Your Neighbors Leaves a Remarkable First Impression on Dallas

From North Carolina, alternative band Your Neighbors plays in Dallas for the first time with Point Blank Society.

Welcoming creative alternative band Your Neighbors to Dallas Texas for the first time, a line of fans waited outside of the venue exchanging favorite songs and talking about how long they have been fans for.  In the intimate space of Club Dada, people begin to fill the emptiness of the room. Not long after doors open, Deep Ellums Bob Crawford waddles over with his cane and greets fans. Some who attend shows in Dallas may know him as “Keyboard Bob” or “Deep Ellum Bob” but for those who don’t know him, Bob is a lover of music and finds himself hitching rides just to make it to local shows to support. 

From Austin, Texas, “dark pop” band Point Blank Society opens the night with a feel good vibe all around. Although they describe themselves as “dark pop”, they sound like a mixture of pop-rap-electronic. The deep bass and the highlight of the violin fit within each other creating a beautifully created instrumental with poetic lyricism. Lead vocalist Cullan King states he and his wife have been together since they were fifteen years old and he has never experienced a breakup resulting in most of his songs being about his wife and explaining the amorous poetry. 

While “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter and “Too Sweet” by Hozier play through the speakers of Club Dada for the third time that night, vocalist and guitarist of Your Neighbors, Walker Robinson sets up on stage. Opening the night with “Rx”, the audience does not hesitate to start dancing. The collaboration of the jazzy beat with catchy R&B lyricism collide flawlessly. The delayed tremolo of the guitar and melodic sound of Robinsons flair is immersed. The intimate feeling of Club Dada feels almost exclusive like a VIP soundcheck experience but with lots of energy and more people. Sax player DeVante’ Buford asked my boyfriend if they could trade hats and after saying yes, Buford dedicated every other song to him. Buford radiated with energy the entire show from playing while walking through the crowd to asking if he could take selfies with me mid show. 

Mid set jaws were already dropped and legs were tired until Walker Robinson announces that the next one is a cover. Before anyone could guess what it could be, a funky disco riff starts playing through the speakers that starts to sound like “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry. Safe to say everyone was dancing and singing and moving to the grooving. About mid song, Robinson heads off stage leaving keyboardist Rashhad Sylvester and drummer Chris Heard head to head in a jam battle. Starting off with a simple progression and a catchy beat, heads start bobbing. Taking turns back and forth, the two progress playing louder and experimenting with the endless possibilities of their instruments. About five minutes straight of back and forth, heads went from slow bobbing to astonished body language and starstruck eyes. Even Robinson is in disbelief as if he is hearing them play for the first time. 

As the setlist nears the end, everyone knows there is still one song that they haven’t heard yet. The word “Chicken” can be heard through whispers which only makes sense at a Your Neighbors show. The iconic guitar chords start to play and suddenly the nostalgic feeling of being in middle school health class and realizing alternative music is actually good begins taking over. There’s beer cans lifted in the air and bodies spinning each other. The simultaneous singing from every person in the room released energy you cant find at any other show. Many people seemed to be reminiscing while listening. The blissful feeling while listening to Your Neighbors songs, especially “Chicken,” is close to impossible to not associate with a good time. After the show, Bob was invited on stage to take a picture with the band and the audience as he showed off his merch and new friends. The four members spent close to an hour after the show talking with fans and signing their latest vinyl, Love Your Neighbors. After the autographs calmed down Robinson humbly stated to me that they are trying to make a name for themselves, but after personally witnessing the community of fans they brought together, they have perfectly painted a picture of truly being your neighbors.