing around outside venues or on grassy areas. Occasionally I catch someone increasing their walking pace slightly so they don’t miss an opening song, but for the most part, everyone is all smiles and shoulder-shrugging. But even with this overriding vibe, there’s still an electricity radiating from the crowds of people busting around the city which makes being there almost unbearably exciting. Inside the venues every single band ruffles the crowds feathers and abolishes any inhibitions they may have about dancing like a complete dick.

As with most festivals, often the rare gems are tucked away in the lower areas of the bill. My day began with Flashguns in Thekla Bar, who kicked off the early afternoon with a performance more energetic than a pack of wild dogs pumped up on Relentless. They’re songs didn’t seem that different to most other typical “look how silly my haircut is, isn’t it rad?” indie bands, but they were delivered with a hell of a lot of gusto and it was definitely one of the most enjoyable and entertaining performances of the day. The same goes for Dan Black, who played directly after in the downstairs area of Thekla, busting out such vivacious electro-pop that it would put FrankMusik to shame.

The venues themselves are about 15 minutes apart from one another, except the stretch between The Louisiana and The Cooler, which is a pretty hellish trek, but can’t be avoided. As the day creeps into evening, bands like Crystal Stilts, The XX, Crystal Antlers and Cage The Elephant all hit the stages, and it starts getting difficult to choose where to go! Dinosaur Pile-Up and Wintersleep performed at Fleece, with the former delivering raw prog-rock with a Biffy Clyro-esque melodious edge. The fact that they are only a three piece makes the scale of their sound even more impressive. Wintersleep kicked off their set with ‘Drunk On Aluminium’, which may have been a mistake as it’s definitely one of their strongest songs. Live, singer Paul Murphy lacks the soothing vocals that make their latest album ‘Welcome To The Night Sky’ so beautiful, but as they sail through their set it’s still hard not to be captivated by them.

The O2 Academy had the pleasure of housing Mumford & Sons, Cage The Elephant, Patrick Wolf, and Ladyhawke in succession. With a double-bass and a banjo in tow, Mumford & Sons have jigged their way onto everybody’s “watch out for” list this year, especially having just completed a tour supporting The Maccabees. Their performance proves that their hype is well-deserved. Each song is a powerful combination of unique vocals, amazing harmonies, and a hefty dose of folk for good measure. For a band who have only been together since 2007, it’s promising that they’ll be a band who will rocket to success without much help from the Dot To Dot launch pad.

If there’s one certainty around this year’s festival, it’s that Patrick Wolf will put on an impressive performance. He struts on stage clad in a dotted shirt (which he soon removes to reveal a mesh vest) and tight red trousers, and launches straight into ‘Accident and Emergency’. As usual he blows confidently and entertainingly through his set, taking full advantage of his more mainstream hits including ‘The Magic Position’ which he describes rightly as his “Top Of The Pops moment”. He storms back on stage for an encore, draped in a feather coat, jumping into the crowd, underlining his performance in silver glitter, dotting all its eyes with hearts. Dare I liken him to a more sincere electro version of David Lee Roth? After that encore, I think I could, but I wont…

Another band at the top of everyone’s “must see” list this weekend are New York four-piece The Pains of Being Pure at Heart who tear up The Cooler, playing a set almost entirely from their debut album. They’ve pulled a massive crowd and it’s not difficult to see why. With the likes of The Ramones and My Bloody Valentine as obvious influences, they deliver a heavy dose of poppy feel good-ness that gets everyone going.

Having recently toured with Rolo Tomassi, Pulled Apart By Horses round off the night with a whirlwind of chainsaw guitars and gritty vocals. They take the tiny Thekla Bar and transform it into a ball of pure spazzy energy, complete with shaking floor, a pulsating crowd, and a cover of Nirvana’s ‘Aneurysm’ which sends the crowd and the band alike into euphoric nostalgia.

For those in true festival swing, the night continues with help from Annie Mac, Tomb Crew and Kissy Sell Out who provide DJ entertainment for all at O2 Academy and Thekla until 4am. Dot To Dot ticks all the boxes, takes all your expectations and puts them in front of you to dance for. No one could ask for more from a 15 hour musical blitz.

Words and Photos > Emma Garland