Get Back Now, Here Comes Dehd!
Article and photos by Grace Wallace
The evenings may be cooling down in Chicago as winter nears, but spirits were still high as fans filled Thalia Hall last Thursday, November 14th, for the closing show of Dehd’s 2024 tour. Celebrating their latest album, Poetry, the local indie rock band traveled across the US and Canada performing, ending with 3 nights in their hometown.
The audience was treated with Grelley Duvall hosting the evening. After performing a musical interlude, Duvall introduced the night’s opener, Divino Niño. Consisting of Camilo Medina, Javier Forero, Guillermo Rodriguez, Pierce Codina, and Justin Vittori, the band’s music blends their American and Colombian backgrounds to create a sound that's uniquely theirs, with mellow dream-pop beats accompanying bilingual verses. Concertgoers danced along to “Quiero” as Medina’s vocals floated over the psychedelic instrumentation. Another favorite was “Foam,” the title track of their 2019 album.
With the close of Divino Niño’s set, the stage was cleared and Duvall returned to… wait… is that famous American author Joyce Carol Oates? Performing just for us? With an eagle? The audience was alive with laughter, never did they think they would be graced with such an iconic performance mid-show!
As Duvall – I mean– famous American author Joyce Carol Oates departed, cheers filled the room as Dehd appeared. Made up of Emily Kempf, Jason Balla, and Eric McGrady, the group formed in 2015, releasing a self-titled album with 9 tracks. Their 2024 release, Poetry, highlights the band’s DIY roots, but shows how far they’ve come; their vocals and instrumentation blend together into music perfect for blasting in the heat of the summer season. Or in this case, brought some warmth and liveliness amidst the annual chill of Chicago winter.
The set began with “Window” from their 2022 album Blue Skies, providing a grounding introduction for the night’s performance. Followed were a few more songs from their discography, including “Loner” from their 2020 album Flower of Devotion; friends jumped and danced together as Balla’s “won’t stop, won’t draw the line” intertwined with Kempf’s repeated “I’m fine.” The band then went into some of their latest songs; notable was Balla’s contagious energy and passionate vocals on “Light On,” the guitar theme in “Hard to Love” perfectly complimenting Kempf’s lyrical lines, and McGrady’s strong drumming tying together the vocals in “Mood Ring.”
By the end of the set, the audience was certainly far from dead, passionately cheering and applauding until the trio returned to the stage for an encore. A simple drum beat and soft guitar marked the opening of “Alien.” Fans grooved to the beat, singing along to the chorus “ Hope this love can take me higher / I’ve been watching, catching fire.” To officially close the night, the band went into “Flying,” another Flower of Devotion track. Kempf’s powerful vocals filled the hall, backing guitar reverb and drums echoing along, ending the tour on a true high.
Dehd’s music is already electric; their live performance was even more so. Though their tour may be over, you can stream Dehd’s Poetry and other albums on all platforms.