Bristol’s Dot to Dot excels in its 2025 edition
The popular annual venue-hopping event returned to both Bristol and Nottingham and it did not disappoint.
Photo: Fat Dog by James Stiles
The turnout across Bristol was more than impressive, with a lot of buzz across the multiple grassroots venues. Bristol felt like the perfect place to host the first day of Dot to Dot, given the love the city has for celebrating music and the arts.
Kicking things off for the afternoon at one of Bristol’s best floating venues, Thekla, was Cork-based band Cardinals. Being back in this place in the daylight felt like an experience in itself, and the turnout for this indie five-piece was impressive, with their beautifully traditional Irish music even featuring an accordion on one of their tracks. An emotive set mixed with a lot of energy that boosted the crowd before a stacked day of back-to-back music.
Then it was onto the O2 Academy Bristol, the first of many visits of the day, to catch South London-based musician Master Peace, who had the audience captivated with — in his own words — ‘slut pop’, which radiated high energy across the venue. With only himself (Peace Okezie) alongside his drummer, as he announced his guitarist had broken his arm prior, the duo presented a masterclass on how to continually engage with the crowd by making his set a fully immersive experience for everyone.
With the event living up to its name, we dotted back over to the first venue of the day to catch Brooklyn-based girl band Hello Mary, who brought an element of shoegazing along with unfiltered rawness. Their gritty tones switched the tone from Master Peace’s indie pop that instantly got you dancing earlier, warming us up nicely for the evening acts. The New York three-piece have already created quite a buzz across the industry, and with any acts that fly across the pond that are making waves, we just knew we had to catch their set and see what all the hype is about. This is the beauty of these multi-venue all-dayers and those small-scale half-hour daytime sets; you really can catch people you may not otherwise get a chance to see.
Photo: The Horrors by James Stiles
Just as the sun was setting in Bristol, we made our way back to Frogmore Street and back into the 02 Academy for the last two acts of Dot to Dot. This was a super tough choice, as with most festivals, there is usually a dreaded set clash, and this time it was between upcoming UK grunge band KEO and indie veterans The Horrors. After much deliberation, it was the latter, as newcomers Fat Dog were closing at the Academy that evening, so it made sense to stay put and catch them both back to back.
Anticipation was building for The Horrors, a solid band that have stood the test of time ever since their first release back in 2007. The set was a perfect blend of new tracks from their latest release Night Life, along with a welcome selection: one of their most loved albums, 2009’s Primary Colours (judging by the crowd’s reaction). Frontman Faris Badwan dominated the stage with his presence alone, along with his ever-endearing vocals that completely captivate you; after all, this is a band that are hailed for their atmospheric feels. Every time I’ve caught this band live, it’s always felt like the first time, and that’s when you know this is the sign of a band that are constantly testing the boundaries yet sticking to their authentic ways, which can’t be faulted.
After gathering ourselves for the final act to close off Dot to Dot, the widely spoken about South London five-piece Fat Dog, who I’ve been interested in ever since seeing them play to a packed out Bimble Inn at Glastonbury last year. This is a band who do not shy away from trying anything and everything when it comes to performance; their debut album WOOF is a mix of genres that somehow this band can blend together, if not a little bit chaotically.
It was clear to see by everyone’s reactions that Fat Dog aren’t just here to play a selection of songs, they are here to create vivid memories for the audience. The stage lighting, the range of instruments, along with lead singer Joe Love’s flamboyant outfits, nothing is left untouched when it comes to this band. The perfect way to close off Dot to Dot, finishing with two bands that are at different points in their careers, but both are so insanely talented in their own right — you can’t get much better than that.
