Teenage Dads Blow The Zoo’s Roof Off
By Emma Newbury
The dimly lit space of The Zoo filled keen listeners’ ears with the sunbleached sounds of Mornington Peninsula-based band Teenage Dads last Saturday night. While the four-piece are no strangers to playing gigs in “brisneyland” as they are quoted calling us, the debut tour celebrating their new ‘Midnight Driving’ EP managed to sell out before even a possibility of door tickets could be suggested. Curious couples could be seen getting turned down on the glittery steps up to the venue, as the inside boasted a swarm of button up shirts, mullets and nose rings.
Warm welcomes greeted the crowd from Meanjin/Brisbane’s own Y2k baby Hallie, as she sang along to bubblegum coloured backings in her iconic Australian twang. Hallie then handed over the torch to emerging Perth/Boorloo artist Noah Dillon, who blanketed the crowd in his gruff vocals and strummy acoustic guitar, making us both reflective yet comforted.
Once ticket-holders had found their rightful weapon of choice (plastic cup of beer) and had retained their spots in the mosh on this particularly sweltering night, the band emerged from amongst the red velvety curtains and into eyesight. “Hello Brisvegas!” Vocalist Jordan Finlay called out, and was met with loud appraisal. Donning their best denim and t-shirt combos, the boys looked truly down to earth and ready to have a boogie and a natter. Drummer Vincent Kinna kicked the tempo into gear with bassist Angus Christie laying down some blunt heat which was soon ignited fully with Jordan Finlay’s vocals and joined with guitar by Connor McLaughlin. The crowd began their warm-up with a bit of head-bopping, copying that of vocalist Finlay as his chocolate-coloured Fringe swayed about above a grin. “Bang, bang, bang-” he sung in a guttural voice, before launching into the chorus of ‘Come on, Cowboy. Fire your gun!’. This song was followed by more hits from the boys’ previous album Club Echo, including ‘Elevator’, ‘Cheerleader’, and ‘Thank You for the Honey, Honey’ in respective order.
A more sombre mood was encapsulated as Teenage Dads moved on to the tracks from their latest EP Midnight Driving. “I saw those white sheets on your hospital bed” sung Finlay in his hazy yet forthright style of singing. As of the night of the Brisbane show, Midnight Driving had only just turned a day old from its release on the 3rd of March. This made Brisbane not only the first leg of the tour, but some of the first people to even hear the EP in its entirety. While ‘Goodbye, Goodbye Again’ had a light summery sound to it, the lyrics cut through to reveal a sad underbelly, as the song discussed what is believed to be loss, whether that be through breakups, moving away, or death. “I’m not crying, it’s just sweat” said Finlay playfully. Following this track was a more heartfelt number called ‘3am’, which was written about the lead singer’s girlfriend. Muted red lights gave a lovey complexion that accompanied some ethereal 80s synths as many couples hugged it out in the crowd.
While not everyone may have been familiar with the songs from the new EP just yet, everyone in the crowd ooo-ed in harmony as the piano to ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ started, lifting the room out of the melancholy state. While the 80s hit was completely converted into the Teenage Dads sound as per their Like a Version cover, the talk-style of singing seemed to very much mirror that of the original Buggles singer. If fans hadn’t danced already, it was their time to shine now as the whole room began to move limbs along to the soaring of the guitar-keyboard combo.
With the energy now at its very peak, the band chose to unveil the EP and tour’s namesake Midnight Driving which was accompanied by a pink and indigo hue and a spectacle of waving hands. Piano Girl saw the night to a close, or so we thought, before drunken chants for an encore ensued with little room for a breather. The crowd backed off a bit as a shining light appeared focusing around the main microphone - of course we weren’t going to be left hanging that easily. A gentle intro to their most-streamed hit Sunburnt began to warm over the crowd, as lead singer Finlay crooned the chorus. In came the nostalgic and fuzzy riff, and smiles once again embraced the entire room. We were finally given a heart-warming name introduction to all the music-makers on stage, and each member couldn’t help but release a cheeky and appreciative grin at all the cheering.
Switching lanes to a bit of cheeky chaos was their official last song of the night Teddy, with that childlike buzzy synth ripping through the mosh in a flurry of shaking hips and headbanging. “Teddy doesn’t live here anymore!” called the entirety of The Zoo’s guests.
“Go buy a t-shirt!” Were the cheeky final words for the night from lead singer Finlay, and just like that the night was done, and t-shirts were bought; drinks were finished, and “Teenage Dads” remained on the lips of the crowd-goers as they dribbled out on to Ann St. Goodbye, Goodbye Again.