Dot To Dot 2010 took place over the bank holiday weekend, heading to Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester. I stopped in at Nottingham to check out the wide range of artists and bands the festival had to offer.

The first act I ventured out to see were Chapel Club, the London based band offered up a brooding combination of synths and guitars. By the time the band took to the stage quite a crowd had gathered, the atmosphere seemed subdued and it appeared these guys lack a track or two to liven up a crowd. Comparisons with the likes of Editors, White Lies and even Coldplay (frontman Lewis Bowman has the look of a young Chris Martin circa ‘Yellow’) have been thrown around over the past few months; thankfully it seems Chapel Club have enough about them to step out of the shadows and offer up their own individual sound.

Washed Out followed Chapel Club on the Trent Uni main stage. Producer Ernest Greene, who goes by the Washed Out stage name, held a lonely figure on stage as he tweaked his way through the opening tracks. Thankfully Brooklyn based band Small Black took to the stage for the rest of the set and provided strength in depth to popular tracks ‘Belong’ and ‘New Theory’ with live drums, guitar and keyboards. Greene’s jovial mood and enthusiasm to engage with the audience ensured that by the time set ending track ‘Feel It All Around’ was in full flow the sombre crowd’s spirits and willingness to dance had been truly lifted.

Sadly I only managed to catch the end of what seemed to be a highly enjoyed set from Wild Beasts. The band finished on a high with popular single ‘We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues’ and received a great reception from the crowd.

Ellie Goulding was surely lined up to be the show stealer at this years festival; a big position to fill for such a new artist. Thankfully hype is something Ms. Goulding must surely be used to by now and as she took to the Rock City main stage the beckoning crowd, which by this time had totally packed out the venue, seemed to pose no problem for the 23 year old as she launched in to her set. Playing new single ‘Guns & Horses’ near the beginning of her 45 minute slot Goulding left the crowd waiting with baited breath for sing-a-long singles ‘Under The Sheets’ and ‘Starry Eyed’, the latter of which receiving the biggest reception as the set’s final track. Backed up by her live band, Ellie commanded the stage with all the confidence of a veteran, mirroring the stage presence of more experienced female leads such as Hayley Williams of Paramore, a great spectacle from someone who’s debut single came out only 8 months ago. The addition of a single drum and cymbal played by Goulding added to the performance and offered up a little bit of something different.

After the amazing reception Ellie Goulding received Mystery Jets had a tough act to follow as they headed out on to the Rock City main stage as the headlining band. Unsurprisingly the boys from Eel Pie Island delivered emphatically, using the festival as a chance to preview a number of new tracks from their upcoming new album Seratonin. After most of the crowd dispersed following Ellie Goulding I was concerned they wouldn’t return, however come the set opener the crowd had returned in force to add their intoxicated chorus vocals to the likes of ‘Half In Love With Elizabeth’, ‘Two Doors Down’ and ‘Flakes’. New material, including album title track ‘Seratonin’ and the already previewed ‘Flash A Hungry Smile’, were well received and promise more of the same from Mystery Jets. The band themselves were in great spirits, William and Kai bounced around the stage throughout the set, enjoying themselves just as much as every fan inside the venue.

Next up were Manchester youngsters Egyptian Hip Hop at The Rescue Rooms. By the time the band had finished their soundcheck and took to the stage quite a crowd had gathered to see a band who have been receiving a large amount of press lately. Sadly the band seemed to lack the stage presence of some of their peers and seemed uneasy with themselves in front of such a large crowd. Some temporary sound issues seemed to hinder the band and gave pockets of the crowd an excuse to leave before the band found their feet for popular tracks ‘Wild Human Child’ and ‘Heavenly’.

Back at Rock City Jakwob was spinning his dubstep remixes of the likes of Ellie Goulding, Deadmau5 and more to an appreciative audience who were now in full flow each time the heavy bass beat dropped and shook the room. This was too much for Zane Lowe to follow, who couldn’t offer up the same high standard with his somewhat dated drum & bass sound. For a man who provides the country with so much new music on a weekly basis it seems his DJ set lacked that killer edge Jakwob had just provided the crowd.

Overall Dot To Dot 2010 was a huge success. There were no late acts and I didn’t spot a single queue all day. Over it’s six year existence Dot To Dot has made it’s name offering a wide range of different sounds; this year’s festival continued that tradition, offering a different experience to each individual depending on where you headed to throughout the day.

With the Reading & Leeds Festivals now officially over and with most people who attended now back to the real world I thought I’d run another poll to see which bands performances were enjoyed the most.

This poll is not just open to people who attended. Did you watch some of the highlights online, on the TV or listen on the radio or via MP3? If so you can still vote and give your opinion.

Obviously, as with any festival, there are a lot of acts performing. I can’t list every band who took to the stage in one poll, that would just be stupid. Instead I’ve listed ten popular bands and included the option to vote other.

If the band you enjoyed the most isn’t listed vote other and make sure you leave a comment with the bands name and if you wish a short piece on why you enjoyed the performance.

[poll id="6"]

If you want a reminder of who was performing check out the line up’s here and here.

I’ll tally up the results at the end of the week and let you know how the votes went. There may even be a couple more graphs if you’re lucky.

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Here is Indiescreet’s guide on just a few of the bands to check out at this years Reading & Leeds Festivals.

Rather than suggesting all the big name bands who will have tens of thousands of people watching I’ve tried to make a list to get you off the beaten track which includes some established and upcoming bands.

Frank Turner

MP3: Frank Turner – ‘The Road’

Manchester Orchestra

MP3: Manchester Orchestra – ‘I’ve Got Friends’

Fight Like Apes

MP3: Fight Like Apes – ‘Tie Me Up With Jackets’

The XX

MP3: The XX – ‘Shelter’ (Them Jeans Drum Edit)

Lovvers

MP3: Lovvers – ‘OCD Go Go Girls’

Wonderswan

MP3: Wonderswan – ‘Hey Nature’

Just a few bands and acts to wet your appetite. Is there’s anyone you can’t afford to miss out on seeing at this years festivals?

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After Indiescreet’s extensive previews of the first ever Tramlines Festival in Sheffield I enlisted the help of Jenn McCambridge to post her review of events.

You’ll have probably read about it, if not I’m pretty sure you’ll have heard Jon McClure shout about it… Tramlines.

Last weekend saw Sheffield Steel City turn into Sheffield Sound City. Big named curators McClure, Toddla T and the Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders showcased the best the Sheffield music scene had to offer.

Friday kicked the weekend off with a Mixed in Sheffield extravaganza, the best of local DJ’s, Skint and Demoralised and Orange 38 rocked a packed Frog and Parrot while queues galore awaited Toddla T and his crew who held DQ in a Skanky Skanky trance while DJ Zinc kept the night going with an epic drum and bass set.

Saturday saw a poptastic sunshine stage, along the lines of T4 on the beach. It was sunny, there was no beach but there was plenty of miming and timing issues galore, though the teenagers didn’t seem to mind. With the Noisettes pulling out last minute it was up to Pixie Lott to headline.

Off the beaten track there were plenty of bands to be seen. The Green Room, known for being an acoustic venue, slap bang across from the main stage rocked it up entirely.

The Unfortunate Incident caused a stir as lead singer Russell Palmer ended up rocking out so much he dropped his glasses twice and ended up sprawled out on the floor, they were followed by the more punkified Stangs who like TUI managed to rock but not shatter the windows. Alongside the avant-garde Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, newly lined up Bromheads Jacket and Joe Carnall and his new band The Book Club DQ was taken by storm and the night was rounded off with top DJ sets from Helders and the Threads guys n gals.

Sunday, isn’t Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? Not here… it was the Sheffield stage and of course being the North ‘n’ all down came the rain. Neil McSweeney and Nat Johnson braving the city hall steps to a few and far between yet appreciative audience. Pistola Kicks played their first set of the day, a wonderful acoustic set at The Grapes. Again to the Frog and Parrot to see more of the unpicked for main stage talent including Lenders in the Temple, Piskie Sits, The Spills, La Folie and Alvarez Kings.

While folk were keeping dry here others were braving the mud and the rain to see the likes of Lords of the Flatbush, Backhanded Compliments, The Violet May, Detroit Social Club and of course Reverend and the Makers. With top sets by all I hasten to add.

This was followed by a closing party at The Bowery, with a scope of DJ’s including McClure and Helders amongst others spinning away till the early hours making Sheffield realise what it had…. a good time… an extremely good time.

Call me slightly biased, being a Sheffield girl, but this is what the city needed. A break from the usual routine uniting all walks of life and getting bands other than the Arctic’s and Reverend noticed. As always there were highlights and low points to the weekend.

Timetable wise… did you see it? Read it…? It wasn’t the easiest. If I had been a visitor to the City I’d have been lost. Given the fact that most venues timings were out it made it hard to catch folk. There were some last minute additions to line ups and new venues added which made it kind of complicated and difficult even with planning to work out where to be at what time.

The free festival became ticketed and people queued to see some minor acts mime or to stand in what is usually the Green turn into mud. We can’t change the weather, it is the North and hell yeah it was a festival, so the rain was expected!

The Saturday vibe was cool, chilled and everyone seemed to be enjoying himself or herself. A change to the Sunday, which was wet, heavy and almost egotistical. This could have been something to do with the line ups, floaty pop acts one day then hard hitting indie types following tend to bring out the laddish nature in people, it didn’t stop the fun or the music though.

Knowing the local music scene, Tramlines did bring a well-deserved focus on Sheffield. It gave both the bands and gig goers a chance to see what the city has to offer in venues they may not usually play or go. Personally I’d have like to see less pop and more local acts on the main stage. There are several bands in the area who are hitching their way up the ladder to being noticed nationally and are working hard in the process.

For a brand new venture it will go down in history, the Sheffielders who are still reeling a week later as hangovers finally fade are missing the fun that was had. Hats off to the curators and the organisers to a job well done, there could have been a few minor changes in events, planning and the like, but it’s always the case in events like this… can we do it same time, same place next year? Please?!

Teething problems aside the festival was a success and will hopefully run for many years to come.

Here are a selection of MP3′s from some of the bands which played this years festival.

MP3: Toddla T – ‘Shake It’

Official Website | Amazon

MP3: The Cartels – ‘Heart Of Gold’

MySpace | Facebook

MP3: Johnny Foreigner – ‘Wow, Just Wow’

MySpace | Amazon

MP3: Errors – ‘Salut! France’

MySpace | Amazon

MP3: Banjo Or Freakout – ‘Upside Down’

MySpace | Amazon

Did you attend Tramlines? Agree or disagree with Jenn’s review? Either way get in touch and let Indiescreet know what you thought.

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In my Festival Guide – Benicassim 2009 post last month I highlighted the advantages of Benicassim (which takes place in Spain) over the the traditional UK festivals. If you are unaware of Benicassim Festival then check out the guide for more information. Advantages I highlighted included the great weather and always friendly atmosphere.

It seem that this year, however, on the festival’s 15th anniversary anything which could go wrong did.

First of all Oasis had yet more technical and sound problems on Friday night when performing on the Escenario Verde Stage.

Noel Gallagher was very unhappy with the festival, writing this on his blog at Oasisnet.com,

“Benicassim? What a fuckin’ waste of time!”

He went on to say,

“The problem was…wait for it…yes! The fuckin’ PA. It blew TWICE!! And the monitor system blew TWICE!! It’s becoming a joke. And not a very funny one.”

Worse was yet to come however…

On Friday evening a large bush fire erupted near the festival site due to the hot weather.

The weather then turned on the festival. Extreme winds and rain forced Maximo Park and Paul Weller to cut their sets short due to safety concerns.

Headliners Kings Of Leon and UK indie act The Horrors were both unable to even take to the stage due to the weather, leaving thousands of fans disappointed.

The weather did not cease through the night and festival goers were forced to abandon their tents and were shacked up in a local leisure centre for their own safety.

Foals were the unable to attend and perform at the festival after band members Yannis Philippakis and Edwin Congreave fell ill.

Lily Allen cancelled her appearance but fans of Maximo Park were pleased when the Newcastle lads filled in and finished the set which was cut short the previous day.

To top it all off a British Benicassim attendee has been held in hospital with swine flu like symptoms since Saturday.

Despite all the problems the organisers, acts and most of all fans faced there were some highlights of Benicassim Festival 09.

Franz Ferdinand, Elbow, Maximo Park played great sets and were amongst some of the acts to play once normality was returned to the festival on Saturday evening.

The Killers, Babyshambles, Friendly Fires, White Lies and more played a trouble free final day of the festival yesterday (Sunday).

Festival-goers managed to stay in great spirit, even through all of the problems.

Did you attend this year’s Benicassim Festival? Any stories you wish to share with Indiescreet? Did you still enjoy yourself even with all the problems?

Please feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts on Benicassim Festival 09.

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All images not credited courtesy of NME.com.

The Cartels are a relatively new band but have received a lot of coverage around Sheffield and the South Yorkshire area since their formation early last year.

The first track I listened to from the band is called Heart Of Gold. A slow, melodic track that instantly made me think of The Courteeners. It’s actually quite scary how similar it sounds at the beginning of the track so I was quite sceptical at what this band could offer that hadn’t been done before.

I then took a listen to a title track from their EP ‘The White Room’, this again started quite similar to how a Courteeners track would (maybe it’s just how similar their voices sound) but as the song went on it moved more away from the acoustic sound and into a very polished track. Not their best track in my opinion however.

This title is taken by ‘Shout It Out’, a nod back to the 90′s and Stone Roses. An upbeat tempo accompanied by quite an often ghostly voice is what makes this track stand out. I just find it amazing how different it is to any of the bands other material I have listened to. It will be interesting to see which direction the band head in the future.

The Cartels will be appearing at this years Tramlines Festival in Sheffield. Tramlines takes place between the 24th and 26th July 09. The Cartels will be at The Frog & Parrot on Friday 24th at 9pm.

Have a listen to some of The Cartels’ tracks below,

MySpace | Facebook

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The full line up for the first ever Tramlines Festival in Sheffield has now been published.

For those of you unaware Tramlines is a brand new festival taking place in the centre of Sheffield at various locations between the 24th and 26th July. Tramlines is part of the week long Sheffield Music City Festival and every act is totally free to see. See the related post’s at the bottom of this article for more information on the festival.

The full listings for Tramlines can be seen by clicking the link below,

Tramlines Festival 09 Line Up (PDF)

A word of warning though, in my eyes the listings could have been done a lot better. Its hard to see who is on when exactly and the small amount of space to write full line up’s for each venue is ridiculous. Innovative it may be, but why not stick with what works and just list each day with each venue and what time acts will be playing.

Anyway that’s my only gripe. There are some great acts playing the festival including Reverend And The Makers, The La’s, Little Boots, Adam Ficek, Pixie Lott and hundreds more. If you live in or around South Yorkshire I’d say it’s an opportunity not to miss. Not often will you get to see so much talent absolutely free.

For the latest news on Tramlines subscribe to Indiescreet’s RSS Feed, follow Indiescreet on Twitter or become a fan of Indiescreet on Facebook

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T In The Park took place up in Scotland over the weekend. The festival was a huge success with bands and fans flocking from all over the world to experience the festival.

Rather than covering all the news topics from the festival I thought I’d share with you some pictures courtesy of Aaron Bassett, Brian Forbes and //amy//.

Check out my T In The Park Spotify Playlist. Featuring tracks from some of the best bands who played this years festival including Kings Of Leon, Maximo Park, Blur, The Specials, Jamie T and many more.

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