Dappled Cities

Troubadour - July 25, 2007

Live Review and Photographs by Alexis Roberts

Dapped Cities is one of the most promising bands that I have heard/seen in such a long time. This motivated group of young men is leaving behind everything that they know in Australia to move to the USA and pursue music as their careers full time. Their album that was recently released in the United States, Granddance, was welcomed with an abundance of good reviews, air time on MTV2 at 4 in the morning (not too shabby) and all kinds of other good hype. Nobody can seem to resist a bunch of Australians dressed up as Eskimos! All of this recent change has brought them out on tour with those amiable Canadians in Tokyo Police Club.

Both shows in Los Angeles were sold out. Selling out the Echo isn’t that big of a deal because well, it is the Echo… But selling out the Troubadour is a pretty big deal I would say, and once you graduate from the Troubadour you can move on to places like the El Rey and maybe one day make it to the Henry Fonda! Unfortunately when Dappled Cities began their set the room was not exactly packed full of screaming fans ready to recite every word to every song.

They jumped into their set with an ample amount of enthusiasm despite the half-full room of somewhat distracted kids waiting for Tokyo Police Club. Once they started playing more people started gathering around the stage, specifically ladies who were being charmed to death by the Australian accent. (I heard several chatty and excited girls in headbands and high heels saying “OMG they are Australian! That is so cute!”). The music of Dappled Cities also happens to be delightful indie-pop which only adds more points to their foreign charm.

On stage they are full of life and energy, smiling happily as they play. The set was long enough to play most of the songs off of Granddance. Songs like “Vision Bell” and their single “Fire Fire Fire” had people singing along. They also played a song that was not released on the US version of Granddance and sounds nothing like any of the other songs. If I am recalling it correctly, and forgive me if I am wrong, it had some serious hXc breakdowns in it.

Another surprise, which was unbeknownst to me, is that two of the members of Dappled Cities split the job of singing. I always thought it was one guy but I suppose it makes sense now listening to their album again that one person’s voice doesn’t usually vary that much over the course of a song.

By the time that their set was in full force (about five songs in) the crowd in the room had grown significantly, and had grown significantly interested as well. They really managed to get everyone into it. The show that they put on was absolutely fantastic. They sounded flawless, playing with zeal and smiling throughout the set - occasionally making comments in their Australian accents that made every girl in the room want to make friends with them at their merch table after the show. I predict that we are all going to be seeing and hearing a lot from the Dappled Cities in the near future. They are just too good and appealing to wind up as an afterthought. As the summer begins to wind down and we all start to reflect upon what we have been listening to these past two or three months on our road trips, at our bbqs, when we were getting ready to go out, etc. I can safely say that Dappled Cities worked their way into my summer of 2007 soundtrack and I have a feeling that I am not the only one who is saying that.