Three powerful days of Left of the Dial in Rotterdam have come to a vibrant close. A phenomenal lineup of 150+ mostly new and young bands played 300+ shows in around 20 venues in the center of this major Dutch and European port city.
The festival leaned heavily on 3-to-5 men/women-strong, mostly post punk ish, and mostly English bands that seemed to have taken the ferry together across the Channel to play out the Guitar World Cup 2025.
It really was amazing to see so many exciting varieties of the classic indie band setup! And what’s great about Left of the Dial too is that every band plays two or three shows. This creates a cool sense of community among the festival’s supply and demand sides – both finding their equilibria many times over.
Logistically, it also adds another very interesting layer to the optimization process of coming up with your own festival schedule. But most importantly this setup ensures that you will get to see your favorites and you might also spot other bands in the audience.
One of the finest shows then was put on by Irish outfit Search Results. They play a refreshing kind of indie rock carried by flawless songwriting and presented their works both ecstatically and effortlessly. They released a new album in May on Knob Polish (sic) that quickly rose into top of the year status. Their latest single Excruciating Heights is attached below – dive in.
Canadian poppers Cistern stood out as well. Their catchy melodies and energy on stage promises a great future for the group. They just released their second album Rhizome via Meat Machine.
English quartet Elwell out of Leeds matched this quite well with a great surfy spin of indie pop that felt like the Golden Age of Kitsuné in the late 2000s. They have a self-released EP out since May and more music coming out via Leeds’ own Esco Romanesco Records.
French/Haitian outfit Zonbi played three memorable and energetic sets. Fronted by saxophonist Dimitri, they added a welcome musical depth to the guitar/bass/drumkit-heavy lineup. They have a debut album coming out this week via Swish Swash Records.
Australian dreamers Baby Smith put on a lively show playing a banging mid-century inspired set – they also have a debut album coming out later this year. Keep your eyes peeled! Attached below, find Cry off their last EP that came out this summer.
Other standout performances came in by The New Cut, The Roebucks, Big Red, Curser and The None. You can find the full Poule d’Or curated selection from the 2025 lineup in one handy playlist over on Spotify.
Finally, Canadian hyperscalers PISS played a high intensity set that will finally put them on the map this side of the ocean – look out for their upcoming tour dates.
And then there is Rotterdam! The city is a secret hero in terms of cultural and gastronomic density in Europe, while also being the first playground for Dutch architects: counting more than 20 skyscrapers and growing, Rotterdam is busily building itself one of the finest skylines on the continent. Imagine crossing the Atlantic until the forks on the flatlands of Holland steadily grow bigger on the horizon – fantastic!
Look at that skyline! If you will have us, Left of the Dial, we will be back next year!
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