On Friday, October 19th, Daffo (aka Gabriela Gamberg) performed at the Black Cat, opening for artist Illuminati Hotties.
As a newbie to DC music, I was very excited about my first concert at the popular music club, the Black Cat, famous for its history with the alternative scene. The venue instantly left an impression on me. Its subtle balance of a grungy club for alternative music lovers and a well-kept, respectable business was impressive, as it contrasted clean floors with funky, checkered designs, a well-lit bar with darker and more low-lit corners of the venue, and people packed like sardines in the pit with other, roomier spaces to sit and relax.
Pre-show, the audience already carried an excited buzz. Chatter and conversation created a warm atmosphere for the club, preparing patrons for a night of music. I had the pleasure of taking my parents with me, introducing them to what kids these days are listening to.
Abandoning dear mom and pop at the bar for the appeal of the pit, I made my way closer to the stage. T-minus 10 minutes before indie-rock artist Daffo was to grace the stage, I could hear the people around me expressing their love of Gamberg’s music. “I came here to see Daffo,” one person behind me exclaimed.
And then there they were, Daffo strutted casually on stage behind their band. Without a hello, the artist went straight into their first song. Although the audience’s conversations properly warmed them up, it appeared that they still needed to stretch their bodies more as most simply gently swayed to the first tune.
No need for Daffo to stretch, however—the whole song they spent jumping, moving, and cheesing up on stage. At the end of the first tune, Gamberg grinned into the mic, appearing nervous but still excitedly requesting the audience to bark for them, to which many gladly complied. Their playful energy continued for the rest of the night as they goofed around on stage with their lead guitarist and bassist, having fun and feeling the music. For their recently released single, “Get a Life,” Gamberg even pulled out a miniature puppet of themselves as part of their introduction to the song to show off to us.
Later with their more serious songs, like “Poor Madeline,” Gamberg fully embodied the tune. It felt like the singer was consumed by their music, performing just as much for themselves as they did for us audience members. They finished the song hunched over on their knees on stage, taking a moment to themselves and pausing the energy of the concert.
At this point, most of the audience had gotten into the groove of Daffo, regardless of which artist they had come to see. One couple in front of me had been enjoying Gamberg’s songs the most that evening, swaying and dancing to every song, even opening up their own little mosh pit to some of Daffo’s more high-energy tunes. When Gamberg invited the audience to do-si-do along to their closing song of the night, “The Experiment,” the pair were the only people there who completely complied, joyfully jumping around to the folk-inspired tune while Gamberg shredded on the harmonica.
When I spoke to the couple after Gamberg’s set, Kennedy Ream described her and her partner Jon Dehart as long-time fans of Daffo’s music, explaining the delight I observed at every song that night. Dehart explained to me part of Gamberg’s appeal to them as a musician.
“Daffo is indie music for hardcore fans,” He said.
I, for one, have to agree. Gamberg’s energy that night felt very in tune with the venue’s hardcore roots. With songs like “Seed,” their voice changed from pleasing to powerful, diverging from the studio-recorded version of the song to include screaming and harsh vocals on the chorus.
Gamberg says “Seed” was their favorite song they performed that night. They “love how grungy [and] loud it is” and jump around and move as they play, which was well demonstrated in their performance.
All in all, Daffo is not an artist to miss. Although new to the scene, they are a perfect performer, getting even old farts like my parents enthusiastic for what the future indie rock has to offer.
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