The Rotterdam-based, community-focused, artist-friendly new music showcase festival begins next week. It’s pure new music discovery.

Words: Karl Johnson

OVER 2 WEKEN IS HET ZOVER!

In just over eight days we head to Rotterdam for new music extravaganza Left Of The Dial festival, a three-day calendar of artists tipped to move mountains – or at least molehills – in the near future. Tickets for the three days (Oct 20-22) are priced at 45 euros, there’s also bands playing on moving boats (I know) which you can buy separate tickets for here. Hard Of Hearing are heading over to capture the magic!

There will also be an Unofficial Official Day Program which runs across seven stages in the city starting around 12 noon on the Friday and Saturday, we’re excited to catch daytime sets by 7ebra, Eades, Maruja, Oscar Browne, Teeth Machine and discover many many more.

Let’s get into it.. Our five Ones To Watch at Left Of The Dial in 2022.

Humour

Look no further than Humour for your ferocious guitar needs, the Glasgow five-piece fuse explosive choruses with manic storytelling verses, scratching through the muddy depths of art-focused alternative music to produce something mind-blowingly anthemic. They play Friday and Saturday. Listen here.

bed

Hailing from Rotterdam, dream pop/shoegaze four-piece bed make the sort of warped dreamscapes that will soundtrack your life. Their recent record ‘Wet’ is one of swaying emotional dynamics, bringing the lyrical intimacy and explosive values of 90s alternative rock to the immersive barrage of sound that underpins shoegaze. They play Saturday. Listen here.

Geo

Hailing from the Dutch city of Groningen, Geo are a strange five-membered art-rock beast. Part anxiously angular, part innate groove, their lyricism is maze-like and you have to complete the jigsaw puzzle yourself. The backdrop of music reminds of Omni via The Fall, or more recently NYC outfit The Wants. They play Saturday. Listen here.

Ghost Car

The London four-piece fuse a brooding alternative rock formula, woozy synth rhythms meet pounding drums in a playful and dance-ready shade of punk rock. They’ve got the tunes to back up the name – which fittingly sums up their ferociously tight sound – and the songwriting to convert non-believers. They play Thursday and Saturday. Listen here.

Go March

Flemish outfit Go March offer an immersive balance of ambient electronica and thoughtful post-rock, it’s hard not to lose yourself down the rabbit hole of subtle dynamics and gracious guitarplay – with each listen you journey through time and space, each song a flutter through your own memories and experiences. They play Saturday. Listen here.

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