Dot To Dot Festival have announced the first wave of artists for its 2020 event, marking a 15 year milestone for the award-winning festival. Headliners and Rock City pals EASY LIFE, along with STEAM DOWN, SKINNY LIVING, ALEXANDRA SAVIOR and many more will descend upon Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over the May bank holiday weekend on 22nd – 24th May. The 2020 edition of the event will aim to build on the success of last year’s instalment, which saw record breaking sales of 15,000 unique new music fans at the festival, as it once again curated an expansive line-up of emerging and established artists.
The announcement that EASY LIFE will headline Dot To Dot follows a breakout year for the band, which has included a sold out UK tour with a stop here at Rock City, the release of their critically acclaimed mixtape Spaceships and a show confirmed at the prestigious Roundhouse in London as part of their forthcoming Junk Food tour. With COLORS recently proclaiming that “Easy Life aren’t like any other band you’ve heard before”, the band’s ability to effortlessly blend together elements of hip-hop and r&b to create a unique silky-smooth sound is demonstrated perfectly on their latest single Sangria; an irresistible collaboration with pop sensation Arlo Parks. There is no doubt that 2019 was an unquestionable triumph for the Leicester five-piece, this new year has already seen them place second in the BBC Sound Of Poll 2020 signalling another huge 12 months to come, and their headline set at Dot To Dot is set to be another significant milestone in their career to date.
With its first wave of artists, Dot To Dot Festival have also released the exciting news that its 2020 event will, for the first time, be hosting a new jazz stage at each leg of the festival. The first act announced is South-East London collective STEAM DOWN. Since forming back in 2007, Steam Down have received two Jazz FM awards which include ‘Live Experience of the Year Award’ and ‘The Innovation Award’, an accolade which clearly emphasises the impact and importance they’ve had on the flourishing jazz scene throughout the decade.
Wakefield four-piece SKINNY LIVING are set to enchant audiences at the festival with their captivating brand of glorious acoustic soul. Having already amassed an impressive back catalogue which includes their recent acclaimed 2019 EP release No Messiah, the band have forged a reputation for crafting songs that contain powerful and heartfelt lyrics which have resonated with audiences en masse. A perfect example of this is their 2017 single Why, which tackles the subject of depression and has clocked up a staggering 15 million streams. The band are also about to embark on a nationwide UK arena tour supporting indie titans Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight which is guaranteed to propel their profile even further.
Having released her debut album Belladonna of Sadness back in 2017, Portland artist ALEXANDRA SAVIOR showcased her effortless ability to combine dreamy song writing, enchanting vocals and atmospheric arrangements, leading to Pitchfork declaring that “Savior has a penchant for clever wordplay and a voice that can hypnotize, terrorize, or both”. Her eagerly awaited sophomore album The Archer is due for release on January 10th on Danger Mouse’s record label 30th Century Records, meaning that her appearance at Dot To Dot festival will be one of the first chances to catch new material live on UK soil.
Fresh from supporting Bombay Bicycle Club on tour, CHARTREUSE are set to light up the festival with their richly textured, loose-limbed, country-kissed soul music. Released in November 2019, their debut EP Even Free Money Doesn’t Get Me Out Of Bed was recorded with Luke Smith (Foals, Depeche Mode).
Each year Dot To Dot Festival prides itself on seeking out the freshest emerging musical talent and its 15th year anniversary edition is guaranteed to continue with this tradition. Having just been named on the bill for Annie Mac’s AMP London emerging artist series, 2020 is set to be a seismic year for the self-described ‘dream pop trip hop’ three-piece DRUG STORE ROMEOS, making their appearance at Dot To Dot one to catch.
Also set to perform at the festival is Brighton pop starlet GRACEY, who released her r&b infused debut EP Imposter Syndrome last year, having previously showcased her undeniable talent writing hits for some of the industry’s leading pop acts such as; Jonas Blue, RAYE and Olly Murs. TAYLOR JANZEN will arrive at Dot To Dot fresh from gaining critical acclaim from the likes of NPR, New York Times and NYLON for her stunningly sparse melodies and minimalistic guitar riffs, whilst Australian rock ‘n’ rollers PIST IDIOTS will bring their notorious live show to the festival for what is guaranteed to be a riotous set.
With his debut single ‘Unspoken’ netting nearly 8 million streams on Spotify, Scottish singer-songwriter AARON SMITH will also join the festival line-up, along with SPACEY JANE whose breezy blend of garage pop & indie rock has seen them earn a nomination for ‘Unearthed Artist of the Year’ at the J Awards in their native Australia.
Dot To Dot organiser and Director of Live at DHP Family, Dan Ealam, said: “We can’t wait to celebrate the festival’s 15th birthday with some of the most exciting acts from across the World. It’s extra special having Easy Life along to headline after gracing some of the festival’s smaller stages in recent years and we’re excited to mix up the programming to keep the festival moving forward for another 15 years! There’s plenty more acts to be announced as we build up to our birthday and some surprises too!” Tickets for Dot To Dot are priced from £15 and available now through alt.tickets.
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