Pound-for-pound, Dot To Dot is definitely one of the best day fests in the country, and its tightly-packed lineup of the UK’s most promising new bands made up for all the gigs we’ve missed out on in recent times.

Filling every nook and cranny of Printworks’ cacophonous venue, the Brighton prog-punks made the space their own as they transformed the nightclub into an immersive oddball rave.

Fender’s take on heartland rock delves into his own life, with songs that are intertwined with stories, people, and experiences that everyone can relate to, and he provided the Manchester crowd with a performance the reflected their own lives.

As well as the obvious joy in being able to perform live again during his “rare, stripped-back” show, there is a particular gratitude John Grant displays in playing to a country that has embraced him so readily. At Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion, the gratitude was mutual.

There are lots of reasons why we enjoy festivals, but at its pagan core a festival is about uniting people. With a vibrant cocktail of South London sounds, that’s precisely what Naked City Festival achieved this year.

The promoters behind Wide Awake persevered for two years in putting on a festival for a burgeoning scene that feels like a bunch of misfits banding together, and they got their just reward.

Slam Dunk saw a return to the levels of punk and passion the festival has become famous for. At last their loyal following could let loose.

A reflective and triumphant IDLES realised how much Bristol missed them at their homecoming of hectic proportions.