The late May bank holiday weekend found us in Bristol for Dot to Dot, giving us a taste of the exciting future of alternative music. Despite being plagued by technical issues, we powered through and spoke to some of our favourite artists, finding out which of their songs will never leave the setlist, what animal they could take on in hand to hand combat, and so much more. Watch the full interviews below or head to our Instagram for each individual question.
AIN’T
Ain’t are a South London rock band making emotionally direct, guitar-driven music. With Hannah on vocals, Ed and George on guitars, Isaac on bass, and Joe on drums, they bring a sharp, unpolished energy to songs about frustration, tenderness, and everything in between. Their 2024 debut Pirouette set the tone: honest, loud, and not trying to be anything they’re not.
ADORE (FEATURING SPRINTS)
Irish garage punk trio Adore consists of Lara Minchin (guitar/vocals), Lachlann Ó Fionnáin (bass/vocals), and Naoise Jordan Cavanagh (drums). Although they may not have a huge amount of music released on streaming services, the band covers a range of topics, often heavy, but with a fast-paced, often satirical tone, resulting in energetic post-punk anthems. We were joined in the interview by extra guests Zac Stephenson and Sam McCann from fellow Irish punk band SPRINTS. Watch the full thing to discover all things from Lara’s distrust of DJs to Naoise’s deli order.
CARDINALS
Blending shoegaze, post-punk and indie rock with influences from Irish folk, Cardinals do what the Irish do best – poetic brooding lyrics on top of textured instrumentation. The Cork-based quintet consists of Euan Manning (guitar, vocals), Finn Manning (accordion), Oskar Gudinovic (guitar), Aaron Hurley (bass), and Darragh Manning (drums). Watch the interview to find out about their love of fakemink, whose requests always get turned down at the DJ booth and which one of them is a conspiracy theory enthusiast.