Dot to Dot is back! This year’s lineup is, once again, a very strong collection of incredibly talented, up-and-coming musicians – who will all descend on Manchester city centre this Friday 26th May! We’re going to recommend who you should be checking out if you’re heading to Dot to Dot…
We suggest that you start your evening of live music at the Albert Hall, where Honeyblood will be taking to the stage to play a set which combines tracks from their self-titled debut album, as well as their sophomore album ‘Babes Never Die’, which was released last year. Then, head to Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter, where Yonaka will be tearing up the stage at Aatma. Things are only going to get much bigger for this band after the release of their monstrous latest single ‘Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya’.
Staying in Stevenson Square, we then recommend that you check out Nilüfer Yanya at the Soup Kitchen, where she will be playing tracks from her eagerly anticipated ‘Plant Feed’ EP. From there, it’s only a 5 minute walk to an excellent independent music venue, Band On The Wall, where you should definitely catch Ardyn‘s set, as they will be playing their awesome new single ‘Together’ live for the first time since its release! (I’m also quite biased because they’re the first band I ever interviewed, but trust me, they are amazing).
At this point, you’re probably going to be really hungry, but luckily there are plenty of places to grab some delicious food in the Northern Quarter, such as Pieminster, Turtle Bay or Common. We’re pretty sure that you’ll have loved the atmosphere so much in Band On The Wall, that you’ll be desperate to return to hear the soulful tones of Liv Dawson‘s voice. She’s caught the attention of Disclosure, who produced her incredible track ‘Open Your Eyes’. Stick around for a bit after her set, and you’ll be blown away by Matt Maltese, who’s worked with Hugo from The Maccabees to create some of the most emotive music you’ll have heard in years.
Time to hit up another venue – this time we’d suggest you run as fast as your legs can carry you to the Ruby Lounge, where Tom Grennan will be taking to the stage, to perform tracks from his recent ‘Release The Brakes’ EP. And if you’re lucky, he’ll even do that Chase & Status track that he just casually featured on, called ‘All Goes Wrong’. Soon, you’ll start to feel sad because there’s only a few more acts you’ll be able to see before the day comes to an end… So why not try another venue for some uplifting indie-pop? Gothic Tropic will be at The Castle Hotel performing her debut album ‘Fast or Feast’ and before you know it, you’ll be in a great mood again!
Then, you have two options, you can either be dead indie and cool, in which case you should see the wonderful CuckooLander at Gulliver’s in the Northern Quarter. Or you could go and see the excellent headliners of this year’s Dot to Dot Festival – Sundara Karma – who will be wowing the audience in the beautiful setting of the Albert Hall.
There are hundreds of other bands playing in loads of other venues across the city, so these are just a few of our favourites, feel free to explore! If you’d like to hear some of the artists we’ve recommended, there’s a handy Spotify playlist for you below… You’re welcome!
Tickets are still available at: http://www.alttickets.com/dot-to-dot-festival-tickets
