Having only a few more shows until their EU & UK leg, rising indie rock stars almost monday brought The DIVE Tour to a sold-out Club Dada, one of the most iconic music venues in Dallas’ Deep Ellum. Bringing along Adrian Lyles to open, both acts made the small room feel larger than life.
Since this was a hometown show for Lyles, both him and his band truly gave it their all. Opening with “concrete boy”, Lyles ran across both ends of the short stage throughout the song, not missing the chance to get those on the front row just as hyped as he was. Halfway through his set he couldn’t help but thank the crowd, saying that this [his musical career] was seven years in the making. Closing out with a slower cover of “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean and his own songs “way down” and “king of everything”, it was safe to say the crowd was ready for more as the band left the stage in a chant.
What stuck out personally during both acts was the immense amount of passion these artists have for their craft. This sentiment rings loud and clear with almost monday, playing to a few hundred patrons like they were a few thousand. Watch frontman Dawson Daugherty was like watching a star in the making. The way he performs with every part of himself, his sincere interactions with fans, and his carefree attitude mirrors the likes of Matthew Shultz of Cage The Elephant or Dave Bayley of Glass Animals. Playing their newest hit “can’t slow down” at the beginning of their set and mixing in others like “cough drops” and “sun keeps on shining”, this show is not only a lively introduction to what almost monday is all about, but proof to show that they can easily rock out with the best of them in the indie scene.
ALMOST MONDAY
ADRIAN LYLES
All photos: © Grace Forrester