Saturday May 29th 2010 @ Various Venues, Bristol
Featuring Performances From: Farthing Wood, Wax Fang, Theremin, Chapel Club, Blood Red Shoes, Zane Lowe, Ellie Goulding, Mystery Jets

The concept is simple, the ambition is massive and the day itself (if not necessarily a festival in the traditional sense) certainly brings a carnival feeling to the shores of Bristol. So take over 80 acts, 14 hours of music at 10 stages across 8 venues and 1 wristband for entry to all - you can’t help but admire the fabulous showcase that has moored on the docks of Bristol today. The festival is by now renowned for uncovering big names and if you want to see the next big thing, you need look no further than some of the smaller stages of Dot To Dot. In the past the likes of Temper Trap and Little Boots have performed and some girl called Marina with her Diamonds also played. Today should be no exception.

A real buzz of anticipation is filling around The Grove as the day begins with a familiar festival feeling and tradition of waiting for the cherished wristband. Early in the day sees time for today’s punters to pursue an early morning drink and take in some local talent at the Louisiana bar, an acoustic section of the showboat venue. As local lads, Farthing Wood, take to the stage you feel as though their efforts are fraught against the general hustle and bustle of the ever-filling drinking hole that has surrounded them; however they provide us with a easy and pensive start to the day.

In this rare format of festival, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how big Bristol can be when you’re stomping from venue to venue. As you leave the Louisiana which is a mere stones throw from The Thekla, the thought of a walk to the Anson Rooms reminds you that it may be hard to make it to every venue today, let alone see every band you want to see. And at the end of each walk it would be nice to be rewarded with a killer set of tunes to make your work worth while. Wax Fang at The Cooler seemed an interesting prospect - a noisy three-piece from Kentucky USA play a popular breed of heavy indie-rock with a twist, the twist being the ferocious sound they utilise from just guitar, bass and drums - and of course the always fun Theremin; it’s just what you need to wake you up for the rest of the day.

Working the way up then to the Anson Rooms for a sighting of Chapel Club proves a hard task but ultimately rewarding, providing the essence of Joy Division replacing a the pulp-pop with grinding workmanlike bass-lines. As the evening approaches and alcohol levels increase, the accumulated body of hungry music lovers seem now ready to become nocturnal creatures; some wild and few withering. Blood Red Shoes can’t help but draw comparisons to The Ting Tings (the set up is identical minus the pop fluff) but with a harder hitting edge by not trying to be so, Blood Red Shoes seem effortlessly cooler.

As the evening builds to a close, we are treated to two more major acts before Zane Lowe is called upon to put the crowd at the mercy of another of his unforgettable sets: Ellie Goulding, already arguably becoming a super-star in her own right, shows just why she is a star on the rise - a flawless set and the most packed room of the day sending the crowd into a dancing rage; and Mystery Jets provide bouncy indie-pop and new songs which go down a storm, but as the night goes on, you can’t help but think the crowd are waiting for that second wind.

So Dot To Dot all in all is a great experience, one every Bristol gig-goer should ear mark for an annual visit. If nothing else, it only serves as a reminder of how many great venues we have in Bristol and when you take into account that many venues weren’t even a part of this, it just goes to show why Bristol is now becoming such a unique hub in the UK for great music.

www.dottodotfestival.co.uk

Adam Hooper
Photos by Laura Palmer