By Cira Thigpen
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Sydney to see The Dare and atlgrandma at Variety Playhouse in Little 5 Points. Not only was I excited to see the concert itself, but I have to point out the love I have for this venue. I appreciate when there is no bad seat in the house, and Sydney and I had a great, centered view of the show sitting in one of the middle row seats behind the pit (fear not, for we did not end up sitting—but instead danced the whole time).
I was first introduced to The Dare through Charli XCX’s “Guess,” which he produced and co-wrote. The song was one of my favorites featured on the Brat album. (Thankfully, he did perform this song while standing between what looked to be two DJ decks and ended the performance by jumping around the stage aimlessly—as one does to such a song.) So it was no surprise when I decided to explore his discography and discovered a soon-to-be favorite artist of my own.
Firstly, I have to show some praise to the opener of the show, atlgrandma. I was familiar with his work with artists such as The Hellp and Frost Children, so I was excited to see what he would play. I can confidently say he did not disappoint—his DJ set was absolutely amazing. He played everything from Fcukers to Frost Children to Phoenix. I think Sydney and I started to freak out when a mix of “Headphones” by Addison Rae x Enigma was also featured. I’m pretty sure he knew his target audience with that one.
After appearing on stage shyly and a bit cheekily, The Dare soon snapped into his fun, outgoing stage presence, bouncing around to his songs—many from his album What’s Wrong With New York? and The Sex EP. I’d like to add that his voice sounded exactly the same live as in his recorded music, a quality I always very much appreciate in an artist. My favorite part of any song by The Dare would be his random screams, mainly including a few “yeahs” here and there. I mean, truly, I can’t explain to you how much I enjoyed this. I really see myself in his goofy demeanor and expressions. As many say in his fanbase, he is the most British, non-British person you will ever hear or see—which I think added to his on-stage charm. His classic suit and sunglasses look also added immensely to the show; I was loving the self-produced mystery of it all in regard to “The Dare” character.
My top three favorite songs he performed would have to be “Perfume,” “I Destroyed Disco,” and “You’re Invited.” The build-up within every one of his songs is perfect for a good concert experience because you want to take in that kind of music while dancing with others. Every song was accompanied by perfectly synced flashing lights set up behind him, creating a lovely contrast and fun visual. During his song “Elevation,” he also gave us more of an emotional performance, which I briefly recall him introducing with something like, “I’m gonna get sad for a second,” or “This is The Dare’s only love song”—sarcastically, of course. Anyway, he sat down close to the audience for this song and had one of those moments where it feels like the artist is speaking from their heart. Who doesn’t love a brief pause to be vulnerable before going back to the fun of it all?
Lastly, he closed the show with none other than “Girls,” his first single as The Dare. You really can’t end with a better song than that. So, in conclusion, I can confirm—for Charli XCX—The Dare is indeed with it.
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