Babe Punch. photo: Dan Skurok
With the dying feedback from the end of Crosa Rosa’s set at Rescue Rooms still ringing in my ears I make the short journey to the dark and dingy Stealth to catch I Am Lono. The trio set about creating a thumping gothic disco soundtrack; it’s all glacial synths, jacked up bass, pounding drum and vocals that sound like Ian Curtis doing his best Scott Walker impersonation. The murky, industrial surroundings we are in are the perfect setting for their dystopian groove while also making you appreciate being back out in the sunlight once their set is over.
As Dot To Dot has grown, it’s not only acted as a showcase for the best up-and-coming national and international acts, but they’ve started to give a leg up to our extremely diverse and vibrant music scene, either through the use of ‘fringe venue’s or giving local acts greater exposure on the ‘official’ Dot To Dot stages. One of the bands who have benefited from the latter policy is Babe Punch who find themselves on the main stage at Rock City in front of a sizeable afternoon crowd. They excitedly power through a set of originals and well chosen covers, and if their raucous energy gets a little lost in this vast space, their excitable enthusiasm and snarling energy that has made them one of the best new bands in Notts is still very much evident.
The times over at the Orange Tree are a little messed up so I take the opportunity to make the most of the sunny weather and catch up with friends in the courtyard soundtracked by the soaring post-rock of Sunset Nebula and the grungy refrains of Autumn Diet Plan. In between their sets I dip inside to catch a lush set from brooding folky-indie types Keto playing a selection of tracks from their new EP. Later on Dusty Bible brings his one-man-band hip hop blues mash-up, aided by a laptop, guitar, and a voice so gravelly you could lay roads with it.
An attempt to catch Field Studies at Rough Trade fails as the place is rammed out, so a slow walk back to the Rescue Rooms is in order. You can tell it’s the evening as the Rescue Rooms has that pungent mix of booze, farts and BO hanging in the air that all the best indoor music festivals have the uncanny ability to produce this late on in to proceedings.
I’d been looking forward to catching the next two acts ever since the Dot To Dot line-up was announced, and it’s a tired old cliché, but they do not disappoint. Diet Cig are a peppy pick-me-up, their indie-punk a welcome shot in the arm for any flagging energy levels. The energy levels are pushed further in to the red by Manchester’s Spring King who are riotously good fun and see both limbs and pint glasses being thrown around in joyous abandonment. It’s time for the old farts (me) to go home and let the kids riot long in to the early hours, but let’s do it the same time next year, yeah?
Dot To Dot Festival was at various venues in Nottingham on Sunday 29 May 2016.
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