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Rooms With A View.

Before Leaving For Los Angeles, Dallas’ Dark Rooms Received A Warm Sendoff At Dada On Friday Night.

All photos by Karlo X. Ramos.

Fresh off the release of its latest stunner of a music video, the electronic- and R&B-tinged Dallas pop quartet Dark Rooms took to the outdoor stage at Club Dada on Friday night in somewhat bittersweet fashion: Performing atop a stacked bill featuring sets from Picnictyme, Sam Lao and a DJ set from Blue, The Misfit, Dark Rooms’ showcase on this night was its last one before the band packs up and moves to Los Angeles in January.

As such, the night indeed had a bit of a somber tone — something Dark Rooms frontman Daniel Hart couldn’t help but acknowledge from the stage as he thanked the crowd for showing up on this night and for showing support to his project throughout the years.

But the night, it’s worth pointing out, was hardly a total downer: Through its stacked bill curated by Hart himself, this night was also in many ways a rather glorious celebration of Dallas music’s wonderful uptick in R&B-tinged sounds of late. Kicking the night off, Picnictyme debuted a selection of new Prince-inspired songs while backed by Erykah Badu drummer Cleon Edwards. Following that performance, Sam Lao offered up a confident showing of her own sounds, which bounce effortlessly between rap, R&B and pop. And, all night long between sets, Blue, the Misfit seemed to revel in the opportunity provided him by spinning between such acts, spending his time playing deeper, more exploratory sounds than he perhaps normally is afforded the chance to play.

Mostly, though, the night belonged to its headliner, which sounded tight as ever in this setting — a fact that should bode well for this band’s future as it explores the Californian landscape. That’s worth remembering, actually: Though Friday night’s affair at times felt a bit like a wake, this is hardly the end for this compelling band; it’s just the start of the next chapter.

That’s something worth celebrating, indeed.

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