On the hottest day of the year so far, Bristol’s indie kids congregated in dark basements and sweaty back rooms for their annual gathering at Dot to Dot. As someone who burns in the sun easily, I was relieved to be standing inside, only stepping out to be blinded by the sun on my way to the next venue.
I started the day with Another Country $$$$ at the Island, which was completely packed despite the early slot time. I have a weak spot for hyper pop, and Another Country $$$$ reminded me why: going from dark ambient to dancy electronic vibes in such quick succession gave me a pleasant form of vertigo.
Back into the heat, and over to Zed Alley, for Parkii. I admit I have been a fan of Parkii’s since his track somehow i manage, which came out a year ago. Since then, he’s found himself a band and adopted a fuller sound. Singing about everything from heartbreak and mental health to a fun night out, Parkii was full of energy and knew how to get the crowd on side. They laughed when he confessed he didn’t know whether he was going to make it to the gig after drinking a little too much the night before. He made us feel like we were in his living room, probably helped by the fact that Zed Alley is a small and intimate space.
Next on the list was Mother Soki, over at Strange Brew. I was trying to have a diverse list of artists while also seeing as many venues as possible – one of the many joys of Dot to Dot. And one of the things I love most about Bristol, how around every corner there seems to be a venue that cares deeply about the music scene. Mother Soki was ethereal, almost otherworldly. Her voice carried the music – soft and quiet, evoking American open space.
Adult DVD have been the latest Indie darlings, reminiscent of early 2000s Brit Pop. The crowd at the O2 ate it up, at one point there was some crowd surfing going on, I thought I could spot the camera man trying to protect his gear while being carried across the venue.
Murkage Dave was my personal headliner, braving the heat in a grey suit and speaking about his personal success. David Lewis, the man behind the name, has spoken before about how Manchester saved his life. That was back in the Murkage Club days, when he’d host grime nights, effectively bringing the genre to the city. Bristol has also always had a heart for grime and while Murkage Dave might be more closely linked to indie than the local grime scene is, people still idolise him. And it’s clear to me why: he has presence, charisma, and his music is personal while still ringing with some of grime’s grandiosity.
The official headliners Newdad and Lambrini Girls at the O2 were as impressive as expected – full of girl punk energy, interesting lyrics and excited crowds. The sound at the O2 might have let them both down but they made the best of it and their raw energy showed through.
MLY on the fight against AI slop
Earlier in the day, I managed to catch hyperpop-inspired EDM artists Molly Davies – aka MLY – outside Mr Wolfs. I had a chat with her afterwards – about why being messy is important when AI is being over-hyped and how to stand up to capitalism.
Molly, why did you start making music?
Recently, a friend put a picture of my dog in Chat GPT and told it to make my dog look fat and it infuriated me in a new and surprising way. If my friend wanted to see what my dog looked like fat, she could have done it the old fashioned way and meticulously edit it in Photoshop. We could have drank wine and drawn my dog badly looking fat. Now, a robot knows what my dog looks like and took away the joy of drawing my dog hilariously badly.
All this to say, we have one glorious, messy life and I want to spend it making glorious, messy art. I used to write sad songs on an acoustic guitar and take myself very seriously but I never had any fun. Currently, I am having a lot of fun lyrically bitching about having to send emails or use a printer or seeing my friend’s recent ex boyfriend at a sex club. Producing music is equally infuriating and time consuming and it’s the only thing I want to do.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
Like if Ashnikko and Wet Leg had a baby that lived in a mash up of Office Space and Death Becomes Her.
What’s your process like when you make music?
Absolutely chaotic. Every time I make a track I think: “Finally, an artistic practice that is respectable and repeatable,” and it never is. Before they started shagging a despicable billionaire nightmare, I felt drawn to Grimes’ approach of locking herself in a room and living like a nun to produce albums. Then I found out she was a landlord. Unless there’s a global pandemic, I’d have to fit making music around work, which personally I find abhorrent.
I’ve found that the best tracks appear when I treat music production like a funny little sarcastic joke whilst in the throes of what might be considered to be a mildly egotistical manic moment combined with an abstract goal like “make a bass that sounds like a hornets nest”. Other times I take myself too seriously and it all starts to sound like a Spyro soundtrack.
What inspires you?
- My friend’s stupid ex boyfriends turning up where they shouldn’t
- Awful office furniture
- Maneaters
- Guided YouTube morning meditations
- Cher
- Spite
What do you like to express in your music?
My general distaste for labouring under capitalism combined with a love of women who are both fabulous and terrifying, loving being a fabulous and terrifying woman, and not answering my phone.
// Words: Clara Bullock // Photography by Jay Evans and courtesy of Dot to Dot //