Across the bank holiday Olivia Hannant took on the bustling streets of Nottingham which welcomed the annual Dot to Dot Festival spanning across various venues throughout the city. Over 83 acts performed throughout the Sunday afternoon and evening. Impossible to catch a glimpse of them all but here’s some of the favourites.
Spanning across 17 stages, the day began with an eclectic mix of alt goth, post punk based shoegaze from Nottingham’s own Bloodworm, the trio excelled offering up their singles 'Cemetery Dance’ and the gothic ‘Alone in Your Garden’. This is definitely a group you couldn’t miss if you were passing through clearly endorsed by the full crowd at Rescue Rooms.
Followed by having the privilege to catch the extravagance of Opus Kink fill Rock City, the eclectic mix of jazzy post-punk sure is unique and it showed. Dot to Dot was not shy of that infectious chaotic energy this year with Fat Dog’s apocalyptic energy radiating from The Level out through the city. A transportation to another dimension, one in which there is no order proved successful as the group delivered a crazed show. With crowds flocking to catch a glimpse of these guys doing their thing, having no released music is working in their favour.
A packed out Black Cherry Lounge gathered to catch a glimpse of the Leicestershire based indie pop star SOFY, full of energy and charm she took to the stage and had everyone dancing. The fact that I was five minutes early and could barely squeeze into the room speaks volumes here, definitely one to watch. The vintage woozy surf pop of Midnight Rodeo also rocked the level stage, if you want to go to a gig and have a good dance these guys are for you. Tambourines, twangy guitars and melodic vocals made this set a real stand out.
As the day progressed I also had the pleasure of catching the upcoming quintet, Lipfiller, displaying their show of caustic indie rock and dance-punk with didactic lyrics bouncing off the four walls. Percy Picklebackers wasn’t shy of unique performances Sunday evening as Nottingham’s own Otala took to the stage producing their cinematic set as they concluded with their single ‘Tell the bees’. Followed by Manchester based Maruja, the obscure four piece delivered another intense performance blending styles to produce something audiences were yet to Witness.
Highlight of the main stage at Rock City were The Murder Capital bringing us down to earth with a thud as their dark and introspective set had the whole crowd moving. Front man McGovern commanded the room in a way only a selective few could succeed in doing as they played through their sophomore album.
Finding myself tired, in between heading home or catching Alvvays as a last set I made my way into The Level and am glad that I did. A beautiful set doused in resonance, the Canadian indie-pop group really took me by surprise, a responsive crowd excited to be there propelled the group who were submerged in projected visuals of winding rivers and swirling patterns.
A real way to end a busy day, Dot to Dot delivering yet again, a festival that takes pride of place in Nottingham.
Olivia Hannant
Edited by Olivia Hannant, Photos courtesy of Olivia Hannant and Natalie Howarth
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