“A Wonderfully Good Time” at IDKHOW
Show review via Nash Jones - @_nash_jones
Indie rock pumped through the speakers of The Compound, the style of the preshow playlist similar to that of the headlining act, Salt Lake City’s own I Don’t Know How But They Found Me. Starting in 2016, the duo which would later become a solo act began playing shows and catching eyes. The musical project of Dallon Weekes is synthy indie pop rock with lyrics spanning that of love, religion, the music industry, and neurodivergency. The 2600 cap room is abuzz with excitement at seeing the hometown show. Blue and orange light wash the stage, the color scheme of IDKHOW’s latest album, Gloom Division. Someone compliments the IDKHOW sweater a person is wearing and he happily thanks them, telling them he posted in it and the band liked it. I listen to the row in front of me speak animatedly about MCR frontman Gerard Way’s stage outfits. Then the stage goes dark.
(left) Dallon Weekes via Miguel Mendoza, (right) IDKHOW on tour via Victoria Sanders
ALEXSUCKS Opens
Supporting act ALEXSUCKS took the stage first, washed in red, starting off with a noisy upbeat number, “Better Things,” off of their 2023 project “The Gutter.” Their sound is reminiscent of late 90s and 2000s pop-punk. ALEXSUCKS’ lineup is comprised of Alex Alvarez as lead vocals, John Luther on lead guitar, electronic artist Garrett Orseno on bass, and designer Jonny Ransom on drums.
(left) ALEXSUCKS band members, (right) ALEXSUCKS onstage 2024 via Instagram
The band made their way through their high-energy setlist with enthusiasm, keeping up the crowd’s energy. Orseno would consult the audience between songs with words most often, while Alvarez would give them a questioning thumbs up, prompting a response of further cheers.
They had a slower portion in the middle of their set, which included the title track of their latest EP, Warm Beers. The song is a reflection back on teenage dirtbag years, the opening lyrics being, “I used to hang out in the parking lot/ And steal shit from the liquor store.” It goes on to contrast those years with life now, the chorus being “I didn’t know life was gonna be a war.” Alvarez has a strong voice that suits the sound ALEXSUCKS is going for, and the band is made up of talented instrumentalists.
They closed their set with a few more upbeat songs, including the tongue-in-cheek anthem, See You In Hell. The subject matter of the song and the sound vastly juxtapose one another, with light “ooh” vocalizations and fun guitar licks which compliments the bassline. Meanwhile, one of the pre-choruses has the lines, “I ruin everything/ But there’s something in my brain/ That keeps me from fixing things/ I guess I’ll see you in hell.” There was a little back-and-forth dance between the frontman and the bassist during this track.
The band has great stage presence, and the enjoyment goes in a cycle: The audience enjoys the performance, the band enjoys themselves, the audience enjoys themselves more. ALEXSUCKS was a great act to lead up to IDKHOW, while also holding their own.
IDKHOW Takes the Stage
IDKHOW’s entrance featured blue-green lighting, the band coming out first. IDKHOW’s live lineup is made up of Anthony Purpura on guitar, along with Isaac Paul on guitar and keys, and Ronnie Strauss on drums. Singer and bassist Dallon Weekes entered last, while ambient droning played in the background. A computerized male voice asked, “What kind of music should I play?” A female voice answered, “How about some Razzmatazz?” To which the other voice responded, “Here’s some music with pizzazz!” The droning transformed into the intro of the lead single, Leave Me Alone from the act’s 2020 debut album, Razzmatazz. A synth-heavy and biting tune, the song was a great one to start out on.
They went into a more recent song from there, from the 2024 album Gloom Division, called SPKOTHDVL. The band members are movers, jumping and strutting along the stage. Weekes stomped and danced about during the chorus, returning to the microphone to hit the high-pitched “ah!” Paul spun as he strummed nearby.
IDKHOW is a project with a big story behind it, and although it doesn’t need to be understood to enjoy the music, it offers an interesting perspective to the listener. The story behind IDKHOW in its simplest form is that they were a band “lost to time,” their existence wiped, but the music videos were “old recordings” being rediscovered.
Their first EP, 1981, named after Weekes’ birth year, contains a lot of criticism of the entertainment industry, notably the song Absinthe. Historically, the high-proof liquor was controversial, including claims it was a hallucinogenic, which have been disproven. This widely heard-of assertion is alluded to in the bridge with the lines, “I hear voices/ I see visions,” along with the adamant lyric in the chorus, “Whatever they give you, stop drinking it down!” The message tells the audience that they don’t have to accept the formulated images and contrived music that the big industry names may give them. This track was a crowd favorite, singing along enthusiastically. The song seemed to beckon everyone to move around, the audience swaying and jumping, and Purpura dancing and jumping back and forth from the drum kit.
Before the lead single of Gloom Division, a funky number called What Love? along with mentioning that the song was going to upset his Bishop, Weekes announced that everyone under the age of “...say, 25,” should shut their eyes and cover their ears.
Readers, for the sake of journalistic integrity, I fear I must inform you that I did neither.
The stage was washed in pink and orange as the band plucked, strummed, crashed and crooned. I recall the shock among fans when the single was first released, it was a rather sharp turn from what the act had released thus far, as well as quite sensual. The bass guides the verses, with intermittent shimmery keys. The spoken-word bridge contains the lines, “Is this the night?/ Is this the one?/ Where you climb up on me?/ And we have some fun?”
Weekes is an incredibly charismatic performer, confidently taking up his space with dramatic movements in whichever way he pleases, while not making an effort to overshadow the other members. He knows how to command a crowd, as he’s been playing shows since the early 2000’s. The most striking example of this skill was presented during the performance of Visitation of the Ghost, an ominous theatrical rock track by a past band he was in called The Brobecks.
In the middle of this song, Weekes took a turn from the recorded version of it, the narrator expressing that he had died back in the 80s, but now wanted to come through the crowd to… well, visit. Beforehand, though, he made sure to set a few boundaries to the melody of the song, saying, “Now shh and listen.” The room immediately fell silent aside from the instruments. “If you were me and I was you, and you went strollin’ through a crowded room… would you want strangers touching you?” He placed his hands along his torso to mimic this. The crowd responded with a resounding “No!” “Would you want them pulling on your hairrrrr? Would you want them tugging at your fancy clothes?” Weekes pulled at his overshirt as the crowd once again collectively yelled “No!” “Would you ever do that, Salt Lake City?” After he once again received a resounding “No,” Weekes handed his bass to Paul, who took over the leading riff, and made his way to the barrier where a stool was placed so he could eventually step over into the crowd.
The audience began cheering, and he put his fingers to his lips and they fell silent. He motioned for noise with his hand, the crowd followed suit, only for him to motion for silence a few seconds later and for the crowd to instantly comply. He held out his arm as an indication for where he wanted a pathway, and the audience abided. This part of the show has been dubbed by fans as the “Moses Walk,” as he splits the crowd and walks down the middle uninterrupted (if his requests are respected by all.)
While having the sureness to assert his boundaries and stage charisma to command a crowd of any size, the audience members themselves were extremely pleasant regardless. This may be the politest show I have ever attended as a concert-goer. My spot was saved when I had to grab a water between acts, and the man originally standing in front of me– who was far taller– noticed, and invited me to switch places with him, and from what I could see, Weekes’ boundaries were respected as he strolled through the pathway in the middle of a crowd of more than 2000. Weekes did a call-and-response through a megaphone as he walked this pathway, then returned to stage.
The title track of IDKHOW’s debut album Razzmatazz, was played closer to the end of the set. The song is very strong vocally, and transitioned incredibly into a live setting. Weekes has a standout and strong singing voice. At the climax of the song, the saxophone-heavy bridge, Weekes, Paul, and Purpura joined together in the center of the stage, jumping, spinning, and tossing their heads while playing their instruments; Purpura even threw himself to the floor.
The band performed two more songs after Razzmatazz, the last of which was their smash hit Choke. Before Choke, they performed Nobody Likes The Opening Band. Weekes clarified that this song was not in any way about putting down opening acts, that anyone in performance would at one point be an opening act. “We’ve been an opening act before, and hopefully, if all goes well, we will be one again.” ALEXSUCKS was once again invited to the stage, with Alvarez doing his take on a verse of the song, singing, “So if you came to see them, get a refund if you can/ ‘Cause no-one likes the headlining band.” He signed off with one more thumbs up to the crowd.
Weekes thanked the band and the crowd profusely at the end of the show. A seasoned performer with wonderful stage charisma, though is still down-to-earth and grateful.
I Don’t Know How But They Found Me is an absolute pleasure to see live, from the atmosphere to the quality of their live shows.
