Gig: Teenage Dads @ O2 Academy2, London
Teenage Dads by Isla Kerr
The upstairs O2 Academy in Islington was alive and buzzing with quick guitar and indie rock last Wednesday evening as the up-and-coming Melbourne locals, Teenage Dads, stopped off in London on their UK and European tour. This run of shows began in Cornwall at The Tunes in the Dunes Festival on the 18th of May and is set to end almost a month later in Italy.
Permanent (Joy)
Liverpool band Permanent (Joy), previously known as Blondes, got the crowd dancing before the Aussies took to stage. A name change is only part of the shake-up the four-piece has undergone lately. Longstanding vocalist Will Potter departed from the band leaving an opening for former guitarist, Alex Davison, to step up to vocals. He has done so with such style that any who were unaware of his previous role would have no clue he hadn't always been the voice of the band. With the relaunch taking place in April, this was only their sixth show together and their first in London.
Instead of immediately rebranding on streaming services Permanent (Joy) voted to do things the ‘old’ way and release a CD. Containing two tracks from their setlist, ‘Josephine’ and ‘Save My Life’, It is available online and was sold at the merch desk tonight. In a content driven world it's great to see a band take a step back from the media mill and prioritise physical editions.
Teenage Dads
It’s rare to see a bass player dancing as much as, if not more than the crowd. This is the norm for Teenage Dads’ Angus Christie though and tonight, as he does every night, he grooved around the stage as if he were hosting his own dance party.
‘I Like It’ was dedicated to London as vocalist Jordan Finlay (better known as Jordy) put it plainly, ‘This one goes out to London because I like it’. The room was buzzing as the crowd sung along, jumping up and down in time with the track. The band then jokingly told the crowd that they had ‘asked the BBC to play’ new track ‘Weaponz’ on the radio but had no luck. After hearing the fun song live it seemed everyone was ready to argue its case for radio. Unreleased ‘Boarding Pass’ and ‘Boyfriend’ from the quartet's upcoming new album were instant hits. Both tracks had the crowd dancing while they tried to keep up with and learn the new lyrics.
Where would any Australian band be without a classic Triple J cover. Teenage Dads is of none other than The Buggles ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’. It was the perfect addition to the setlist tonight and filled the already bustling room with even more energy.
The night neared an end but not before a winner of a free t-shirt from the merch desk could be picked. Vinnie (drums) drew a name of a crowd member who was told to collect their new Teenage Dads clobber after the show.
It’s normal for Teenage Dads to finish with an encore but tonight Jordy shared that he ‘didn't want to do that’. ‘We normally walk off and you all cry then we come back on.’ he joked. Instead he insisted tonight he wanted to ‘hear’ us. This assignment was understood and cheers for ‘one more tune’ soon echoed. We were in luck and were treated to not one but two more tunes. Jordy and Connor stepped down to the barrier with their guitars in hand to play last track ‘Hey Diego!’ to the crowd.
It’s impossible not to dance along to Teenage Dads upbeat tracks. Their cheeky personalities and genuine friendship with one another make their gigs a true joy to attend.
