By Alex Gryciuk
Australian indie rock band Teenage Dads showcased their eccentric personalities and high-energy music to an audience at The Observatory on March 10.
The band’s U.S. and Canada tour kicked off earlier this month, supporting funk, indie-pop band The Brook & The Bluff on select dates.
Members Jordy Finlay, Connor McLaughlin, Vinnie Kinna and Angus Christie hope to perform for audiences and expand their fandom cross continentally.
“It’s been really fun meeting new people and trying to make friends internationally because we’ve done so much touring in Australia,” Christie said.
With a common interest in music, the members jammed out in high school together and decided to form a band. When a former guitarist posted a song on the Australian radio station triple j, the band received recognition.
March 10, Teenage Dads opened for The Brook & The Bluff. Audiences at The Observatory, Santa Ana anticipated an exciting show with both indie musical artists. Photo credit: Alex Gryciuk
“We got a gig offer from [posting our song] and we thought, ‘well, we can’t play covers.’ So we wrote like six really bad songs in a week. That’s kind of how we started,” McLaughlin said.
Six months later, the band posted new songs and formed a group under the name Teenage Dads.
“I don’t feel like I am a ‘Teenage Dad’. That’s, you know, it’s just like, that’s just the name for it [the band],” McLaughlin said.
Rather than letting the name tell the story of their dynamic group, Teenage Dads allow the music to express their fun personalities, especially in concert.
During the show, Teenage Dads shortened their setlist to include their top 5 songs and a cover. This show, they played notably new song Weaponz, Speedracer, and Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. Photo credit: Alex Gryciuk
Groovy hooks and energetic melodies are woven into contrasting genres that each member found interest in. Elements of heavy metal, classical rock, 60s folk, psychedelic and early 2000s rock amalgamate into songs such as “Elevator,” “Speedracer” and “Weaponz.”
“Our tastes have grown closer together and found this thing that we feel like, this is our sound that we like to do,” McLaughlin said.
Members of their growing fanbase across America, Europe and Australia find themselves jamming out in person or through streaming services.
“[Our music] is very easy to get into live, very danceable without being dance music. It has a lot of groove behind it,” Christie said.
Of the 18 shows on their US and Canada tour, Teenage Dads will have preformed with The Brook & The Bluff for seven shows. Photo credit: Alex Gryciuk
Teenage Dads will continue their tour with The Brook & The Bluff for three shows in Boulder, CO, Fort Collins, CO, and Columbia, MO. They will perform on the East Coast as a headliner starting March 20.
To stay up to date on all upcoming show announcements and merchandise sales, follow @teenagedads on Instagram. Posting on all streaming services regularly, fans can listen on Apple Music, Youtube and Spotify.
