Indie Picks May 2015

May is a very good month for fans of all tunes which can be loosely defined as indie. From sold out gigs from the likes of Scottish tweesters Belle and Sebastian who still manage to make albums which are the aural equivalent of delving into a bag of sweets and finding a few razor blades hidden therein and acclaimed folk-rocker Laura Marling, both at the Colston Hall to noisemeisters Slaves who may well sink the Thekla with their brand of uncompromising rock, May is looking good this year.

So without further ado, here are our picks of the month for your delectation.

Iceage at the Fleece. There’s something about Scandinavia and the music created there, it’s invariably heartfelt. OK, so Aqua and Swedish House Mafia come from Scandinavia, we’ll ignore them shall we. Scandinavia gave us quasi orchestral soundscapes by Sigur Ros, Mum and more  black metal played by church burning Satanists, perfect pop from the Cardigans and some punk stylings from the Hives and The Hellacopters. Iceage are a Danish punk band with a bit more to them than three chords and hey ho, lets go. They’re a little darker but not really goth, have bags of energy and tip their hats, if they wore hats to post-punk. Well worth a trip to the Fleece before they move up to massive venues.

Swans May 20 Motion and the Marble Factory. Formed in 1982 by visionary musician and songwriter Michael Gira, Swans have created and performed some of the most harrowing and some of the most astonishing music ever commited to vinyl or seen on stage. Like being hit by a giant bulldozer pushing over a building a Swans gig is loud, very, very loud, inexorable and a truly visceral experience. However in the heart of the noise and endless crescnedoes which can last what feels like a lifetime there is melody and heart. Swans are a band which fans of challenging and intense music should see at least once in their lifetime.

Dot to Dot Festival May 23 Various venues. The indie and alternative festival celebrates ten years of bringing the best and most cutting edge indie and alternative music to numerous venues in Bristol with one of it’s strongest line-ups yet. This year’s headliner Saint Raymond is from Nottingham and like that city’s other recent musical export Jake Bugg is a singer-songwriter. Unlike Jake Bugg his music looks to the future rather than an imagined British hobo past, more synth based and pop inflected with a nod or two to anthemic choruses Saint Raymond is heavily tipped for major success. Also appearing on the bill are filthy rock and rollers Fat White Family guaranteed to tear the roof off whichever venue they are appearing in, surf poppers Best Coast, dark indie darlings Honeyblood and many, many, many more. For more information see http://www.dottodotfestival.co.uk/