Live Report: The Dare lights up Dublin with sleek Vicar Street show

With a look that straddled the line between Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Logan Lerman's character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the Dare strutted into stage in his crisp black two-piece at Vicar Street on Monday night, as the first notes of his distinctive synths and 808 drums could be heard.

"You know, a lot of people think I'm British, but I'm actually Irish. My middle name is Patrick," was the first thing he said, immediately earning a loud roar from a crowded, suited-up audience. "So let's party!" he continued.

Not long afterwards, the music stopped playing. "The fuck?" he said, before running to the mixing table and assuring that this was "the first time" it happened on tour. He eventually decided he was "just gonna take it from wherever the fuck," because he did not "really even know" what was going on.

You could argue this faux pas was staged, and you might be right. However, it is precisely in his stunt-prone, affected persona that the Dare's appeal lies. His gaudy shtick represents a revival of many things: indie sleaze, mod culture, irremediably horny lyrics...

Harrison Patrick Smith (The Dare's real name) moved his hips, kicked into the air and strutted around, rap-singing through most of his songs while letting out an occasional squeak. His attitude is like early '10s Kesha gone Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, with lyrics as (metro)sexual as "I wanna smell really good when I'm burning in Hell" ('Perfume') and "I like girls who make love, but I love girls who like to fuck" ('Girls').

The Dare at Vicar Street on March 18th, 2025. Copyright Abigail RIng/ hotpress.com

Smith's performance was magnetic, roguish and cool. After playfully opening with 'Open Up,' the opener to his 2024 debut album, What's Wrong With New York? the Brooklyn-based producer and musician delivered one banger after another.

Pulsing synth bass lines, electronic drums, risers, and mixing-table effects were common denominators throughout a night of music that the Dare himself calls "electroclash revival" with a "supersized attitude."

While the setlist involved mostly songs from his debut LP, such as 'Good Time,' 'Sex,' or 'Perfume,' the Dare also performed 'Cheeky,' an unreleased track that he said would drop in two weeks time.

The Dare at Vicar Street on March 18th, 2025. Copyright Abigail RIng/ hotpress.com

Another non-album track performed was a cover of White Reaper's 'I Can't Escape Myself,' which, through Smith's ghostly vocals, added some depth to his persona, revealing a sombre undertone to his good-time boy pose.

One of the night's highlights was a remix of Charli xcx's global hit 'Guess,' which Smith produced. The stage's elegant, minimalistic set of lights turned red to a thumping, four-on-the-floor house beat.

The momentum built until the instrumental mix gave way to Charli saying "Send 'em to the Dare, yeah I think he's with it," spurring the whole room to crazily scream 'guess' over and over. Smith grabbed a water bottle and, after drinking from it, poured its contents over the audience.

A quieter moment followed when Smith performed the beautiful 'Elevation,' an enveloping track that sounds like a Swedish House Mafia EDM power ballad. The Dare's synth work is so varied that it brings many references to mind: 'All Night' was reminiscent of Martin Solveig's classic 'Hello' synth riff, while the maximised bass in the chorus of 'Movement' sounded like it could belong in Billie Eilish' WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? 

The night was full of memorable and fun moments. Smith swapped sunglasses and struck poses: at one point, he raised his arm and pointed to the sky with his index finger, sort of like John Travolta in the end of the 'Summer Nights' scene in Grease. Another stunt involved pulling out a brass cymbal from behind one of the set lights, which he held in the air with one hand while hitting it hard with the other.

The Dare at Vicar Street on March 18th, 2025. Copyright Abigail RIng/ hotpress.com

Supporting act Babymorocco added to the party. Donning an orange tank top which came out halfway through the set, and backed by Belfast DJ Taltiu, the singer lit up the stage with heavily autotuned, lustful electropop. He got the energy flowing, and definitely earned himself a new fan or two.

The night finished with the Dare performing a high-octane rendition of the anthemic 'Girls,' which had everyone dancing and shouting from the top of their lungs since the very beginning. It was an ecstatic ending to a hypnotic and addictive display.