Hailing from the University of Richmond, DMV natives Dogpark made their second stop of their tour in a special place they can call home. The sold out show at the Atlantis was filled with family, old friends and an intense sense of nostalgia. Before the show began, you could hear the audience clamoring about old college memories with the band and see parents beaming with pride. Although the band no longer resides in the area, the love for the district was as prevalent as ever. The venue has two main standing areas, the pit and the balcony, that guarantees a great view of the performers no matter where you’re standing. Cool and warm toned lights filled the area, creating a very relaxed and intimate vibe within the crowd.
The opener for the show was Winyah, a small up and coming band from Winyah Bay, South Carolina. Although the band was just recently formed in 2023, the five members grew up together and have been friends for ages. The band performed an hour-long set full of upbeat indie songs that were reminiscent of The Backseat Lovers and Dr. Dog. The energy from Winyah was purely fun. Their youthful, puppy-dog energy had the crowd at its fingertips and their music was a reminder of cherished memories and a longing for everlasting adolescence. When their set finished the crowd was left begging for more and soon enough Dogpark made their debut. As they played their songs to a crowd screaming every word, Dogpark knew exactly how to keep their crowd alive. As the band strummed their instruments creating a bubbling anticipation they piqued everybody’s interest when they began to play a cover of the beloved song “505” by The Arctic Monkeys. The audience exploded with a medley of voices singing and dancing to the music. If you didn’t know about Dogpark and had come with a friend this was the perfect way for them to pull you in.
Although this was their second time on stage this tour, they were prepared and unaffected when an audio malfunction took place half way through their set. Lead singer, Eamon Moore decided to tell a story and interact with the audience instead of wait in painful silence as bassist Billy Apostolou effortlessly repaired the problem. During Eamon’s break with the audience an audience member shared that she had made stickers featuring their newest album title, “Breaking In Brooklyn” printed on a bright red apple. He gave her a welcoming shout out, “If anyone wants a sticker, she’s got a bunch of stickers… Everybody give a shoutout to Rachel!” before continuing on to their next song. This brief interaction created an incredibly welcoming atmosphere for the crowd filling their next songs with an overflowing excited energy. Dogpark played a fantastic show accompanied by their opener Winyah. Both bands made the cramped venue feel like home serenading their guests with an incredible mix of indie rock.
Feature image by Adanna Mbanu & Isabella Polak