Kicking off a much-anticipated tour, Dylan takes to the stage at Nottingham’s own The Rescue Rooms...
Kicking off a much-anticipated tour with dates across Europe and the US, musical up-and-comer Dylan takes the stage at Nottingham’s own The Rescue Rooms – her first time since supporting Thomas Headon at the same venue back in 2021. This rise to headline act is just an indication of the strengthened grasp that she continues to hold over the pop-rock genre – though it seems to be just the beginning…
By the time the singer took the stage, the sold-out venue was still reeling from a blinding opening set from the Irish/Scottish duo SIIGHTS. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed an opening act as much as I enjoyed watching these two artists, each of whom surged with onstage chemistry. Their funky rendition of Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar roused the crowd’s hunger for a sing-along, while their single Fake It has earned a permanent place in my Spotify playlist.
Dylan exploded onstage, adorned in grungy leather and with a desire to cause chaos. Despite a nagging winter illness, she powered through with pure grit, fuelled by the echoes of singing fans and the occasional Lemsip: "I’m gonna dance like I’ve never danced before, you guys are going to sing like you’ve never sung before." If anything, the husky throat only added to her rockstar grit. Honestly, if this is Dylan at reduced capacity, I’m a bit afraid of what she can do when healthy.
The singer took fans back to the beginning of her career with a performance of Nineteen, inhabiting the stage as if she owned it, with confidence only found in those with a real love for music in their veins. As she leaned into the grittier, rock-inspired layers of her discography, Dylan dared to redefine the parameters of the rock genre and signalled a new wave for women in a historically male-dominated industry. With her dark-feminine energy and unwavering self-assurance, Dylan shredded on her guitar while showing fans the power of being a woman.
Most unapologetic was her depiction of feminine rage, which was easily matched by fans during a performance of Someone Else. She stoked the coals by declaring "I need you to get fucking angry okay", prompting the ascent of several-hundred middle fingers in the air. Suddenly, the venue became a safe space to unleash that reserve of repressed fury. Her tumultuous presentation of the twenty-something female experience seemed to resonate with the majority.
Altering the pace to one of emotional vulnerability, Dylan admitted that she was "going to take it into sad girl hour before we take it into hot girl hour." As a prelude to her melancholy ballad, the singer described the period of personal loneliness which gave fruition to Home Is Where the Heart Is, as she thanked fans for creating a space to rest her weary heart.
I’m about to say something incredibly frustrating – there’s something I can’t tell you. Dylan teased us as she swore us to secrecy, "I’m not about to give you what you want, I’m going to give you what you need…but on one condition." So far, the singer has been able to keep the lid safely fastened on this surprise edition to the setlist – and I shall not be removing that lid any time soon.
Let’s just say, she delivered a cover which certainly rivals the performance of the original artist (I would know, I’ve also been lucky enough to hear him sing it live!). The electricity in the room turned palpable, as artist and fan revelled in the performance of the quintessential pop-rock tune.
The sense of liberation reached an all-time high during Dylan’s performance of You’re Not Harry Styles, in which she humbles a hypothetical ‘you’ with a taunting delivery of "you’re not quite Harry Styles", unapologetic in her tendency to take up room with her dance moves. Meanwhile, her long-time passion for music became evident through a groovy guitar solo during Treat Me So Bad.
Leaving fans with the bittersweet message that Nothing Lasts Forever, Dylan apologised again for being stunted by her illness, "I hope the leather and the dance moves made up for it," (they did). Through her grounded vocals and infectious stage presence, Dylan delivered a performance of catharsis which honestly rivalled that of the Ancient Greeks.
The pop-rock it-girl is set to continue her headline tour across the UK, Europe, and the US in the coming months, and is scheduled to perform at Boardmasters this summer.
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