Since its beginning back in 2005, Dot To Dot has built a formidable reputation as a launchpad for emerging artists, with past alumni including The 1975, Squid, Sports Team, and Yard Act, each of whom graced its tightly packed city-centre stages long before their breakout moments. The 2026 line-up continues that legacy, once again curating a vivid variation of scenes spanning punk, indie, pop, and electronic experimentalism.

Fronting this year’s billing, Lambrini Girls bring their uncompromising queer punk energy to the festival, fresh off a year that’s seen them take their anti-establishment message across Europe. Known for their chaotic live sets and powerful tracks challenging misogyny and right-wing politics, their appearance promises one of the weekend’s most cathartic moments, merging activism with pure adrenaline release.

Joining them are Fcuckers, a high-energy quartet who’ve surged in 2025 following their blistering 2024 EP Baggy$$. Unboxed by genre, expect a wonderful mesh of sound including house, trip-hop, jungle and electro-indie alongside a lively crowd. Their show is set to be one of Dot To Dot’s absolute highlights.

Galway’s NewDad add balance to the chaos with their shimmering dream-pop, anchored by vocalist Julie Dawson’s melancholic delivery and the band’s lush, echoing guitars. After releasing their critically acclaimed debut MADRA, they propelled from Irish indie icons to an international touring act. Their Dot To Dot appearance marks a welcome return to the UK’s smaller venues following a run of major festival bookings.

Beyond the headliners, Dot To Dot’s first wave also features a selection of emerging names sitting at the intersection of pop experimentation and underground grit. Early confirmations include London’s dream-pop, lounge-jazz singer-songwriter Sarah Meth, Brighton’s post-punk, electro-folk band AtticOmatic, and Bristol’s beloved post-punk quartet Grandma’s House, adding genre diversity to an already wide-ranging bill.

Taking over Bristol’s city centre on Saturday, May 24, before heading north to Nottingham on Sunday, May 25, Dot To Dot will again transform small venues, bars, and converted spaces into a labyrinth of live music. For many fans, part of the magic lies in the festival’s format as a multi-venue crawl where stumbling upon an underground, prospective star in a 200-cap room is all part of the thrill.

Tickets are on sale now via the festival’s official website, with more artists expected to be announced in early 2026.

Featured image credits: Dot To Dot Festival Instagram 

Falling on the same night of the 2024 BRIT awards, Wunderhorse took to the stage last Saturday to rapturous applause. The legendary 700-year-old pub announced the secret set just hours before the group were scheduled to perform, causing fans to scramble to purchase last-minute tickets. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jacob Slater, his distinctive rough and ready vocals and razor-sharp lyricism are hard to shake off. Slater’s gritty on-stage persona is reminiscent of blistering American garage bands, causing him to launch into a series of rage-fuelled outbursts, only to lose him again in a 90s psychedelic fog.

The Hertfordshire-born musician had made the decision to exit his old band Dead Pretties in 2017, a path that would eventually lead him to form his next project Wunderhorse, releasing their debut, critically-acclaimed album ‘Cub‘ in October 2022, a beautiful yet bloodied catalogue of teenage misadventure. The past two years have seen Slater build up a fair amount of mileage, having scored not only glowing album reviews and international recognition, but rather ironically his first ever acting role as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s tv miniseries Pistol.

A multifaceted writer and instrumentalist, Slater has also curated his own separate solo project, releasing his first ever record ‘Pinky, I Love You‘ in August 2023, another deeply personal and tender account of youth driven by a rousing, prog-rock sound. On February 5, the band announced they will be performing at Isle of Wight, TRNSMT, Boardmasters and Reading and Leeds festival this summer.

As of last weekend, they also shared they will be headlining Dot To Dot Festival in May alongside Irish electronic duo Jockstrap, and Brighton’s The Great Escape festival accompanied by other major acts such as Faye Webster and SOFTPLAY. Great Escape Fest is known for showcasing the biggest and brightest up and coming artists from around the country, with over 150 acts set to take part in different venues across the city.

Wunderhorse took to Instagram last month to lift the lid on new music, revealing they are currently in the process of recording their sophomore album, simply commenting: “Back on the road in March, new music in tow”. The four-piece will be supporting English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna on his 2024 UK tour this month, kicking things off at Cardiff University’s Student Union on March 23. You can purchase tickets here.

Culkin’s pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band were far from warmly received when they took to the stage as part of the Nottingham leg of the Dot To Dot festival. According to the local newspaper report, the booing began after just one song. Full pints of beer were then thrown over the band with Culkin responding for the first time to say: “Why are you throwing those? I’d rather drink them!” However, his ability to endure the soaking ended shortly afterwards and the band left the stage after just three songs.

Both Culkin and the festival’s organisers were keen to point out that it was only a very minimal portion of the crowd that “ruined it for everyone“. It seems as those the pizza-themes may have not quite settled right with the Nottingham crowd despite their successes at the Bristol and Manchester legs of the Dot To Dot Festival circuit.