Live Review

Dot To Dot turns Bristol and Nottingham into the beating heart of new music

Whether it’s chaotic pits for Morn, late-night scenes with The Itch or breakout moments from Shrink and Brooki, Dot To Dot continues to define what the next wave looks like.

Okay, we can call it: summer is here. Shining like a beacon at the end of May, Dot To Dot has cemented itself as a go-to trusted voice when it comes to the very best of right now; year upon year, the roll call of stars who’ve made their name at Dot To Dot before bursting onto giant moves grows and grows. Crafted with an attention to detail that comes with a new music festival being created by new music lovers, 2026 sets itself apart as one of its very best. Whether it’s the ridiculous headline turns from Fcukers, Lambrini Girls and NewDad or the buzzing wall of excitement that comes from discovering plenty of favourite new bands, Dot To Dot sees cities come together, and a community of artists celebrate the soundtrack for the next 12 months.

Opening up the Dork Stage at The Louisiana in the heart of a heatwave may seem like a bold task, but it’s something Shrink seize with both hands. Dot To Dot’s bubbling heart of fresh local talent proves itself once again, with the soaring Inhaler-meets-Jeff Buckley hooks and razor-sharp Pixies swagger. Shrink may be Bristol’s secret at the moment, but soon they’ll be laying hooks all over the place. Trust us.

Downstairs at The Louisiana, Nobody’s Dad are making their impression as queues snake down the street. Sizzling slacker-rock crunches against punchy sing-alongs, sounding like they thrived on a road trip soundtracked by US alternative radio. Sweat is dripping off the walls, but more than anything, it’s dripping with ambition.

Upstairs, the Dork Stage sees AtticOmatic in spellbinding form. The air-conditioning’s cooling touch is superseded by a band who soothe and enthrall in equal measure. Sarah Meth takes that beguiling aura and runs with it, a dizzying set of shoegaze and grins. It’s strident and totally enthralling - a moment that puts exactly what she’s about first.

Adult DVD’s moment is here. Over the past year, they’ve gone about lighting up stages all over the globe with their pogoing electro-punk bangers, and just last week, they were a highlight of our time at The Great Escape. It’s no surprise then that today’s set at the O2 Academy is hotly anticipated, and by the end of it, their ascent feels even more assured. Making a big stage feel like their own kingdom, the whipping ‘Dogs In The Sun’ puts the floor of the Academy on sizzle, and it’s not long till it’s boiling over. New songs hit alongside beloved favourites - ‘Real Tree Lee’ descending into a full-throttle strobe whilst new tracks take Bristol on a ride across eras of dance, all with a knowing snarl. As crowdsurfers fling across the room to ‘Bill Murray’, Adult DVD’s set today is the added proof that even big stages aren’t safe from their takeover. Long may they reign.

Looking for the next act to fall head over heels for? Look no further than Brooki, who stride out upstairs at Academy2 and proceed to enrapture everyone gathered in a gazey-rock blitz. It’s boiling hot, but it just adds to a physical show that feels like you’re witnessing a band leave everything they have on stage. Rock hooks plucked from the 90s, with a feral beating heart, set them apart as a band destined to bring everyone along.

With each set and each city, Goodbye get better and better. Soaking in the early evening vibes at the Dork Stage, an indescribable magic falls over The Louisiana for a band who just have the instincts and knack for creating music that stops you dead in your tracks, hooked. ‘Meat’ is enrapturing, while ‘Origami’ and ‘Benji’s Collar’ build and crash in brilliance - a perfect embodiment of everything Goodbye are about. “The last time we were in Bristol, Sarah crashed the van,” admits lead singer Megan Wheeler. No accidents this time, Goodbye offer up a jaw-dropping future that starts now.

Describing and talking about what it’s like to witness Piss live feels almost pointless. For every incredible set seen today across the city, there’s only one that leaves a crowd speechless, such is the rawness of how the Canadian four-piece lay themselves out to the world. The most visceral of hardcore-punk scratches at the skin until every motion can be felt tenfold, but its powerful message tackling sexual abuse, power and female safety rings out from track to track and dedicated samples from news reports and more. People are visibly moved, and the result is one of the most profound live shows going, as Piss weave that line between defiant punk anger, screaming into the night sky, and brutal gut-wrenching honesty. Piss prove they aren’t just a band that should be commanding nights like this, but they’re a band who are desperately needed in an increasingly numbing world.

As night falls over Dot To Dot, Morn are the perfect lighter fluid to push the heat levels up. A glorious cocktail of grippy punk, weaving indie magic à la Radio Free Alice and ambitious chantalong anthems makes them pure and unadulterated fun. Moshpits open up to ‘Modern Woman’, a bass guitar string snaps, but every turn in their set is set for eruption. When you never know what’s coming next, the result is a rather exciting band indeed. The pits are just going to get larger from here for Morn.

The Itch are on a hell of a run. The late-night headline slot on the Dork Stage at Louisiana feels born for them to thrive in, and with each set that has come their way since the release of their debut album ‘It’s The Hope That Kills You’, they become even more potently electric. The heaving ‘Can’t Afford This’ vibrates The Louisiana to its foundations as the room throws every last drop of energy into a band who lead a party like few others. ‘Aux Romanticiser’ is boomed back in full voice, in a room that feels like the perfect mix of diehard fans knowing what The Itch are all about and others drawn in by their sheer reputation alone. For good reason, as the pogoing ‘No More Sprechgesang’ sees pits form and The Itch pull yet another lever of energy that sees The Louisiana into the night. There may be no band in the country on the sort of form that The Itch are on right now, and judging by the taste of a brand new track played tonight - they’re not going to be slowing down anytime soon. Get swept up in it now.

Flying late into the night after a day stacked with bands and sunshine, Just For Fun arrive at the perfect time to let rip and add a club-soaked exclamation mark to Dot To Dot. Arriving onstage at the famous Thekla with a bang, it’s a fizzing release of energy soundtracked by ‘Heads Will Roll’-level 00s-soaked dancefloor killers. With a wave of artists taking the club to the moshpit, Just For Fun feel firmly down the front for every moment - ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and ‘Paris’ taking sugary hooks and lighting up a room that goes with every move they make. It captures the spirit of a festival that revels in music discovery but thrives in the fun that comes from an unforgettable live show. Dot To Dot sits in a lane firmly of its own.

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Dot To Dot turns Bristol and Nottingham into the beating heart of new music

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From Piss to Adult DVD: the sets we couldn’t stop talking about at The Great Escape

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