Dot To Dot 2011. It may have suffered a little from idle let's-compare-it-to-last-year tittle tattle, but once again it proved to be a cracking day out. Taking over the Manchester Academy in it's entirety as well as nearby hipster haunt The Deaf Institute, the day was always set to be an exhausting but most exciting affair. For the more hardcore amongst us who could withstand a whole day's worth of gigs and drinking and laugh in the face of that irresistible pull of comfy bed, jim jams and possibly chips; Sound Control stayed open til the dinky hours with a line up of acts who were made for those up for a dance. I'm sorry to say I was not one of those people. My softness cost me greatly because seeing Becoming Real and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs live would have been incredible.
So why was I so knackered? I knew I would be when the first band I went to see was Stagecoach in Academy 3. Initially the energy of their set gave you the slightly uncomfortable feeling you might get when sitting too close to the fireplace. Not in the good rock n roll form of face melting- it was just a little too hot and hurt a bit... I overheard a person near me say, 'that was just noise'. But come halfway point 'Jonah Lomu', they seemed to settle a little more. Perfecting ferocious energy without appearing to stage something of a musical tantrum on stage understandably must take some effort, and this had definitely been reached for the latter part of the set. The mad bouncing mandolin and riff heavy 'Map To The Freezer' were certainly the highlight, gang vocals and 'woo!'-ing making them awfully loveable.
This venue would prove to be something of a sweat-fest at several points through the day as it hit capacity a few times. Frontiers quite possibly benefited from Swimming's withdrawal from Academy 2 and found themselves with a crowd that was apparently denser (in bodies, not IQ) than in their home town of Nottingham just the day before. Having been unfamiliar with them I felt like I had made something of a discovery as I really liked the taste of their 80s moodiness in their dark indie pop. It possibly would be the most serious set of the day, which seems fairly fitting for a band that bring to mind acts like Joy Division and Chapel Club. Wolf Gang also took to a 'one-in-one-out' afflicted Academy 3. They were a name that spilt from many lips on the run up to the festival as well as on the day, as their electronic hipster-friendly pop proved too good an offer to pass up on. Being relatively neutral to their hype, I have to say I did enjoy this set- it almost felt like a microcosmic stadium show- but I couldn't help but have one rather unflattering word keep running through my mind. Mika.
Club Academy boasted a fine line-up, quite suitably placed underground. Names like Niki and the Dove, Cults and Trophy Wife made this seem like a bit of a 'next big thing' area. Dom were no exception to that. Their lo-fi surfer rock suffered from sound difficulties though, with the vocals being rendered inaudible under the weight of rumbling bass lines and steady drum beats. Summer classic in the making 'Living In America' did end the set on a high though. I was so eager to see Is Tropical that I risked the strong likelihood of having to queue for We Are Scientists for the privilege. Having been smitten with the sparkle of their nectarous lo-fi breeze pop for some time, I was intrigued to see if the masked trio could have the same effect on the live stage. It's almost there. Again, the sound may have caused some issues and drowned out the key elements of synth that makes their songs like 'South Pacific', but there is something so compelling about them that the set was an absolute treat. And... I'm pretty sure I even saw one of their faces during sound check- and I'm still alive.
Academy 1 may have been the 'big' stage but I for one would query it's role as that. Of course Darwin Deez is always an absolute delight- even for those not into the music the infamous dancing interludes from the band has made them one to always make the effort to see live. I personally have a problem with The Naked and Famous' failure to communicate and connect during a live show although they pulled a pretty big and seemingly jubilant crowd. However, headliner Hurts was a mistake and the relatively paltry crowd was testament to that. The best action was going on next door in Academy 2, the venue creaking under the weight of bodies packed in there.
The Joy Formidable are used to an insanely loyal audience but this festival crowd didn't let them down. It is mainly because the connection the band establishes with those they play to is utterly incredible and every single track is played with such passion and importance that you could believe that it was their last ever chance to share them. I really must mention the irresistible delight that is front-woman Ritzy Bryan. She can rock out like Slash one moment then have a face like a kid that's completed their Pokemon card collection the next. It's hard not to love her. Final band We Are Scientists were typically outstanding, whipping their assemblage into a frenzy ticking every box on the 'classics' wish list, 'It's A Hit' 'After Hours' being narrowly beaten by the hundreds of voices bouncing and singing 'do do, do do, do do' to the opening bars of 'The Great Escape'. The on-stage repartee was, unsurprisingly, the best of the festival too.
Despite this almost clean sweep of positive reviews it's with great pleasure to tell you that I'm yet to unveil the best band of the day. Read it in the style of the 'Batman' themetune... it's Dananananaykroyd. A few songs in, John Baillie Jr said something that summed them up perfectly in regards to their music- 'it's not for everyone, but it is for everyone'. About ten minutes in you could tell that anyone that didn't 'get' the raw noise that tumbles and writhes off stage like a spilt can of worms had decided to take their leave. But that was okay- because everyone that was left was there and completely enraptured in the fun of the spectacle unfolding before them. In terms of passion, vivacity and madness, they were outstanding. It's amazing how they can sound so happy-go-poppy as well as completely nuts- flailing, yelping and somehow making it bind together into a show that singes your ears and makes you smile in equal measure. Having both vocalists stage-dive at the end of the set to join in with the partying is the mark of any good show, 'Infinity Milk' dousing you in a hit of pure posicore joy. Well done Dananananaykroyd, as talent show panellists would say- you smashed it.