DEHD at the Royale, 10/25/22

I’ve been following Dehd since the release of their 2019 single “Lucky,” as soon as I was presented with the opportunity to cover their concert last week at the Royale I (literally) jumped at the chance. With a sound unlike any of the other indie rockers out there, Dehd’s stripped-down trio energy combined with unwavering lyrics has had loyal fans hooked since 2017, and that feeling has only grown following the drop of “Blue Skies” a few months back in May - definitely a strong contender in the running for my favorite album of the year. 

Number One Popstar opened for Dehd on this leg of their tour, emerging from the crowd on the shoulders of her stage manager/sound guy/stunt partner dressed in an oversized duster, screaming lyrics and barking orders at the audience. I’ve seen a lot of openers, and while I’m personally not in the habit of disrespecting artists to their face, some of my fellow concert goers are a little less subtle with their boredom. Sometimes there is such a thing as artists overcompensating for this fact. I have been to a lot of very strange, strained opening sets, and I’ve seen the audience participation schtick fall flat on its face time and time again. However, Number One Popstar demands every second of your attention, exceeding every expectation of that thin line between performance art and music. The songs were catchy, fairly standard “pop hit” beats with sardonic, pompous lyrics flawlessly executed with her committed bravado (and not one, not two, but three costume changes). After forming human tunnels, dance circles, full-venue conga lines, and audience members (and venue photographers) coming up on stage to pantomime a fake band, the set ended with a climactic viral social media moment. Prefacing with some thorough instruction and distribution of materials, Number One Popstar exited the stage to loud boos and crumpled balls of trash thrown at her, by request. It’s difficult for an artist to get such an involved persona to stick, but with the quality of her performance and complete and total dedication to the bit, Number One Popstar delivered a fun and energetic performance that left us with smiles on our faces. 

After a stellar set from Number One Popstar, by the time Dehd took the stage the crowd was anything but. (Get it? Because their name is… nevermind…) Composed of Emily Kempf and Jason Balla on vocals and guitar and Eric McGrady on drums, the trio spread out across the Royale stage, with Kempf and McGrady standing their ground while Balla skipped, sprinted, and flailed around the stage, bouncing off the reverberating wall of sound created by a relatively small collection of people. The group played a mix of the old and the new, and fans of 2022’s Blue Skies as well as 2020’s Flower of Devotion. It was a no-nonsense set, and Dehd is a no-nonsense group - not in terms of stuffiness but in the obvious artistic care put into each track. Kempf and Balla traded off on lead vocals, often layering their voices on top of one another and blending into an overlapping, intimate conversation. Starting off strong with “Bad Love,” the second track and biggest hit off of “Blue Skies,” the audience was bouncing along with every word. New single “Eggshells” (released in September) continued the pattern of Dehd singles being immediate earworms, sticking to the signature echoes of infinite guitar, hypnotically steady drumbeats, and sick MS Paint album art in oversaturated electric red and blue.  Older favorites like “Lucky” and “Wild,” some of the band’s loosest and surf-rock inspired tracks, turned the space into another venue-wide dance floor and mosh pit. “Clear” is another personal favorite of mine, with Kempf’s soft-spoken reminder in the bridge that “this is it/the biggest yet/I better get it/I better let it,” acting as a call-and-response with closer and crowd-favorite “Flying” from “Flower of Devotion:” “If this is all that we get/so be it, so be it.” While not necessarily happy or sad, all of Dehd’s lyrics cling to the immediate moment and squeeze it for all its worth: the optimism, the hopelessness, and the gratitude of being present in the collective world. The build to a climactic, scream-able finale rounded out the evanescence of the moment, the people around us, and the show itself. I’ll talk anyone’s ear off about this electrifying group… but don’t take my word for it! As autumn deepens and winter fast approaches, pick up “Blue Skies” and drift away to a summery dream (and enjoy some killer cover art) from the musical magicians behind one of the most unique indie rock outfits on the scene today.