Dot To Dot Festival - Bristol, 25th September 2021

Having been running since 2005, the Dot To Dot Festival – with the majority of the bill performing in Bristol on Saturday before decamping up the M5 to Nottingham the following day – has become a staple of the cities’ respective music calendars and, judging by the warm response (and being sold out long in advance), the pandemic has not hindered its momentum.

Of course, the main issue with city festivals (like most festivals) is that the punters are spoilt for choice. Although it’s not the same size as one of the major cities, Bristol is still a city, and while several of the venues are in close proximity, several others occupy the outskirts.

In addition, the itinerary is so packed (with circa 12 venues participating) that the timetable simply doesn’t allow any margin for travel. For much of the day, the bands get a half-hour stage time with no let-up, ergo if you want to watch one band at 3pm then another at 3.30pm in another venue, one runs the risk of missing a chunk of one or either band.

Such is life, so the best tactic is often to stay in one location. The O2 Academy had the luxury of two ‘venues’, with a short walk upstairs to see the next band. Wych Elm had the honour of kicking off the day’s…festivities, and while their brand of slacker-grunge doesn’t exactly get the already-busy crowd dancing, they certainly blow away any cobwebs to start the day in bracing fashion.

https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/09/review-dot-to-dot-festival-2021/