Psychedelic lights flashed, amplifying the excitement around the room at The Louisiana. The low thumps of a drum and bass remix of “Come Together” by The Beatles brought the crowd to an intense high. The walls reverberated with anticipation as the long-awaited Indie Rock band ‘Teenage Dads’ prepared to take the stage. Having traveled from Australia to start their UK/EU tour, the crowd savored every moment about to unfold.
As the beat dropped, four figures made their way through the floor, heading to the stage amidst increasing cheers. Taking their places and picking up their instruments, lead singer Jordan Finley turned to the crowd and asked, “Everyone got our dancing shoes on?” hyping us up for the set about to unfold. There was no doubt about it, and this was quickly proven as they launched into the first track, ‘Sunburnt,’ answering Jordan’s question with dance moves across the now-transformed dance floor. The perfect and catchy song filled the room with life as the crowd sang back the lyrics like a prayer.
Their ability to bring life to songs many of us had only heard online was addictive. Cult classics from their discography, like ‘I Like It’ and ‘Elevator,’ proved to the crowd how worth the wait had been, shouting back in chorus with profuse commitment. Jordan allowed the Bristol crowd to shed any self-consciousness, fully embracing the night’s freedom. This was perfectly matched by drummer Vincent Kinna’s witty ringer tee proclaiming, “It’s not a crime to dance,” taken at face value.
Their ability to inject energy and life into the love song ‘Elevator’ is unmatched, with upbeat drums, energetic vocals, and unrelenting guitar riffs. Yet, underneath the lively sound lies beautiful lyricism—heartfelt and poetic words of pure adoration. These meaningful songs seamlessly paired with their carefree and explosive tracks like the new single ‘Weaponz,’ which hyped up the audience with its wild and strong beat, exuding confidence from each band member.
It was hard not to mirror the energy on stage as bassist Angus Christie strutted his stuff across each number, bringing every note to life with such confidence. The band’s chemistry made their songs come alive, and the venue buzzed with electricity from stage to pit.
Taking a short break from the set, Jordan introduced the unreleased track ‘Boarding Pass,’ to be released soon along with an upcoming album, eliciting elated cheers from the crowd. We were invited to join in with the catchy hook, feeling like we already knew the song. If this wasn’t enough to make the venue brim with exhilaration, we weren’t ready for a second unreleased track, ‘Boyfriend’—both treats for each listener there, to be bragged about to anyone who missed it.
Emotions were kept high through the whole evening, with cult classics from their discography including ‘Speed Racer’ and hand guns fired into the crowd with ‘Cowboy’. No body could’ve begged harder for the band to stay and yet the night couldn’t be more perfectly concluded with an encore of ‘Hey Diego’ body’s jumping up towards the light in feverish excitement. With the last strums of the guitar and beaming faces all around it was clear that Teenage Dads succeeded in bringing saturated and vibrant life to The Louisiana in Bristol earning the favour of both new and old fans.
Words: Emma Budd
Images: Darren Clarke
