A modern but raw metropolis (the center of Rotterdam), 130+ emerging indie acts (most of them performing at least twice), 20+ stages (including churches, a lightship, a theater, an exhibition space, an arcade hall, and a salsa club), and a nod to The Replacements (“And if I don’t see ya, in a long, long while // I’ll try to find you // Left of the dial”)—all the ingredients are there for a great showcase festival. The programmers of Left of the Dial deserve all the praise for this year’s lineup, which caused us quite a bit of choice stress (hard to decide what to see when and where, also given the distances between the locations and the somewhat larger crowds than last year) and made us humble (we might think we are on top of new releases, but apparently there’s a whole world of awesome artists we are unaware of).
Although it was impossible to see everything last three days (the platitude that you miss more than you experience is absolutely true), and there were a few misses (or a matter of different taste) we won’t mention, these were the 18 highlights for the Add To Wantlist crew—in order of appearance, and with a song embedded to give you an idea of the sound of the act in question.
Samuel Nicholson (UK) @ Waalse Kerk (Oct 17)
Bluntly oversimplified on the festival poster as “moving indie rock songs dancing from electrifying guitar solos to naked vulnerability” || The festival weekend couldn’t have started any better. The Scottish bard and his band played a strong set of songs, partly taken from last year’s Birthday Suit LP (overlooked at the time, now a no-doubt purchase in the ‘gezellige’ merchandise market). With impressive vocals and a bewitching performance, the frontman attracted all the attention like a magnet, in a more than captivating show that became even more eloquent in the atmospheric surroundings.
Wild Pink (US) @ Roodkapje – Front (Oct 17)
“Warm and reflective indie rock” || Wild Pink’s performance, hot on the heels of the release of their new album Dulling The Horns (out on Fire Talk), was a slow-burn revelation. Their alt-country-infused sound had just the right balance of loud yet intimate, with songs that felt like stories you could lose yourself in. And then, just as you were deep in the set, they slipped in a cover of Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time that had everyone wondering if they really just did that. It was a charming twist to a deeply engaging set.
Lone Wolf (NL) @ Salsability (Oct 17)
“Rotterdam’s very own hidden punk rock gem” || Performing in a salsa club in their hometown might’ve been an unusual setting, but Lone Wolf stayed true to themselves. It’s impressive how Holland’s top indie punk band continues to improve, both in the studio and on stage. The dual vocals are a standout feature, but the palpable chemistry between the four members takes their live shows to another level. The energy they bring to the stage is as contagious as their anthemic songs (read our review of their 2023 Haze Wave LP, out on Stardumb Records). They closed out their set with a cover of Nirvana’s Breed, which was a true crowd pleaser.
Pamphlets (US) @ De Doelen Studio 1 (Oct 17)
“Solid melodies, on-point vocals and noisy jangle-y jagged-y riffs” || The post-punk band from Brooklyn, New York had wanted to play this festival for a few years, they said during their fascinating performance. Their debut album Take Your Place, released earlier this year, featured the track Rotterdam Verticals, and now that they were there, they thoroughly enjoyed it. With a New York-cool vibe and a driving rhythm section, they got the audience dancing.
Foyer Red (US) @ Roodkapje Expo (Oct 17)
“‘Sweet yet abrasive songs that careen into delightfully unexpected places’” || Having flown in just this morning for their first European tour, Foyer Red had a bit of a shaky start, with the sound tech struggling to get things right early on. But once the issues were ironed out, the band found their footing and confidence grew with each song. Their quirky, jazzy, twee, math pop—already captivating on their last record, Yarn the Hours Away—became an absolute joy to witness live. If the schedule allowed, we would have gladly caught their second performance at the festival.
Wax Head (UK) @ Perron – Small (Oct 17)
“A visceral gang of youth rolling around in a sweaty pit of garage-psych riffage” || When we entered halfway through their set, the Manchester noisemakers had already transformed the dark space into a seething mass with fists in the air. And faster and louder it went, led by their singing drummer, who went crowd surfing for a moment to inspect whether they had blown the low roof off yet.
Savage Mansion (UK) @ De Doelen Studio 1 (Oct 17)
“Anthemic songs and a high energy live show” || Armed with two great singers—one sporting a Replacements shirt—and new album The Shakes under their belt (out on Lost Map Records), the five-piece from Glasgow won us over with solid songs and amazing interplay. They really deserved a bigger audience.
Aerial Salad (UK) @ Salsability (Oct 18)
“Madchester punk driven forward by pure rock’n’roll swagger” || Wow. The three Mancunians unleashed a mountain of energy and sweat on the audience, with a performance that showed “what fucking rock music is about.” Their new full-length album R.O.I. (out on Venn Records) reflects that exciting live feeling quite well.
En Attendant Ana (FR) @ Roodkapje – Front (oct 18)
“Nonchalantly crafting perfect pop songs since 2014” || We were excited to finally see this Parisian indie pop band live. While their earlier work—faster and more filled with nervous energy—is more our speed, this performance gave us a new appreciation for their more recent material, as heard on last year’s Principia LP (Trouble In Mind Records). The band came across as effortlessly cool, both in their self-penned songs and in the French-language cover of Frank & Nancy Sinatra’s Somethin’ Stupid, with their high-pitched vocals and intricate instrumentation—including trumpet and sax—creating a truly enjoyable experience. They’re a band that oozes charm live.
Naive Set (NL) @ Arminius (Oct 18)
“Classic-indie artisans” || On the release day of their new album In Air Quotes (out on AT EASE), the Amsterdam band had ventured across to the rival city to introduce an eager audience to their fresh guitar pop gems. They did so somewhat uncomfortably but also endearing, with a leading role for the standing drummer/percussionist who was cooking up refined rhythms like a chef.
Oh Boland (IE) @ 160K Arcade (Oct 18)
“A reliably fun mix of garage rock and punchy power pop” || Oh Boland played in 160K, a retro video arcade named after the debt the owners accrued during the pandemic (which they’re aiming to pay off by 2027, a digital board keeps the score). With classic arcade games surrounding them, there was plenty of distraction for the audience, but the Irish trio’s ragged live energy soon had everyone hooked. It was one of those magical performances where everything just clicked. While we were already fans of their scrappy, anthemic power pop on their Western Leisure LP (released last spring on Meritorio and Safe Suburban Home), their live show was an entirely different level of fun. By the end of the set, even the most dedicated gamers in the hall were fully engaged. Definitely one of our favorite performances of the weekend.
Parsnip (AU) @ Rotown (Oct 18)
“Glorious sixties infused songs full of sunny nostalgia” || All the way from Melbourne, the characterful four-piece brought their timeless girl group sound to the stage, but their entertaining set showed they can rock pretty hard too. We heard songs from their new Behold LP (out via Anti Fade Records and Upset! The Rhythm) and a few classics, always with compelling vocal harmonies as their strongest feature.
Dog Unit (UK) @ TR8 – Ahead
“Post-rock you can dance to” || Now this was a nice surprise. Dressed in blue overalls and white sneakers, the four Londoners hypnotized us with their instrumental compositions, at times electrifying or even funky, but always cinematic and clever. It was great to witness how their full-length debut album At Home (out on Brace Yourself Records) comes to life.
Bad Bangs (AU) @ 160K Dancehall (Oct 19)
“Exceptionally refreshing garage rock” || The Melbourne quartet closed their tour here, not only by throwing leftover merchandise—g-strings emblazoned with the band’s name—into the venue, but more so with danceable rock’n’roll songs that excelled in dual female vocals that were as passionate as powerful—so vivid that I couldn’t manage to take a decent photo. Exciting guitar duels and a grooving rhythm section topped it off. Check out their sophomore album Out Of Character (Blossom Rot Records) if you want to hear more.
DoFlame (CA) @ Perron – Big (Oct 19
“Canadian hardcore incorporating aspects of old-school hip-hop” || The right band in the right place. The Canadian formation released their debut album BENT last week (through Blue Grape Music), radical songs that they here poured out over the large numbers of jumping attendees. Full of energy and charisma, growling and gritty, rousing and loud.
Lou Terry (UK) @ Paradijskerk (Oct 19)
“Quintessential bedroom pop for the modern alt-rock enjoyer” || We missed his first show the day before because the venue was already packed—no one left in between, which says a lot—so we didn’t let the second chance pass us by. The London-based musician did not disappoint, with songs that sometimes hit with a catchy melody and other times with introspective wordplay.
Tanz Akademie (IT) @ TR8 – Ahead (Oct 19)
“Like a marching band throwing a coming of age party at a funeral” || The six musicians from Piedmont were visibly impressed by the full theater, but that didn’t stop them from giving an entertaining show, thanks in particular to the horn section. The festival-goers had clearly come to shake their hips, but were first urged to sit down—lying on your back or even making out was also allowed, the charming singer joked—before having their needs satisfied anyway. We liked The Vampire the best, the opening track from their debut album Hullabaloo (out via Overdub Recordings).
Adore (IE) @ V11 (Oct 19)
“Irish garage rock trio with the shortest band bio ever” || The three musicians, hailing from Dublin, Galway and Donegal, have only released a few tunes, but you didn’t notice that at all, because this was a mature set of dynamic songs, interspersed with personal stories about the Dutch grandmother of singer/guitarist Lara Minchin. Last year’s single Postcards is a hit that sounds like it has always been there, but Adore showed that they have a lot more to offer.
This report was made in collaboration with Niek.
With so many artists, stages and moments there are countless possible routes, and along the way we heard other visitors rave about shows that we weren’t at. Everyone got to experience another great event with a completely different program, but FOMO almost knocked us out. Either way, we wouldn’t have wanted to miss this seventh edition of the festival, and we’ll think back to it until the next one. Just saying: tickets for Left of the Dial 2025 are already on sale.
