Can I believe my ears have finally stopped ringing from Dot to Dot? it was a madhouse, busy as you like, with folk drawn into Notts from all over town and the rain sodden lands beyond. The weather was a bit on the biblical downpour side of things but it didn't seem to bother the punters who were out in force and all half cooked by about five. Hurrah!

LeftLion was there and here are the highlights of the tasty bands we saw. Plus some juicy galleries of the bands and frisky folk we bumped into:


Architecture in Helsinki (Trent Main Room)

In a hot room full of damp people, the eclectically-clad, beardy indie heroes Architecture in Helsinki gave arguably the festival’s best performance, announcing their welcome return with new single 'Heart it Races'. Their third album 'Places Like This' is out this summer and Dot to Dot was only one of many high profile European and American gigs to celebrate its release.

Shaking up musical genres with heady abandon, the antipodeans showed us how to out-alt an alt festival. Taking the best of Hot Chip, Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire and fusing it with an indefinable sense of eighties zing, the V2 prodigies promised and delivered an impressive, breathless set of “jazz ballet and power chords”.

Cramming more ideas into one song than most musicians manage in an entire career, the psychedelic Melbourne party animals performed like a band possessed. Quirky vocals from Cameron Bird and keyboardist Isobel Knowles veered gaily from percussive beats to harmonies in perfect time with the rest of the band’s steadily rising tempo. Creating a plethora of sparkling noise, complete with bongo samples and maracas, they cut through the crowd’s posing to leave AIH virgins gasping at their audacity and everyone dancing like, well…twats. Happy twats, mind you. - Ceri Gorton

Architecture in Helsinki website


Brigade (Rock City Basement)

Taking up where nu-metal left off, youthful emo wannabes Brigade may have looked sharp in matching black shirts, but they failed to impress with their artrock-by-numbers posturing. Lead singer Will managed to belt out a few impressive vocals even though he was recovering from what sounded like a very sore throat, and the band’s musical abilities were solid, but the London boys were relentlessly underwhelming.

Their much-hyped debut EP ‘Made to Wreck’ was produced by Joe Gibb (famous for his work with Funeral For A Friend) and they played some tracks from that as well as some from their new album ‘Lights’ to a fairly small crowd. Having played with the likes of Hundred Reasons, Fightstar, and Biffy Clyro, they’ve built up a loyal fanbase, but it didn’t seem like many of them were out at Dot to Dot.

Neatly packaged and marketed, Brigade nonetheless lack originality, and in the dingy confines of the Rock City basement, the absence of enthusiasm from both audience and band was slightly embarrassing. Kerrang may have dubbed them 'one of the UK's most important bands' but the crowd who saw them on Sunday was left wondering why. Drummer Fim played with reckless mania and really did his best to lift the mood. Unfortunately for the band, Fim is jumping ship at the end of the month, leaving Brigade in the market for a new drummer and, hopefully, some new ideas too. - Ceri Gorton

Brigade website


Scout Niblett (The Social)

Scout Niblett had the audience at the Social captivated in awe by her Alternative Rock of minimalist drumming, guitar riffs and lamenting voice. It was an intimate live set beginning with the track "dinosaur egg" from her latest EP. Like PJ Harvey at Cat Power she uses the singer songwriter genre to capture a personal perspective on life with a grunge edge. However Scout is individual in her sound, steadily quivering heavy tracks carry warmth and honesty with a buzz of the craze. She rocked out during her set delivering her Indie Punk musical edge, a beauty of classic alt rock. A hot tip on the Too Pure record label she was once a fellow Nottingham duck, hanging out around the Contemporary Art course at Trent Uni. Her performance days are real big and expanding as we speak with a run up to Meltdown in London, Scout will be supporting Iggy and The Stooges. - Amanda Young

Scout Niblett website
Scout Niblett myspace


Kap Bambino (Stealth downstairs)

Presenting a performance of New Wave, Death Metal mixed with Club music Kap Bambino rocked and shocked the audience at Stealth Night Club. The French Duo, Orion Bouvier on the electronics and Caroline Martial hanging from the microphone released manic energy like Barbie and Ken on speed. This was part of their European Tour, which was magnificent and well received by Nottingham movers. Bodies were surfing the crowds and Oui! Our vocal bunny headed out on the sea of hands too! (don't forget her scrap with that lad who dived on stage! - ed) The rhythms were electric, mind shuddering and intoxicating. Distorted and outsider screeching lyrics added the final ingredient of wild rough edge. Not only was it a musical endeavour but Kap Bambino was also immense in its performance style like watching a cartoon in ffwd. Dressed in an auburn mop, leggings and t-shirt frills, could this have been feminine drag? They were, in a word absolutely soul-disturbingly-brilliant with cotton threads from the blanket of Dat Politics weaved into their set. Disco genius. - Amanda Young

Kap Bambino myspace


Kate Nash (Rock City main stage)

Kate Nash packed out Rock City Main Hall, with candour lyrics of a London mouth. A singer songwriter on Fiction Records (teamed with Ian Brown and Snow Patrol) Nash showed the visual spark of a star like Nico of The Velvet Underground. Dressed in 60’s hair and a frock she exudes class whilst a stuck out tongue of lollypop fashion exposes her cheeky humour. Her minimal piano chords were frank in melody and simply charming describing a bite of a fresh young mind. Swapping from keys to stings Nash donned an acoustic guitar to hit off her 7” single Caroline’s a victim. Her brusque vocals can be compared to London based MIA. Equally Nash has developed a style of storytelling contemporary London from a teenage perspective. At 19 the lady has the world at her feet and a sweet charisma to boot, let us hope she develops her Indie-rock over a lengthy musical career. - Amanda Young

Kate Nash website
Kate Nash myspace


The Broken Family Band (Trent Main Stage)

Faced with an audience depleted by the loss of Architecture in Helsinki fans, The Broken Family Band seemed confused at having been booked for such an emo audience, and rightly annoyed by some drunken heckling from one of the ugliest men Nottingham has ever seen.

Despite these setbacks, they maintained the trademark high standards that set them apart from their fey indie counterparts, even if their set did lack the usual joyful spark which makes the BFB’s live blend of country and indie so special. Out to promote their new album Hello Love and gearing up for a summer of festivals including Glastonbury, Summer Sundae and Green Man, the Cambridge quartet hillbilly-rocked through a set of old favourites from masterful albums Welcome Home Loser and Cold Water Songs, and treated us to a few new gems including their forthcoming single Love Your Man, Love Your Woman.

Representing country-slacker rock at its finest, this may not have been a career-best performance, but the Track & Field posterboys seemed to win over plenty of new fans with their unbeatable mix of bitter lyrics, catchy tunes and unselfconscious love for life. As their eponymous 2005 single suggests, at a Broken Family Band gig, however damp and dreary, you can’t help but feel that Happy Days Are Here Again. Roll on Summer Sundae. - Ceri Gorton

The Broken Family Band website


The Thermals (Trent Upstairs Stage)

At the end of a long wet day, Portland punk moguls The Thermals managed to inject some much needed energy into the packed Glo bar with a scorching half hour set.

It was obvious to everyone that this band lives for the sheer joy of live performance rather than cold hard cash. As if playing a career-making set on a tiny stage in the rainy East Midlands wasn’t enough proof of this, the politically engaged Sub Pop darlings famously turned down a $50,000 deal which would have allowed General Motors to use one of their tracks in a Hummer commercial. Liberal cachet suitably proven, and with bands like Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Hot Hot Heat among their fans and collaborators, The Thermals more than fulfil their promise as the self professed “leaders of the post-pop-punk (non-)movement.”

Met with a crowd who seemed intent on being unimpressed, The Thermals had even the coolest of observers frantically foot tapping and dancing by the end of the first track. Hutch Harris’ raucous staccato vocal and Kathy Foster’s nimble bass hooks jolted the room into life. Moshing, of the old-fashioned, heady variety was soon in full swing. Irresistable, unconventional, and gleeful, this was a genuine treat for indie, emo, grunge and punk fans alike.

Oregon’s finest performed tracks from all of their Sub Pop releases although most came from their latest album, ‘The Body, The Blood, The Machine,’ which was produced and influenced by Fugazi legend Brendan Canty. This third album is being re-released in the UK to coincide with their ATP appearance and European tour, and tells the story of a young couple who flee a United States governed by fascist faux-Christians. If there is even the chance that their live genius can be captured in the studio, this album must be bought. - Ceri Gorton

The Thermals website


Galleries

Our camera toting scamps were out amongst the thick of it snapping some of the acts we were reviewing and capturing the revellers enjoying themselves, they're dead good, don't take our word for it tho' check out their shiny pics yerself:

Part 1: the crowd - had one too many in the Rescue Rooms and Stealth? we saw you!

Part 2: live bands - Dom Henry's live pics feat: Foals, New Young Pony Club, Kap Bambino, Broken Family Band, Pete and the Pirates, Kate Nash, Kid Harpoon, Kano and Datarock.

Part 3: live bands - Alex Oates' live pics feat: Architecture in Helsinki, Brigade, Candi Payne, Gallows and The Thermals.
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