Harrison Patrick Smith, more commonly known as The Dare, is the king of the indie sleaze revival. Smith has had a colossal year, releasing his debut album What’s Wrong With New York? in September to critical acclaim, and also making significant contributions to Charli XCX’s BRAT, an album which transcended music to become its own cultural moment. With this behind him, it may come as a surprise that the only northern English show on his UK tour took place at Belgrave Music Hall, a 350-capacity off-shoot of a bar and canteen in the centre of Leeds. The show naturally sold out in a single second, but many of those who did manage to get tickets payed homage by dressing in his signature shirt and tie for the night, ready for an evening of chaotic, experimental electroclash.
Entering Belgrave to the sound of a DJ set courtesy of rising Leeds act Adult DVD, it was easy to see the suitability of Belgrave to an artist like The Dare: the perfect mix of chic bar and sweaty club venue, reflecting Smith’s own fashionable yet unpolished image. As Smith took to the stage shortly after 9 pm, the venue erupted in unanimous cheers, with its audience seeming to take the words of his song ‘Open Up’ quite literally: mosh pits opened at every opportunity from there on in.
Smith was flanked by two synths and a singular cymbal, between which he bounced throughout the show. ‘Good Time’ and ‘Sex’ epitomised the hedonism which would persist for the duration of the set, with both songs being set to punchy percussion accompanied by The Dare’s signature brash, sardonic delivery.
‘I Destroyed Disco’ was paused and restarted due to technical difficulties, prompting Smith to leave the stage, informing the audience he was going “for two or three beers”. Once everything was back on track, however, it became clear that the momentary disruption only increased the crowd’s enthusiasm, eagerness and energy: as the song approached its end, the Dylan Brady-assisted industrial bass drop instigated anarchy in the crowd. Observing the untiring moshing, Smith commented that he’d “never seen that before” at one of his shows, lapping up and feeding off his audience’s vigour.
The crowd’s energy didn’t falter once, with arms flying and legs flailing even through a succession of unreleased tracks including ‘Freaky//Right’ and ‘Lights, Camera, Action’. Following this, Smith chose to allow the crowd a short-lived moment of respite in the form of instrumental ‘Bloodwork’. The decision to mix this with Charli XCX’s ‘Guess’ proved popular, with screams erupting from the crowd at the very moment of recognition. “You guys like Charli XCX?” Smith asked, with a cheeky, charismatic grin: “I thought you might”.
At one point in the show, Smith stopped to “read some phones”, verbalising the few messages he could see behind his blacked-out sunglasses. Some of these sported messages such as “do you want poppers?”, “do you want a cigarette?” and “spit in my mouth”. To all three, he replied “maybe later”.
As the bulk of his set was coming to an end, Smith introduced ‘Elevation’ by asserting that “you’ve got to have one love song, even if you’re The Dare”. The track is an undeniable stand-out on his debut album, showcasing his artistic versatility while offering a rare moment of introspection away from the revelry of the rest of the record. What’s Wrong With New York? may centre around debauchery, but ‘Elevation’ reveals the artist’s underlying emotional depth, creating a resonantly cathartic moment live.
Album closer ‘You Can Never Go Home’ also closed the main portion of The Dare’s live set, and the indie sleaze revivalist departed, stating “I’m going to leave the stage and drink seven or eight more beers in about three seconds, and you guys are going to cheer so loud that I’m just forced to come back”. The audience were happy to oblige, and Smith speedily returned to perform an encore consisting of ‘Movement’, ‘All Night’ and ‘Girls’.
‘All Night’ saw a crowd-surfing fan attempt a stage invasion, testifying to the overall mayhem instigated by The Dare’s hour on stage, while ‘Girls’ was met rapturously by an audience sat in the palms of Smith’s hands. Its hypersexualised lyrics were echoed back by everyone in attendance, and it proved the perfect song to end the night, being emblematic of The Dare’s contagiously unapologetic, rebellious spirit.
The Dare’s live show, like his debut album, was a masterclass in hedonistic experimentalism, delivering the essence of 2000s party culture to a crowd of 350 of his most loyal fans. Smith’s image is enrapturing, and while there may not have been much else on stage to focus the eyes on, the audience remained centred on their suit-clad electroclash star from start to finish: he truly is, as one attendee commented, “white boy of the year”.
