For many in the crowd, it was their first time hearing some of the songs off What’s Wrong With New York?, which follows buzzy singles like 2022’s “Girls” and Charli XCX’s “Guess,” which he produced. “I haven’t played any shows since the singles have come out,” he says. “This is the first time I heard people singing along to the songs too, which is really nice.”
While Smith often alternates between DJ sets and live performances, the preparation that goes into each is very different. When DJing, the 28-year-old keeps himself flexible with barely any prep by design. When performing his live songs, he’s more meticulous. “Some of the DJ sets I don’t really prepare for because part of the fun is the improvisation,” he says. “The live set is just me trying to perform the songs to the best of my ability and, like, actually rehearsing… We’re putting a ton of effort into the lighting and what the stage looks like and what the show feels like.”
You know it, I know it, the Dare knows it: “Small shows are just always better.” While the star has gotten to grace some bigger stages opening for Charli XCX and then booking a headline tour of his own which kicked off at Webster Hall on Sept. 5, a small show will always be the move. “I like jumping in the crowd and going insane,” he adds.
On this night, the Dare traded in his signature black suit and skinny tie (he only has one; he dry cleans it every couple weeks) for something more subdued: a blazer he purchased at New York thrift shop Beacon’s Closet years ago when he started DJing. The purchase was the first step in identifying what would become a key part of his image, inspiring TikTok cosplayers and becoming the cover art for the Dare’s debut album.
During his set, the Dare performed songs from What’s Wrong with New York?, which serves as an introduction as the musician goes from New York downtown scene phenomenon to bonafide pop act and producer. “This record is me staking my flag in the ground and also just opening a few doors to a few potential pathways like songwriting,” he says. “[It creates] a more comprehensive image of what the Dare is and does and sounds like.”
An aficionado of the downtown party scene, the Dare says he’s seen an uptick in people’s interest in nightlife in recent years. “There seems to be a bigger interest in DJing and people who weren’t DJs wanting to DJ and throw parties,” he says. When not performing or making music, the Dare hosts his debauched party series, Freakquencies, wherever he ends up traveling.
Despite the name of his debut album, the Dare still has a massive amount of love for the city he moved to in 2018. One thing’s for sure: He likes New York a lot more than Los Angeles. “You can walk everywhere and the people are better,” he notes. “Everybody’s walking around on the street, bar-hopping. There’s just so much more magic and chemistry and events that happen in real life because of the geography of New York.”
As the Dare’s set goes on, you get the sense that he looks to blur the boundaries between performer and audience. As he sings “Girls,” Harrison is climbing on window sills and flinging himself at the crowd. “I just like the play and the freedom that music and performance allows you,” he says. “I just kind of crank it up to ten and say whatever I want.”
The Dare’s story in New York started back in 2018, when he moved to the city and started doing odd jobs (and eventually became a substitute teacher), all while performing DJ gigs across the city. Eventually, he got moved from Monday nights (“nobody was there”) to Thursdays at the Lower East Side haunt Home Sweet Home, and he started booking acts to play alongside him.
When it comes to his favorite live music spots in New York, the Dare is ready to share his list. He recommends people throw their parties at Home Sweet Home (although he says the sound kind of sucks). He loves Good Room and Public Records because of the crowd and the folks working there. And then there’s the Williamsburg venue Baby’s All Right: “When I first played there in New York with my old band, I was like ‘Holy shit. I’ve made it,’” says Smith, who previously fronted the indie act Turtlenecked. “I had been going to shows there forever. It’s just like a centerpiece for the music scene. That one’s really important to me.”
One of the night’s biggest reactions comes when the Dare plays his braggadocious album cut “I Destroyed Disco,” flexing his influence and exploits over a pulsating instrumental. “What’s a blogger to a rocker, what’s a rocker to the Dare?” he sings out to laughs and cheers. The track, which Harrison produced with Dylan Brady of 100 gecs, is one of the album’s most abrasive. “I think some of the lyrics are really funny and hearing people react to them is really cool,” Smith says.
For most of the night, the Dare stays calm and collected as he mingles with friends and says hello to collaborators between sets. The most animated he got apart from his own performance was sitting on a chair near the window listening to Malice K, singing his heart out to the 2020 track “Beautiful People.”
Like any good performer, the Dare makes note of what an audience responds to — especially when playing demos during his DJ sets or unreleased music in his live sets. “I do take stock in those first impressions of lyrics or moments in songs,” he says.
The Dare’s explosion onto the New York club scene is partially spurred by a desire to strip away the superfluous in nightlife. He often feels like he’s tapping into the live experience of a previous era, with some fans saying that the star feels more like he belongs in 2004 than 2024. “When I’m listening to music or DJing or performing, I’m completely living in the moment,” he says. “I’m pretty euphoric if it’s going well, feel pretty horrible if it’s not. I just kind of black out…I feel like those moments are really important. I’m trying to capture that feeling.”