Death BY Romy
w/ body image
By Ramray wong
Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
DeathbyRomy hit the stage in Club Dada in Dallas Texas on April 29, 2025. This was the fourth show in her first headlining tour celebrating the release of her new album Hollywood Forever. The lyrics on this new album are a distillation of both Romy’s love and disdain towards her experience growing up in LA.
BOdy image
Opening the stage first was bodyimage. Her electronic art-pop sound completely captivated the audience. She alternated between low, whispery vocals and passionate, electronically distorted screams against the backdrop of moody, bumping synths. It was something you would hear in a goth club from the future.
DEATH BY ROMy
Despite her music being largely against an electronic backdrop, she played with a live band featuring two of her closest friends, Earth to Cheska (bass) and Jayden Hammer (guitar). The live instruments made an enormous difference in her sound. Along with the bandmates’ energetic stage presence, they gave way for a more punk-rock style of performance of Romy’s music.
DeathbyRomy would begin her act next, opening with “XXXHIBITIONIST”. As the chorus played, she and her band would cross their arms into an X above their heads as a nod to the lyrics. Throughout the show, I would be continually impressed by such showmanship and energy even for a small venue. The band’s stage presence and chemistry together was intoxicating and contagious. I saw some people in the back just nodding their heads to the music in the beginning, but by the end, would be in the crowd with their hands up.
The show was an incredible experience as it blended together the bewitching stage presence of Romy and her band, the instrumentation of her music, the intimacy of the smaller venue, and the unapologetic themes and lyrics across her new album. It was like getting to see one of your favorite artists' last small performances before exploding in popularity. And perhaps, that’s exactly what this was.
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