Music

Concert Review: Watsky and Dumbfoundead- The Cardboard Castles Tour, London

Watksy and Dumbfoundead’s European tour finally hit the UK. Performing in London, Oxford and Coventry, just to name a few. I myself attended the London show on 21st May, after an eager 2 year wait!

As you may or may not know, I am a huge Dumbfoundead fan, and I had been counting down the months, weeks, days, hours and even the minutes to the show! Originally I was not a Watsky fan, and had only decided to listen to his music a month or so before the show.

As the day arrived, I set into London with friends, and an entire bunch of new friends that I had acquired over twitter! We had previously been in contact, trying to help each other with tickets, and other information. In a nut shell, with many thanks to Dumbfoundead and Watsky, many friendships were made, and we spent the week in each other’s company, fan-girling, and attending their performances.

The show at the O2 Academy Islington was sold out, and I had a spare ticket that I was trying to sell for over a month! I successfully sold it to a newly acquired friend; and soon after had many people desperately seeking a ticket!

We queued outside of the venue 3 hours before the doors opened, hoping to catch a glimpse of our idols, and of course to be in the front row. Around half an hour later Watsky himself appeared! He took pictures with his fans, and signed hats, notebooks and- other body parts…  He was a down-to-earth, humble guy! One of the friendliest people that you will ever meet. In comparison to his nice-guy personality, his onstage persona was insane! He was extremely energetic; dancing around like a mad man, and climbing the walls and ceilings of the venue! He was Tarzan, and we were his family of apes!

He crowd surfed a number of times, and the crowd went wild! He was very involved with his audience and knew exactly how to keep us going! Performing almost every single track from his most recently released “Cardboard Castles” album, he started off with the feel-good, hyped track “Moral of the Story.” I highly recommend purchasing the album! It’s all about making something out of what you have, which may not be a lot; but this is exactly what Watsky did.

I felt like every single person out of all 750 people was a Watsky fan; and even if they weren’t, you wouldn’t even know it! Everyone was on a high, singing all of his songs word for word! We were ecstatic, with many thanks to his live band!

Watsky also performed a free style, and two spoken word poetry pieces, including his cleverly written “S For Lisp.”

The band and backing singer were extremely talented, and were all involved in creating the “Cardboard Castles” album.

After the show, I was dumbfounded (no pun intended); as I write this, it is extremely hard for me to explain in words how talented Watsky is. I could only show my excitement and appreciation physically, which is exactly what I did that night. My body ached, and my throat was extremely sore.

Dumbfoundead’s Performance

Dumbfoundead was the supporting act of this tour; he opened the show, and was on stage for an hour performing tracks old and new. His classic tracks “Cellphone”,  “New Chick” and “Green” had the crowd going wild! I loved the way his set was structured like a story; his relatable speeches were the introduction to his songs. I was in the front row, sporting my Dumbfoundead t-shirt, whilst singing (screaming) every one of his songs.

Dumbfoundead’s stage presence had our attention undivided. His lyrical flow during his free style was immense! His sense of humour, laid back personality and story-telling styled songs had me hooked, and I couldn’t believe he was there, in the flesh, right in front of me. Of course he was wearing a beanie, and he looked exactly like he does on YouTube; although I thought he would be a bit taller.

His KoreaTown chest tattoo peeped through his white “London” vest, as he owned the stage. The amount of pictures and videos I took was ridiculous! And I only hoped to meet him after the show! Although Dumbfoundead’s performance wasn’t as physical as Watsky’s, his voice and wit was enough to get everyone hyped up and wanting more.

He didn’t perform with a live band, but had Filipino-American DJ, DJ Dstrukt as his DJ for the night, and for the remainder of the tour. DJ Dstrukt worked the crowd with his skills.

Exhausted after the three hour show, my friends and I were eager to meet Dumbfoundead; so we waited outside after the show. We were in luck! He and Watsky both came out to meet the fans; Dumbfoundead was just as humble as Watsky, and he made you feel at ease; as if you were talking to regular guy, and not a stuck up celebrity.

I had a picture taken with him, his autograph in numerous places, and amazingly enough he signed my very first article (featuring him), that was published on Yuppee Magazine. I then gave him a copy to keep; it was a proud moment.

It was an amazing week (my friends and I attended a second show); friendships were made, I experienced an amazing stage show,and dreams came true. All thanks to Watsky and Dumbfoundead.

Watsky is performing at the Wireless Festival this July, in Hyde Park, London; and will also be back in November this year. Current UK dates for Dumbfoundead are unknown; but be sure to check out his weekly web series on YouTube: “Run DMZ.”  It’s a comedic show that is featured on the “LOUD” channel (the same channel that brought you “K-Town); expect cameos from famous L.A YouTube artists and comedians. Episodes are released every Tuesday.

YouTube: “Dumbfoundead Run DMZ”

YouTube: “gwatsky” “Watsky’s Making an Album”

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