In a classic ‘daggy dad’ way the group walk out on stage to the theme song of Ghostbusters. Lead vocalist Jordy address the crowd with a laid back “Nice to see you lovelies!” before leading everyone in the crowd into a synced clap to the beat of their first song of the night, ‘Thank You for the Honey, Honey.’
If you like The Strokes, you’ll love Teenage Dads. This song especially reminds me of the early days of The Jungle Giants ‘She’s a Riot’ with its upbeat, funky, indie-rock sound. Drummer Vincent said in an interview with Good Call Live the song touches on ‘being left in the lurch by someone and the struggles of coping with that’ which you can definitely pick up as the crowd sings the chorus back to the stage. “Thank you for the breakfast, my dear, Thank you for the honey, honey. This is how we always feared, Living the life on empty.”
The band play a bit of transitional music to keep the vibes up as Jody is grooving, a natural frontman for the band his energy is as infectious as his dance moves. “Let’s be a bit sexy yeah?” Jordy proposes to the audience. The next song was unknown to me but had a great hook of Uh uh uh, uh uh, uh which Jody encouraged the crowd to sing louder back to him. The band then jumped into another song ‘Elevator’ off their latest Album, Club Echo.
In a recent interview with Vincent, he told us about the inspiration for the artwork and how it came from the experience, “as if you're like looking into a party that you're not invited to through a window. So it kind of felt like the themes are about all these memories that you've kind of got to be happy that they happened.”
The band’s latest hit ‘Exit Sign’ plays next as everyone in the crowd starts clapping in unison. With a buzzing baseline, the ground underneath my feet shakes as everyone is jumping and grooving to the beat. It’s the perfect blend of upbeat music, nostalgic lyrics and a melancholy tone that makes Teenage Dad's music unique.
Jordy has great energy on stage as he whips out a sombrero hat from behind a guitar amp on stage just as they start to play their song ‘C’mon Cowboy. Fire your Gun!’. It’s probably the most interactive and fun part of a crowd I’ve been in, as everyone shoots their finger guns up into the air as Jordy yells bang! Bang! The rest of the band playfully jest and laugh with Jordy on stage a running joke the crowd now seems in on. Their next song surprises me as they being to play their 2019 single ‘Message in the Sand’ off their EP ‘Red’. With a bit of a slower tempo, it provides a bit of a break from the excitement before.
“And now a word from our sponsors,” says Vincent from drums as they playfully launch into the Bunnings theme song altered to be a plug Teenage Dads Merch. They go on to play Their 2018 single ‘Sunburnt’ and easily one of their most popular songs off their Potpurri Lake Album. It’s got an infectious melody and takes me back to memories of a ‘summer love’ in the setting of an Aussie beach house - full of sand, sun and peachy upbeat tunes.
They follow with from Club Echo ‘Piano Girl’ before playing out their set with ‘Cheerleader’. A song that has been cemented in this reviewer's memory ever since she heard it first on Triple J. Jordy leads the crowd into a clap in sync to the drums. In a statement back in 2021 when the song was released Jordy reflected about the journey writing the lyrics “I wrote this last year feeling like I had spent much of my time not working hard enough to put myself out there and constantly feeling as though nothing was getting done,” he said. “I was in a rut, felt like my life was moving on without me and all that remained were precious memories to keep me motivated for whatever came next.” It was certainly a high note to end on as one of the most recognised songs in their repertoire by this crowd.
If you’re looking for a modern version of The Beach Boys look no further than Teenage Dads. Their upbeat, indie sound is unique in its intricate synths, hooky guitars and fast-paced drum beats. Definitely, one to watch as upcomers in the Australian indie music scene.
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