At Left of the Dial festival in Rotterdam I grabbed the opportunity to learn a little more about some of the bands I saw for the first time.
Brighton based AK/DK‘s stage was setup was pretty bamboozling. Two full drumkits plus a ton of keyboards, synths and leads! The duo then proceeded to blast their way through their gig which created a rave vibe on V11, affectionately known as the Red Boat. Totally inclusive, this was a beat-laden bouncing set, with every single person in the room moving and grinning.
Please describe AK/DK in 5 words.
Drums & Synths & Noise & Space = us
Had you played outside your home country before Left of the Dial?
We’ve been very lucky to have played lots of countries other than our own; we’ve played Rotterdam a couple of times before and all around Europe, we’ve even managed to make it over to South America, playing shows and collaborating with artists in Brazil and Argentina. Visiting so many places is a massive perk of performing music.
Please describe your Left of the Dial experience.
This is such an incredible festival. The line up is really well curated and forward looking. Hung out with some old friends in bands and made loads of new ones. The audiences are so up for it too, they brought so much energy to both of our shows and every other gig we saw – without them the festival would not be what it is!
Please describe Left of the Dial in 3 words.
Fun, friendly, fantastic
What has been the most bizarre source of inspiration for your creativity?
We often take inspiration from all around us, some of our song titles come from books we’re reading or have around us. One particular song name ‘How To Disappear Completely’ comes from an outdoor survival book for kids!
What is the last music you listened to?
We listen to a lot of music, but on the way back from Left of the Dial, we listened a lot to one of our favourite podcasts “The Blindboy Podcast” – so informative and so hilarious.
Anything on your wishlist and/or already scheduled for 2025 we need to know about?
We have more UK tour dates in the beginning of the year, then some festivals in the summer, and hopefully back to Rotterdam and the rest of the EU. We’ll also start work on our next album in our own little studio. We’ll be keeping busy!
For more information on AK/DK please check their facebook and instagram.