Left of the Dial is already shaping up to be one of the hotspots on the DIY calendar for Europeans or those with the ability to travel. Situated in the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, now accessible through the Eurostar direct from London, it may not have your big-name A-Listers but its expertly curated lineup makes it The Great Escape of international festivals, talent in the making, rich and rewarding with future stars to come. This is what’s described as a tastemaker festival – fitting into the balance of that, Liverpool Sound City and Dot to Dot in Bristol. Some of the most notable bands to emerge from Left of the Dial in recent years include Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Test Plan, The Orchestra (For Now); and Wax Head.
From the start – there’s plenty of names to watch; so we’re going to pick the hard task of limiting it to 10. Unlike most festivals there’s no lineup poster as of yet revealed and there are no headliners, you can find the bands listed on their website in alphabetical order. Irish bands are usually a good place to start and that led me to Basht., who describe themselves as “cutthroat rift driven rock” produced by Richard McNamara of Embrace and just coming off a tour supporting Wunderhorse and Been Stellar. Their sound is riotous, punky and energetic. If you’re a punk fan, especially someone into IDLES – you’ll find yourself right at home here – their EP Bitter and Twisted is a barnstormer. They have a London gig May 23, which is regrettably Wide Awake festival day – before going up to Manchester.
Fuzz Lightyear is the only band on the lineup that I’ve seen before and I’d happily see them again. The Leeds-founded rockers play loud, fast rock and roll with high tempo energy and have been snapped up by Nice Swan Records; the same one as English Teacher, Sprints and Chalk. Shoegaze, noise rock and punk combine together for a cannibalistic raw sound that’s rapturous and seismic in what’s sure to have a good mosh pit. Nice Swan are a record label that’s rapidly becoming essential based on who they have recruited in the past.
Escaping the modernity of the 9-5 you have Humane the Moon. Hailing from East London, his songs are of raw frustration that punctuate through his work. If you’ve ever felt dissatisfied with the way your job operates you’ll relate to his lyrics – there are shades of The Strokes and Fontaines D.C. here and with the accessibility that these influences bring, you can expect him to be propelled into the stratosphere. Inspiration form Percy Bysshe Shelly is also drawn as Humane the Moon looks to Ozymandias for inspiration – with products of experience influencing his work at every turn. Watch Don’t Learn is catchy and the high energy of his sonically charged songs are Wunderhorse-esque at times, catchy and upbeat.
Post punk and 60s punk is a rare combination but it’s let to Modern Woman, a tenderness jazzy atmosphere that lures you in instantly with Sophie Harris pulling a band together to craft a backdrop for lyrical-poetry that bleeds through the stage. Juan Brint-Guiterrez (bassist/saxophonist), Adam Blackhurst (drummer) and David Denyer (percussionist/keyboard-player/violinist) complete the trio for an experimental folk punk group that feel completely engrossing. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of subject matter – Harris draws from folklore of old yet gives the title Modern Woman, hyper focusing on the modern to talk about maternal longing, female obsession and the concept of a woman’s coming of age”. There are shades of Lambrini Girls here especially in the angry, fiery Achtung on their rowdier tracks, and it’s a band propelled to just keep rising and rising.
Lila Tristam’s love of music was born off Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake and her background as a classical musician allows her for a unique form with shades of Bon Iver. “Martha come back, you’re not a criminal,” she pleads – using her rich fingerpicking technique to craft a unique stage presence that led her to escape London for Wiltshere and the country influence feels very much present on this folk record – the influence of the remote wilderness standing out over Martha May like a heavy shadow. Fans of Bess Atwell will be right at home here and she’s already played at Green Man festival, so you know she’s good.
October and the Eyes drew my attention, a one-woman band New Zealand born and London raised from a humble upbringing in Marlborough’s wine region – the country’s widest. Her music varies between grungy and folky with a healthy dosage of post-punk – mixed in with digital synth and an onslaught of guitar pedals. There’s influences there from Suicide and Bowie that squeeze through into her work; and she can proudly make her case for the throne as the “female Iggy Pop”; as described by Gigwise – and that alone should have your attention. Listening to her work feels like walking through a forest in autumn and that’s kind of the perfect vibes for a break from the punk chaos. Hammer and the Nail is a belter of a track, raw and full of searing emotion. It’s hard not to shake the PJ Harvey influences of her work and that’s not a light comparison.
Scottish band Soapbox are punk and fit in with the vibes of IDLES, Kneecap and Soft Play incredibly nicely. They’ve supported Australian legends Press Club in London and look set to take themselves to the next level on the festival circuit with a muscular, gritty band that tear up the live circuit. Fascist Bob pokes fun at the typical racist right-wingers that you can’t say anything because it’s too woke now – people who just want to complain and they could never be more politically relevant.
The Sick Man of Europe caught my attention when there was a free gig at London’s iconic The Shacklewell Arms. for a monochrome punk band directly from the underground with shades of electronic and there’s a lot of similarities here with art rock pioneers from the 80s – you could picture yourself in a grunge-y club in a hardboiled detective movie. Expect the sets to be intense, and Test Plan vibes meant it really caught my attention. For the dystopia that is the current UK The Sick Man of Europe find themselves in a band at the zeitgeist – inevitably destined to break out of the underground and hit the mainstream.
Vieira and the Silvers are a band that come out of London’s underground after moving down in Norwich by frontman Diogo Viera da Silva; descending into the psychedelic garage scene with hypnotic presence. They’re prolific in their touring and local Norwich sites have already, during their time there, called them the “best live band” in the city. The 60s music bleeds through their songs – Captain Beefheart, The Doors and the Rolling Stones – and da Silva cites Camus and Dostoevsky as Existentialist themes that provide the backdrop for his style. It’s certainly authentic and rich in stature – and rapidly on the rise. Like The Heavy Heavy they borrow from a past generation and make no shame in their influences but update what’s come before and drag it kicking and screaming into a new generation.
Simply named, Y are anything but. They’ve already toured with Fat Dog and are propelling themselves to a wider status in the DIY scene. You can’t put this band in a box, they’re genre-defying. One second electronic, the next punk – playful and spawning out of Brixton’s iconic Windmill scene – if you want chaos, you’ve got your band. I missed these guys at Outer Town because of the large amount of festival clashes, but hopefully I’ll get the chance to finally see what they’re made of this year.
Left of the Dial Festival takes place from October 23-25 in Rotterdam.
You can learn more about the festival or get tickets at the official website.
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