Follow

Twitter

|

Facebook

|

MySpace

|

Last.fm

RSS

Subscribe

Top 25 Art Blog - Creative Tourist

Posts Tagged ‘Indie’

Review: Dot-to-Dot Festival 2010, Nottingham

Britain's best regional city-centred venue festival, returning for another edition with some of today's best up-and-coming and established bands

Written by Ian Steadman



Another year, another bank holiday at the start of the summer, and another edition of the Dot-to-Dot Festival, a sprawling mess of bands and audience occupying venues and bars in cities up and down the land. This year sees it spread from birthplace Nottingham and second city Bristol to Manchester, taking in three regional centres that, it could be argued, have long lacked massive centrally-located indie festivals to call their own and to ground their musical calendars.

Thanks to a snail-paced jam on the M1 we missed the first band of the day (Frontiers, in Rock City’s main hall) – instead, the day began for us in Rescue Rooms with the lads of The Cheek, who sadly failed to sparkle in the mood of the glorious sun twinkling down outside. Their name may bring to mind something skinny and sharp from the late 70s but the lead singer’s suit certainly didn’t. It looked like he’d borrowed it from his dad. Their poppy punk sound came across like a sort of watered-down Suede,… read more

Recent Articles

Festival Review: Primavera Sound

Our sunkissed contributor reports from the frontlines of Spains biggest music festival, and discovers bands that drove her wild, the second coming of Kurt Cobain (maybe) and a few acts that should be put out to pasture.

Written by Laura Lotti

I have recently noticed that the more music festivals I attend, the less stressival I suffer from. Are summer festivals becoming less and less exciting or is it that my …

Festival Preview: Standon Calling

Midnight parties in a cowshed, frolics in a swimming pool and not a sponsor in sight, Standon Calling has a magic line-up, and even fairies to get you going in the morning. Tis true!

Written by Cari Steel

Now this one has us rubbing our hands together in excitement. It’s not just the music that is getting us hot under the collar – although the line up is …

Gig Review: Mi Ami

Californian mayhem makers Mi Ami bring the noise to Barden's Boudoir, before that, we eat a bit of their dinner and talk about dancing indie crowds, Mid Western hardcore, and Dinosaur Jr.

Written by Ellie Whalley

On Thursday night I was just about to leave work for an evening of pasta bake and Law & Order re-runs on the Hallmark channel. Then the Amelia’s Magazine bat …

Festival Preview: Truck

For those in the know, Truck has long been a highlight of the festival season, we take a look at what Truck 2010 has in store for us, and find more than enough reasons to book a ticket.

Written by Cari Steel

Turning our attention to the smaller independent festivals, we are thrilled to be featuring Truck, an event with an impeccable reputation and massive good will behind it. There are so …

Album Review: Born Ruffians – Say It

Toronto's Young Bucks dazzle us with the follow up to their 2008 album, Red, Yellow & Blue.

Written by Rachel Clare

God Bless Canada. Quietly producing some of the most influential and downright awesome musicians known to all mankind (I’m talking Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen & Arcade Fire …

A meeting with indie folk blues rockers Peggy Sue.

Peggy Sue tell me all about making their new album Fossils and Other Phantoms, and how they lost the Pirates. Illustrations by Kellie Black.

Written by Amelia Gregory

Illustration of Peggy Sue by Kellie Black.
I arrive by bike as usual to meet the three members of Peggy Sue at Spitalfields Market. Rosa got lost on hers and didn’t …

The New Pornographers – Together – Album Review

Canadian supergroup led by AC Newman returns, their latest album being a rip-roaring collection of joyful harmonies

Written by Ian Steadman

“When I found out our record was coming out the same day as Broken Social Scene’s I wanted to call Kevin Drew and shoot a little promo video, where it’s …

Hjaltalín – Interview

Yet another brilliant band from Iceland, this time the wonderfully orchestral Hjaltalín

Written by Ian Steadman

Iceland’s Hjaltalín are one of the many groups from the island nation currently building up a fair bit of buzz – their first album, Sleepdrunk Sessions, was hailed by many …

Festival Preview: Dot-to-Dot

Regional cities showcase new bands, in annual festival across many venues

Written by Ian Steadman

Now in its sixth year, the annual Dot-to-Dot Festival has evolved from a small one-day festival similar to London’s Camden Crawl into a sprawling beast that takes over three British …