Taken from @idkhow on Instagram.
It’s hard to put a definitive label on iDKHOW, the current musical project of industry veteran Dallon Weekes, known by that mononym if only out of convenience (I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME is evidently not SEO friendly enough). Regardless of what box you’d personally place them in, the early returns on their latest LP, GLOOM DIVISION, have been stellar, and we got a chance to catch its associated tour in Sayreville, New Jersey. Here’s what you should expect if you get the same opportunity.
Other outlets have put a fine point on the band’s overall style, citing them as a mishmash of pop-punk, electronic, and funk, and that combination of different aesthetics made for a dynamic experience in person. Though the guitar-driven side of their catalog certainly won out in the aggregate, each of those genres lent a tinge of a different atmosphere. In queuing up “DOWNSIDE,” Weekes charged up the crowd with the “ga/ga/ga” repetitions, imbuing the vibe of an electronic set, if not for a few brief moments. Again, though a more raucous side of things was the dominant overtone, the band gave sufficient space to more quieted moments as well; “Clusterhug,” replete with a cooly lit stage, stood out as one of the most impactful.
Dallon Weekes’ Rockstar Persona Elevates The Band’s Presence
In the leadup for “SIXFT,” Weekes’ charisma was on full display. He launched into what seemed like a half-freestyle, a half-concocted ballad about the city of Sayresville, recalling past experiences in the New Jersey locale with some broad strokes notes about those gigs. The claim that “no one ever stole anything” in the quiet town elicited a big pop from the audience, demonstrating how in-tune attendees were with the lead singer’s wry sense of humor. As if to immediately balance the sarcasm with earnestness, he implored the crowd to “forget about the outside world [and] just be you for an hour.”
At the risk of belaboring the point, the frontman’s stage presence was indeed the star of the show. Jumping deeper into the setlist, he delved into another jaunt down memory lane, “time traveling” back to the 2000s and the era of a band bygone, his own “The Brobecks” for a performance of their “Visitation of a Ghost.” Rife with pop culture references (iDKHOW jumped into pieces of Chappell Roan’s “Hot To Go” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” during the single) and callbacks to earlier bits and riffs, the song came to a quieted lull in its middle section. Addressing the crowd directly once again, Weekes queued up his biggest flourish of the night with some baseline rules about personal space and consent before parting the group straight down the center and delivering its back half from the floor with a megaphone.
iDKHOW Are Truly Appointment Viewing In Concert
If only to not spoil all of the band’s live show quirks, we’ll leave the recount of some more selected moments for a later date, but suffice to say, iDKHOW doesn’t shy away from the performance aspects of a performance. It may seem like an obvious point given the smaller venue, but this writer found himself noting how animated the crowd was during nearly the entirety of their set. Is it just Weekes’ concert veteran nature that fostered this relationship? Maybe it’s how wide-ranging the band’s music is, tackling an angstier side of the music industry that’s unexplored in current pop while still working in retro inspiration that’s equally untouched.
It’s probably a bit of column A and a bit of column B, but the resulting effect is undeniable. iDKHOW simply knows how to put on a show. If you’re a long-time fan and they’ll be in your area on the iMPENDING GLOOM tour, you’ve probably already circled the date. If you’re less familiar with them and they’re coming to your zip code, there are far, far worse ways to spend some change and an evening, especially when they’ve got a recent body of work to flesh out in front of you.
Catch GLOOM DIVISION and all of the iDKHOW catalog now wherever you stream your music, and head to their official website to check updated tour dates.
Finally, while we’re on the topic, check out our iDKHOW interview with the man himself, Dallon Weekes.
