DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL 2022 ROUNDUP

If you happened to find yourself in Nottingham city centre on Sunday 29th May, you will have been met with hoards of people broadly divided into two crowds: the footie-scarf-wearing Forest supporters shouting ‘Youuuu Reds!’ at literally everyone they saw after the team’s promotion to the Premier League; and the Doc Marten-wearing, tote bag-carrying music fans of the city, out in force to attend Dot 2 Dot Festival 2022. 

Always one of the highlights of the Notts musical calendar, D2D is an inner-city day fest in the mould of Sheffield’s Tramlines which takes place over a weekend in two locations - Bristol on the Saturday, Nottingham on the Sunday. The beauty of D2D is its sheer variety; unconstrained by genre or Spotify numerics, the 2022 lineup ranged from stalwarts of the local scene such as Sunflower Thieves and Catmilk to the Mercury Prize nominated co-headliners, Squid and Ghetts. 

As I’ve come to expect after years of attending, the day began by trying (and failing) to resolve excruciating clashes and estimating how long it would take to run from 31K to NTU’s The Level. Fuelled by a steady supply of Superbok, these are the standout acts that VG managed to catch.

Prima Queen

Kicking off proceedings for VG were Prima Queen - a songwriting duo from either side of the Atlantic who serenaded an early crowd at upstairs venue The Loft with their dreamy indie-folk. On record, their tracks are playful yet vulnerable, and this sense of intimacy was translated seamlessly in performance thanks to the two’s onstage chemistry and evident mutual affection.

Porij

From studying in Manchester to frequenting 6 Music playlists, Porij’s hybridisation of dance and indie acts as a glorious counterpoint to the current wave of guitar-heavy post-punk. Looking down on the quartet from the balcony at The Level, you couldn’t help but notice the sheer movement going on; throughout the entirety of the 45 minute set, the crowd simply could not stop themselves dancing. 

Jockstrap

If forced to pick, Jockstrap’s set at The Level would cinch the crown as the standout set of the day. Performing off the back of the release of their immersive latest single ‘Concrete Over Water’, the duo were magnetic, combining Georgia Ellery’s haunting vocals and violin parts with Taylor Skye’s expansive electronic arrangements. As my friend muttered under her breath to me mid-set, wide-eyed: “I feel like I’m being hypnotised”. Well, quite. 

SCALPING

A sleeper hit of the day, SCALPING immediately transported anyone listening from mid-afternoon in the East Midlands to sometime after midnight in a foreign festival’s dance tent. Merging industrial techno with post-rock guitars, each of their tracks were accompanied by mind-melting visuals spanning the abstract, the horrific, and the humorous. This - coupled with their arresting stage presence - made it nigh on impossible to tear yourself away from SCALPING’s half-hour trip.

KEG

True to their name, KEG’s performance set the crowd alight, with The Bodega’s upstairs venue acting as a tinderbox for their explosive energy. Channelling the same hive mind mentality as the football fans hoarding outside in Market Square, the audience quickly became a blur of flying pints and flailing limbs as the band’s seven members powered through a thunderous set. 

Squid 

Following the triumphant release of debut album ‘Bright Green Field’ last year, this festival season can be seen as something of a lap of honour for post-punk experimentalists Squid. 

As D2D’s co-headliners (alongside Ghetts, who packed out neighbouring Rescue Rooms), the Bristol-based five piece seemed unaware - or unfazed - that theirs was the name on everyone’s lips. (Indeed, drummer and lead vocalist Ollie Judge could be spotted in the Jockstrap crowd at The Level earlier that afternoon). By the end of the second song, you’d have been hard pushed to find anyone in the audience who hadn’t been drawn in by the black hole pull of the venue-wide pit. Blistering, confident, and chaotic, Squid put on a show that only verified their reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts around. 

Honeyglaze

Rounding off the day’s live sets at Bodega in spectacular fashion was Honeyglaze, the 3-piece whose eponymous debut album comes hot off the press via cult label Speedy Wunderground. Characterised by emotionally intelligent, insightful songwriting and sincere storytelling, their performance was one which lingered long after the final chord.

Stealth/Rescue Rooms Silent Disco

Seeing the night out with crowd pleasers galore, the legendary disc jockeys of Stealth and Rescue Rooms drew after-hours punters to the conjoined clubs like moths to a flame. And as with all the best venues, nearly as many people could be found outside as in, spilling onto the shared smoking terrace as they discussed listening recommendations, highlights of the day, and how best to keep the party going.