LIVE REVIEW: Gus Dapperton @ Jack Rabbit Slim's

It’s no secret that American singer-songwriter Gus Dapperton encapsulates what it means to be an Indie-pop artist in this day and age. Gus emits originality both visually and musically through his unique and alternative aesthetic – including his colourful bowl-cut hair and thick-rimmed glasses – and raw music.

Having been a fan of Gus’ for a while now, I was eager to attend his concert on Saturday – I’ve listened to a fair few of his songs and have enjoyed watching his artistic music videos, but I was especially curious to see how he presented his groovy music to a live crowd. Needless to say, he fuelled every second of the show with immense passion. 

The concert took place at popular nightclub Jack Rabbit Slims in Northbridge. The neon artwork on the walls and colourful lights onstage create a vibrant and quirky atmosphere, which goes hand-in-hand with Gus’ style. Being quite a small and intimate venue, it wasn’t hard to lock in a clear view of the stage – I even ended up in the third row for the last few songs! 

Opening for Gus was electronic-pop duo Priscilla, who hyped the room up with upbeat and groovy disco tunes before Gus entered from the side of the stage. The crowd was of a smaller scale, however, the love and passion for the New York raised mastermind was not. Gus appeared sporting an oversized black button-down, black jeans and a matching black cap – which later flew off to reveal his bright orange hair. He opened with ‘Verdigris’, the first track from his album Where Polly People Go to Read, which was released earlier this year. 

The crowd was of a younger demographic; thus, it was especially lively, with almost everyone loudly singing along to Gus’ raspy and unique tones all night. Gus took the time to introduce his band to the crowd and went on to sail through a performance of one of his most popular songs, ‘Moodna, Once With Grace’, which was beautifully articulated with background vocals from his female pianist.

Gus’ stage presence was impressive, to say the least. Through every movement he made, every facial expression he pulled and every lyric he sang, he poured a crazy amount of genuine enthusiasm into his performance. He was constantly making his way across and around the stage and reaching out to the crowd, encouraging them to sing along with him. His unique style of dancing – involving twirls, kicks, and popping-and-locking – was refreshing and uplifting to witness, adding to his thoroughly unique expression of character. 

Gus wasn’t overly talkative between songs – he let his music and movement do most of the talking. He did, however, take the time to explain that he had unfortunately come down with a cold and thus “apologise(d) if (his) voice sound(ed) rough”. He also exclaimed that it was his first time visiting Australia, whilst excitedly pointing to the crowd to invite the passionate screams of his fans. 

The most popular songs were apparently saved for the end of the show – after exclaiming ‘its acoustic guitar time’ and performing the slow-paced single ‘My Favorite Fish’, Gus excitedly went on to perform the more upbeat ‘Gum, Toe and Soul’, which was most definitely the crowd favourite that night. Fans across the mosh pit exchanged wide-eyed glances and gasps as the catchy rhythm of the well-known tune begun playing. He then went on to perform ‘I’m Just Snacking’ (which has always been my personal favourite!) and ‘Fill Me Up Anthem’, which were also received very well by the crowd.

After thanking his fans from the front of the stage, Gus cheerfully blew kisses at every angle of the room and waved goodnight, leaving the stage with his band following behind him.

The lights went down and ‘One more song!’ chants built up repetitively across the room. This was definitely one of the liveliest crowds I’d ever been a part of.

Surely enough, Gus followed popular demand and appeared back onstage in no time to perform the final funky tune of the night, ‘World Class Cinema’. 

Gus Dapperton’s performance was around an hour long in total – and in that time, I think I can speak on behalf of the crowd in saying that most people in the room were taken on a creative journey and left not only moved by his music, but impressed by how much passionate fun it looked like him and his band were having all night.