You could smell the barbecues. You could hear the guitars. You could feel your feet shaking beneath you. This was the atmosphere in Nottingham when Dot to Dot hit the city centre on Sunday the 28th of May.
After collecting our wristbands outside of Rock City, Tom Lumley at Spanky Van Dykes was the first place we hit. The small venue made for a perfect atmosphere for this fluffy-haired rocker. Everyone was buzzing for one of the first acts of the day, and the energy set the room alight. Lumley performed accordingly, headbanging and dancing as he performed.
We headed back to Rock City, to watch Easy Life. An unknown band to us when we started watching, but at the end of the day we declared them one of our favourites. Their unusual instruments such as the trumpet and saxophone, paired with their indie style, made them very unique indeed. We were very disheartened to find nothing of their music online, however we messaged them and they confirmed live recordings will be released soon. Phew.
The next few hours were a rush, bouncing between venues to try and cover as much as possible. We went downstairs to the Black Cherry Lounge to see Tusk, then all the way to The Bodega to see Hannah Georgas, and back up again to see Babe Punch. I was excited to catch Babe Punch, as they are an all-woman rock band, which is really empowering to see. They could have relaxed on the wailing, but they still made for an interesting watch.
Rescue Rooms was a camping ground for us for a couple of hours, as Cosmo Pyke and Yellow Daze played their sets there. Cosmo Pyke (yes that’s his real name) was a soothing start to the evening, with his crooning yet passionate voice and relaxing beats. Yellow Days were your classic indie band, and whilst they were enjoyable, I did think they were a little stereotypical. Once they find their groove and own sound, they’ll be unstoppable.
We had a quick food break, heading to Tesco and popping to The Orange Tree to see Casey Lowrey before preparing ourselves for the headliners. Amber Run headed back to their ‘hometown’, playing a very emotional set – the band met at University of Nottingham, quitting their second year to focus on their musical dreams. This has clearly paid off for them! In places they could have picked less sad songs, as for their short set they could have picked livelier numbers to keep the crowd engaged. They were still brilliant though, and have big things written all over them.
Rock City became a sardine tin as the final act of the night hit the stage: Sundara Karma. Personally I have never actually listened to them properly before this, however I’m very glad I saw them live. Their music just hits a chord in you, with powerful, hope-filled lyrics. Confetti fell down as they finished their final number, and you could see the tears in people’s eyes as they heard their favourite songs, live and raw.
Dot-to-Dot is an absolutely fantastic festival, for anyone with an alternative music taste. With a superb mixture of upcoming and established bands, you can expand your music taste and consolidate how talented the bands you love are. With tickets at a mere £20, which allows you access to hundreds of live acts, why wouldn’t you want to go?
This is what our experience sounded like:
By Eve Smallman