Dehd Bring The Belasco To Life

Dehd performing at the Belasco Theater, LA by Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp

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In support of their fourth album Blue Skies, which came out earlier this year, Chicago indie rockers Dehd have embarked on tour across the US, with a UK/European leg soon to follow. With the support of friends both local and from back home, the trio poured plenty of love and laughter into Los Angeles during their stop in the city.

Comedian, photographer, and filmmaker Kate Hollowell took to the stage as her musical alter ego, Number One Popstar, to kick off the night. Clad in a red racing jumpsuit, which she eventually removed to expose a literal nude bodysuit, Hollowell ran and hoverboarded her way across the stage and into the audience (and their hearts). In between hilarious show-stoppers like “I Hate Running” and “Psycho,” she teased the men in the crowd and dragged them into her antics, from giving them uncomfortably intense amounts of eye contact to twirling them around and making them take her on piggyback rides through the room. With her over-the-top persona, deadpan backup dancers on hoverboards, and a saxophone player so passionate he couldn’t keep his shirt on, Number One Popstar commands and demands all eyes on her–rightfully so.

Following Hollowell’s feminist, Weird Al-esque performance, Dehd’s Chicago peer Exum enchanted everyone with his irresistible draw and unbridled joy. He danced with the kind of freedom that someone who truly knows love, as if no one and everyone were watching, as he sang moody jams like his hit “Dark Kept Secret” and later instructed the crowd in joining him in a singalong. Performing some upbeat, synth-and-drum machine laden tracks from his new album Tickle Pink Hotel and even starting and joining a mosh pit, Exum definitely converted many a face into a new fan.

As the night came to its climax, Dehd wasted no time jumping into fan favorites like Blue Skies single “Bad Love” and Flower of Devotion’s “Haha.” The crowd didn’t stop swaying or singing along for the duration of their set, captivated by Emily Kempf’s breathy yet formidably soulful rasp and Jason Balla’s dreamy riffs, anchored by Kempf’s grounding basslines and Eric McGrady’s steady timekeeping. Between Kempf’s effortless cool and deadpan sense of humor and Balla’s buoyant bouncing and bounding about the stage, the three-piece’s magnetism was undeniable. As they traversed their discography with equal parts high energy and emotion (Kempf and Balla’s lyricism absolutely kills me every time, and I know it resonated with the rest of the folks in that room as well), I didn’t know if I wanted to dance or cry. So I did the honest thing and let both the beat and the heart swells tumble out.

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!