The dream-pop sensation, Gus Dapperton, is stirring a lot of talk about his music. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter from Warwick, New York has been releasing singles and short EP’s since May 2016, and on February 1st burst onto the stage of The Workmans Club, on the first stop of his European tour.
Cheers erupt as the drummer, Tommy, strolls out on stage, starting with a lone beat. He is followed by the bass guitarist as he lays down the iconic riff of Dapperton’s hit song Gum, Toe and Sole. The crowd begins to dance as the synth is added. In a sense of euphoria, Gus himself rocks up onto the stage and wows us with his unique sounding voice, hitting every note with ease. His fashion style is evident again with an iconic bowl hairstyle, and brightly coloured casual clothes. The band behind him are dressed in denim dungarees adding to their new moulded look that Dapperton has pioneered over the past year or so.
For an artist with a limited amount of musical material, Gus Dapperton played song after song that got the crowd singing and dancing along. Even in the songs with beautiful yet complex lyrics, the synth provides ample melody for us to sing along to. The bass guitarist gives the band a funky edge infusing it with the 1980’s style dream synth.
Dapperton seems to have struck gold with his musical style, appearance, and his on-stage aura. He takes his jumper and shirt off to cool down, and without warning jumps into the crowd, surfing the screaming fans and enjoying the ecstasy of it all. After clambering back onto the stage, he finishes the 40-minute set with a cover of The Beatles 1963 hit ‘Twist and Shout’. Even though the joy of it all was relatively short lived, the concert was impactful with fans leaving buzzed from what was a genuinely fantastic performance.
The venue’s upstairs bar is bustling with fans after the gig, and to everybody’s surprise, the band casually walks in with some drinks and start to chat with their fans. Heads turn in disbelief. Fortunately, Gus Dapperton has not yet reached superstar status, meaning he’s still able to enjoy a drink in a bar without being swamped by fans.
Talking to some of the band members, they said that the Irish are ‘the wildest crowd we’ve been to yet’ and ‘very different to the US shows’. The band seemed pretty chuffed with their drinks, as in the US they are still below the drinking age of 21. They hinted at some new material coming soon for fans, which isn’t surprising: Their success to date is phenomenal, and with some more hit singles and a full album, we can expect to be hearing a lot more about Gus Dapperton in the near future.
Conor Capplis – Music Writer
