MEET : Teenage Dads
I write this up whilst soaking up the unbelievably lovely, but rather sudden London sun through my kitchen window. After months of wintery winds, has spring finally hit us with a jumpscare? If so, I reckon we have Teenage Dads to thank for this shift in weather… If you were the sun and you heard the first few bars of any of their tracks, you would come out of hiding too. Take Sunburnt, Piano Girl or the title track off their new EP, Midnight Driving, and summer smacks you straight in the face. It follows wherever they go-I guess it’s a chicken and egg situation.
Signing to Chugg Music in 2021, Teenage Dads are part of a madly exciting web of Australian artists making waves over here in the UK. Over the last couple of years their strong indie-pop-rock sound has progressed and become a little bit more synthy, especially with the release of their latest ep. The Casablanca-esque vocals blend with the jangly guitar hooks and instant grooving bass lines to make for something incredibly fresh and exciting. The four-piece will be joining Lime Cordiale on their upcoming UK/IRE tour which kicks off in May, so if you’re keen to see them, you’re in luck. They’ll soon be on this side of the world.
We caught up with drummer Vinnie and spoke about Triple J, the eye-rolls that come with the indie label and the soundtrack to his Midnight Drives…
Photo by Richard John Clifford
Introduce yourself!
I’m Vincent, I play drums in the band Teenage Dads. We also have Connor, who plays guitar, Angus who plays bass and Jordy who sings and plays synth and guitar.
I’m in Brazil at the moment and am a bit Sunburnt (ha). Any Aussie advice on how to deal with it?
Dealing with sunburn? After the damage? It’s almost too far gone but Aloe Vera cream is probably the best!
You guys are known for your live shows. What’s the perfect recipe?
A good live show for us? I think it ultimately comes down to good chemistry between the four of us which hopefully bleeds into the audience. If you’re not having a good time on stage, the audience will probably feel that and vice versa.
Leading on from there, what’s the best gig you’ve been to?
First to mind for me is Parcels in Sydney last year.
How was the ‘Like A Version’ experience for you guys? Scary?
It wasn’t scary in any way, there was only some pressure in the lead up because we only had a couple of days between confirming the song and performing it. We had 2 rehearsals to nut it out. We probably played it 30 odd times in those rehearsals…
‘Indie’ bands tend to get a lot of shtick & eye rolls. Where do you think this comes from? And do you think it’s justified?
Maybe one perspective for the eye rolling could derive from those listeners who almost gate keep smaller artists which comes across as pretentious. Almost like ‘yeah this band is pretty indie, you wouldn’t know them or probably like them’. I guess artists could have the same perspective when telling others that they’re indie, like they’re super niche and ‘avant-garde’
Maybe this is just something we’ve seen in our local scenes… This pretentiousness is likely an older perspective that has lasted until now which is pretty lame. Feel like we could discuss this for a while!
Are you excited to be heading to the UK & Ireland? Is it your first time?
Absolutely! And yes, first time as a band. I have been to England before for other reasons and it was incredible but we’re very excited to go for music. We’ve always felt that our music would suit the UK, but we don’t know that for sure yet…
You’re also playing my favourite venue in London (O2 Forum Kentish Town). What are you most excited to try whilst you’re in London?
The food! Also keen to see what the thrift shops have to offer. Of course all the architecture too. Australia isn’t very old, so all the cities over there are all the more fascinating because of their age.
Photo by Charlie Hardy
F*ck, marry kill : Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus, Teenage Kicks by the Undertones or Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
We don’t like to kill but we did actually play Teenage Dirtbag when we first started playing at house parties.
Describe your music in non-musical terms.
Guitars go weeeooeeeeewww, bass goes a bum dum dum, drums go boots and cats and, synth goes blelelelelleeeeee… vocals go YEAH!
There’s definitely something in the water in AUS… lots of good music coming out of there recently. Which bands should we be listening to?
The Moving Stills, Royel Otis, Phoebe Go, Folk Bitch Trio, J4eva
Where do you Midnight drive and what do you listen to?
I like to be in bed early…! If I’m driving at midnight these days it’s mostly after work or a show but I usually have a select few albums that I like to listen to to chill out in these private, quiet times; Room on Fire - The Strokes, and Holly Humberstone’s first EP are the first that come to mind.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Phoenix’s new album, some Talking Heads and Simon and Garfunkel.
What do you listen to on the Last Bus home?
Probably those same albums I listen to in the car to wind down and let my mind wander. I have a similar playlist for flights. Some other songs: Lovesick - Alice Phoebe Lou, Black Coffee - Peggy Lee, Not My Baby - Alvvays
