Nottingham’s premier inner city music festival is now less than 5 days away. With more venues and acts playing than ever before, we provide a few suggestions of acts to try and see.

• Little Green Cars

We last saw the Irish 5 piece when they played the Rescue Rooms stage at Dot To Dot 2013. Having released their sophomore record ‘Ephemera’ in March, it will be interesting to see how the band’s blend of indie and folk rock has progress. They are playing Nottingham Trent SU at 18:15

• Diet Cig

Playing Rescue Rooms at 22:15 will be New York slop pop duo Diet Cig. Consisting of Alex Luciano on guitar/vocals and Noah Bowman on drums, the band released their debut EP ‘Over Easy’ in February last year. With a sound reminiscent of many indie pop bands of the C86 era, especially Heavenly and Tiger Trap, they promise to be a great live act.

• Chappo

Brooklyn rockers Chappo will be bringing their own brand of space themed, psychedelic indie pop-rock to Dot To Dot with a set in Spanky Van Dyke’s at 14:15. The band have just released an album, ‘Future Former Self’ and had music licensed for Apple commercials. The slot may not do the band justice but they should definitely be worth checking out.

• Josh Wheatley

We saw Josh Wheatley play a previous Dot To Dot in an early slot at Rescue Rooms Acoustic bar. The local lad has come far since, playing shows in many Nottingham venues including Bodega and Rock City. He has a great voice and it’s good to see him rewarded with an 18:30 slot in the Rescue Rooms bar.

• SWMRS

Californian pop punk band SWMRS will be playing in Rescue Rooms at 14:15. Formerly known as Emily’s Army, the Oakland band recently released a record ‘Drive North’ under their new name. With influences ranging from The Beach Boys to The Ramones, they could be an exhilarating way to kick off your Dot To Dot experience.

• Johnny Lloyd

If the name Johnny Lloyd rings any bells, he used to be the frontman of Tribes. Now carving out a solo career, he will be showcasing new songs from his debut EP ‘Dreamland’. His musical stylings seem reminiscent of a young Richard Ashcroft and will be hitting up the Rock City stage at 15:45.

• New Desert Blues

Amid all the indie and alternative pop you will hear at Dot to Dot, New Desert Blues, a six-piece band from Hampshire, will present a heavier and rock-fuelled break when they play Spanky Van Dykes at 19:15. They have a knack for well-crafted folk-rock tunes which have brought them to the attention of Zane Lowe and no doubt will bring them larger audiences.

• Augustines

Deservingly taking a prime location at the Rock City Main Stage at 20:15 (just before Mystery Jets), Brooklyn-based Augustines have three albums worth of epic-sounding crowd pleasers, particularly ‘Weary Eyes’ which will go down a treat when you’ve had a skinful and are prepared to sing to your lungs out.

• Charlotte Carpenter

Carving out her own niche in the blues-rock solo genre, Charlotte Carpenter, who studied in Derby, will be performing at 19:45 in The Rescue Rooms Bar. A good example of how the East Midlands music scene is shaping careers, she definitely is one to watch.

• Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets have come a long way since their 1980’s-influenced ‘Two Doors Down’ single and album ‘Twenty-One’. The headline set at 22:00 will showcase just how far they have come, particularly with the more complex and hard-hitting tunes from their new album, ‘The Curve of the Earth’. It will be interesting to see how they have evolved as a band.  

The full list of set times can be found here: http://www.dottodotfestival.co.uk/times