For the first year running, Nottingham and Bristol based “urban festival” Dot to Dot built on its success and overflowed into London with a smaller offering going by the name Hox to Dot.  Yes, to all you Londoners well versed with the east end, the ‘Hox’ stood for Hoxton, which was where this fledgling event took place. In the same ilk as the Stag and Dagger, although on a smaller scale, venues including the Macbeth, Hoxton Bar & Grill and the Old Blue Last hosted bands and dj’s, new and old, and brought a bit of east end charm to the proceedings!

Tickets were unceremoniously exchanged for wristbands and this provided access to as many acts as you could possibly take in between 4pm and midnight.  Alcohol consumption permitting of course!

Headliners included electro-composer Dan Deacon and Liverpudlian troubadour Eugene McGuiness,alongside performances from the likes of Merok’s new kid on the block ‘Esser’, abrasive experimental punkers TheDeathSet and the sadly now defunct Cutting Pink With Knives.  It had all the hallmarks of what could be a superbly entertaining event and it did not disappoint!

First up we caught LA exports Iglu & Hartly and their synthed up part-rap, part-sung “rap-pop” anthems.  You can blame the Guardian for labelling Iglu & Hartly as rap-pop, but in fairness it’s a pretty spot on depiction.

Having been described as “the missing link between the boorish funk-rock of Red Hot Chili Peppers and the cosmic synth-pop of Flaming Lips” and being Zane Lowe’s tip from the SxSW festival, they were a personal must see. 

Almost comical in the way they prance around the stage minus shoes and with their perfectly honed bare chests on display, but at the same time their catchy anthemic tunes made you want to dance. A band who were possibly so wrong they were right, although many will argue they are more in contention for the title of “so wrong”.    

Debut single “Violent & Young” is being released this month on Another Music=Another Kitchen and is a blend of 80’s synths with beastie boys esque vocals, pulsating disco beats and a hellishly memorable hook. 

With a team (I say a team but really I mean there were 2) of hardcore fans at the front, who had the lyrics down to a tee and the moves to go with it, it was an energetic start to the evening. 

This 5-piece is now back in the states after unleashing their sound on an unsuspecting and bemused UK, but expect an album soon as the majors are chomping at the bit to sign them. They have even managed to enlist the help of producer to The Killers and Bloc Party, Mark Needham.

Next up was Essex boy wonder and former drummer with long gone Ladyfuzz, Ben Esser, or actually it’s just Esser now.  Yep, I would suggest you file him under your “ones to watch” or “hot new talent” folders, as 2008 should be the year to establish him. 

The 23 year old hails from a family of musicians and in the most simplistic terms uses a computer machine and some instruments to make pop music.  Aided by his brother on drums, a mighty sample back catalogue and some fuzzed up bass lines they deliver as one slick and innovative pop outfit.

The set included the startlingly superb “I love you” which sounds like a vintage gramophone backing up the sarcastic yet catchy lyrics and “satisfied”with samples and lyrics moulded from Tammy Wynette’s prolific “stand by me”.  The line “sometimes it's hard to be a woman” has been amended to “you know its hard to please a woman” and is backed up with some serious honky tonk piano, handclapping, and specked with a Latino guitar riff.

Moving on swiftly before I did in fact start to salsa we took ourselves off down Curtain Road to the Old Blue Last to see the mighty Death Set perform.  Sensibly arriving early as most of Shoreditch turned up to watch just before they started to play. 

Rejecting the stage in favour of setting up in amongst the forming mosh pit their set was completed whilst surrounded by their fans.  The 20 or so minutes of rampant thrashy screamcore playing was met with similarly rampant, screamcore fans whose jumping and bounding about could have literally brought the house down.  

They combine wild and high impact songs with melodies so catchy despite their abrasive nature that even my friend, who is strictly an r&b girl, was dancing dementedly.  Their songs are literally 120 second rushes of adrenalin and create such high-energy chaos amongst their crowds its refreshing to watch. 

Personal favourite “around the world” reflected the punk-pop influences with its electro backing, robotic vocals and thrashing guitars, whilst “listen to the collision” incorporates a digital hardcore element and fuzzy samples.

Those Baltimore punk rockers Johnny Siera and bearded guitarist Pete O’Connell brought life to the east end (and Bristol and Nottingham) and their discordant and fractious showmanship was a true highlight.  Infectious, lo-fi, sometimes obscene, punk; thank god for the “motherfucking” death set and thank God they left Australia!

Finally we saw ghoulish esque noise-rockers The Ghost Frequency, who have been compared to the likes of The Horrors and Hadouken! I think the Hadouken! Reference is probably more on a par with The Ghost Frequency, although they haven’t made the same kind of impact like the former.  

With dramatic 80s reminiscent vocals courtesy of frontman Doran Edwards, and the computer game synths and jerky guitars courtesy of the rest of the band they sadly drew a much smaller crowd than predecessors The Death Set.  Anyhow they showcased songs including “Money on the Fire“, “Nightmare” and Never Before” and brought their punk, rock and electropop beats to the diminishing crowds.  Too much ofthe hard stuff by this time I fear!

All in all Hox to Dot was a successful event, bringing together bands and artists of varying genres and fanbases, as well as djs providing the tunes for the continuing Hoxton party that went on well into the early hours of Friday.  Just in time for a short journey to Bristol for the next leg and some severely needed recovery time.

Written By Francesca Strange

Photography of The Ghost Frequency by Mike Massaro