Celebrating their “Portraits Tour II,” Quarters of Change make a stop in Dallas with support of The Hails.
The groovy harmonious heart throbs from Florida, The Hails leave the crowd in awe over their infectious presence. The five piece band sets up on stage while each wearing colorful cowboys hats embracing their inner Texan. The front row of fans look up at lead vocalist Robbie Kingsley starstruck as he performs. Their stage presence makes it close to impossible not to fangirl over them while they dance around the stage and exchange looks with the crowd.
Bassist Andre Escobar hops around from bass to keys to vocals showing off his effortless multi talented abilities. Their recent deluxe album release, What’s Your Motive, has gained some attention since releasing emphasizing their jazzy influence with their alt-indie roots. Their fizzy guitar and simple drums leave room for their experimental spacious sound leaving listeners fascinated with their unique impression.
Two spotlights shoot up to the ceiling of the venue as the letters “QOC” vignette behind the stage. The room is pitch black as five grown figures join the stage amidst the darkness. Fans that have waited since ten AM are in a euphoric state seeing them finally take the stage. The whole front row can be seen with sunglasses where written on the lens are song titles such as “Dramatic”, “Chloe” and “Blue Copper” as well as one fan dressed in a quarter costume. The others can be seen with DIY shirts in homage to the band.
The native New Yorkers are hidden in the shadows of the venue as their set is mostly present by darkness but occasionally shown by a flash of white light illuminating the sides of the faces. Quarters of Change is the definition of a pretty boy band and they know it. Guitarist Jasper Harris stands on the edge of the stage as girls swoon over him while lead vocalist Ben Roter squats making him face to face with the crowd while singing and making direct eye contact. Harris is seen wearing a hat that subtly hides his eyes making him seem so obscure with his sly smile being the only facial feature present.
The band was founded in 2017 followed by their first EP, Cyclone Trips. After that, Quarters of Change took off now with their second studio album release, Portraits, that was released earlier this year in January. Track seven, “Do or Die” started trending on Tik Tok introducing a whole new group of fans. Before Portraits, Quarters of Change was recognized for their songs “Jaded” or “T Love” off of their album, Into The Rift. They can definitely be looked at as an American version of Inhaler with lots of New York influence.
The way they perform is raw and genuine while their energy and adrenaline radiates off of the four core members. Ending their set with “T Love”, the trembling guitar at the beginning is drowned out by cheers and screams. The mellifluous vocals from Jasper Harris, Ben Roter and other guitarist Ben Acker release hysteria throughout the audience.
Finishing their set with one of their oldest songs “Kiwi” followed by one of their most thrilling songs, “Rift” the night concluded with the audience feeling overwhelmed with extreme euphoria. Selling out Club Dada and packing it from wall to wall, Quarters of Change is bound to keep growing with more starstruck fans.
I am a Dallas-based photographer. I am social media manager and photographer for indie-rock band Laredo Two as well as writer and photographer for Prosper's online newspaper, Eagle Nation Online. I have always had a passion for anything music from playing shows myself (I play bass and guitar) to music photography. When I am not taking pictures or at a concert, I run a small jewelry business and work at a local guitar shop!
