Gus Dapperton: Gorilla, Manchester, Yellow and Such Tour — Review
After an unexpected 20 minute walk due to a last minute venue change from Soup Kitchen to Gorilla, I arrived at Gus Dapperton’s gig in Manchester. A line of young music fans waited in anticipation along the dirty alleyway under the railway tracks on Whitworth Street West. After entering through the door to the gig under the tunnel, I noticed the dimly-lit venue, which has a capacity of 600 people, had an array of decorations designed to look like amps backing the stage.
At 8pm the support act, Leicester’s Easy Life took to the stage and wordlessly began their 45 minute set of jazzy & psychedelic infused indie rock. It was an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise to see a new band with such a refreshing sound. Switching instruments half through songs and showcasing those jazz influences by implementing saxophone and trumpet in a couple of songs. Their warm, chilled-out vibe, aided by some tropical plants which adorned the stage, was a special moment in that freezing february night.
After the five-piece was done it was time for the main act to get their gear on stage. The relatively big set up of Easy Life was replaced by the very basic equipment that Gus Dapperton uses, which matches the minimalism of the American’s sound. Gus’s backing band, which consist of his highschool friends, set up their own instruments.
At 9:15, the drummer came on stage and started playing a basic 4x4 beat, followed by both bassist and keyboardist, who kickstarted ‘Gum, Toe and Sole’ and without any instructions the crowd instinctively began to sing the leading vocal melody of the song. As the atmosphere rose, Gus Dapperton came onto the stage, holding a handbag and wearing white boots. The quartet looked straight out of a Wes Anderson movie.
His voice was the same relaxed, mellow quality that appears on all of his music. As the song went along, he grabbed his guitar and by the second verse the band was at its full power. Before going into the second song, ‘Miss Glum and The Pursuit of Falling’ Gus introduced himself and his bandmates by telling the audience weird facts about them. It’s strange to think that the Warwick, New York native started producing hip hop music along his longtime friends at 8th grade, but was now sharing the stage with them on his first European tour at only 20 years old. He didn’t waste much time in between songs and didn’t communicate much with the crowd after this. It really felt more of a band practice between friends just enjoying themselves on a basement, instead of playing in front of 500 people.
The concert continued with ‘Moodna, Once with Grace’, the first ever single by Dapperton which was released in early 2016, followed by his second single ‘Ditch’, a synth-driven dancey song that got the crowd moving even more. After this, the frontman announced that they would be playing a new song next. This slow piano based ballad, which I later learned is called ‘Beyond Amends’, put the venue into a calmer mood. Next came another brand new song, ‘Amadelle With Love’, which had a disco-like feel created by analogue synths and set the venue back to dancing.
Now, already into the second part of the set, came the artist’s latest single ‘Prune, You Talk Funny’ which was featured in his latest EP released only three days after this concert. The last two songs of the main set were ‘The Fool’ and lastly the lead single of his first EP ‘Yellow and Such’, ‘I’m Just Snacking’, a chill song with a slight tropical/reggae feel and a catchy chorus that got the whole venue singing (“Honey, I’m whole so what are we snacking for?”). A memorable ending to a great concert.
As usual, the band left the stage as the crowd begged for one more song, and no more than a minute later they re-arrived on stage, except this time Dapperton picked up the bass while his buddy played the guitar. Unexpectedly, the band began the iconic guitar riff to ‘This Charming Man’ by the Manchester band The Smiths, which had the audience in raptures; a perfect finish to the night.
Overall, the concert went just as expected: an up-and-coming artist playing in a small venue on his first tour overseas blowing everyone away in true indie fashion. He’ll be back in the UK in May later this year, so if he’s playing near you make sure you don’t miss it!
Article: Arturo Fernandez
URY Music Editor: Alex West
Gus Dapperton’s next UK Tour Dates:
The Great Escape @ The Arch — Brighton — 18th May 2018
The Great Escape @ The Haunt — Brighton — 19th May 2018
Stereo — Glasgow — 21st May 2018
Brudenell Social Club — Leeds — 22nd May
The Garage — London — 23rd May
