Teenage Dads
Ready Teddy Go the Teenage Dads are on the loose!
Australian indie-pop band are currently in the midst of their most extensive national tour to date. During this tour fans of Teenage Dads will have ample opportunities to catch them live as they criss-cross the country. At the conclusion of the Queensland leg of the tour lead singer Jordan Finlay & bass guitarist Angus Christie took a moment to chat with Pario about their journey as a band.
Long-time school mates Teenage Dads eventually came together as a singular and when Jordan & Connor McLaughlin started playing together. From there Angus says Jordan & Conner "invited anyone they knew who played music into the equation, which turned out to be myself & Vin - even though Vin didn't play any music before joining the band."
Jordan was quick to clarify how Vincent Kinna came to be the band's drummer.
"When he was younger he played a little bit at home but he's also a very focused & hard worker, so when he wants to get something done he will. I think he then fell in love with, not just the instrument, but also what comes with playing in front of an audience & he kicks arse on the tubs now."
In terms of how the band then came to find their own unique sound Angus & Jordan explained that is been an evolutionary process.
Initially the band started out taking influence from Jordan's favourites, The Beach Boys & The Beatles. Over time though they realised it was a slightly different style that was resonating most with their fans.
"Once we started seeing that certain songs were starting to be received better, which were the ones that felt a bit more modern, that was the direction we went," explained Jordan. "Those songs have been influenced more by 00's indie rock bands like The Strokes or Phoenix."
Circling back to the current tour you might wonder how they tame to call it, Ready Teddy Go. Well the name of the tour comes from their latest single, Teddy, which itself has a unique story behind its creation.
According to Angus, "originally Jordan had written [Teddy] as an almost joke song for a fake band that we had going." Jordan then jumped in to clarify, "That's right, at least for the instrumental anyway. I liked how that version flowed but wanted to change the lyrics. I wanted to write something about wanting to escape your responsibilities or not facing up to obstacles & consequences."
When Jordan then brought the reworked version of this older "joke" song to the group Angus says he didn't initially recognise its origins.
"I had heard the original version & thought it was awesome. So when I heard it again with a proper demo for Teddy I was really impressed & had no idea that the two songs were actually derived from each other. When that then clicked for me it was really cool to see how an idea could evolve."
This process of evolution with song writing is something which Teenage Dads have been exploring more & more since signing with their record label. When the band first signed involvement in the creative process by the label was a "touchy topic" but has actually proven to be crucial for growth explained Jordan.
"There hasn't been an instance where a change the label has recommended has made the song worse or ruined my vision. It's actually been good to have a mediator in the middle not blowing smoke up our arse."
Finally in closing out our conversation we spoke about the expansiveness of the Ready Teddy Go tour. So far they've been enjoying every minute of it so far, particularly with a string of sold outs shows & the biggest crowd they've every performed to as headliners.
"We've done a heap of tours where you play 15 shows with 2 or 3 people each night but now we're doing rooms where there's up 600 people," said Jordan excitedly. "It's blowing our mind how far we've come in a short time."
Despite this excitement there is 1 stop coming up that is lingering in the back of the band's mind.
"There is 1 day that I'm anxious for because we have 3 shows on the same day at the Lansdowne in Sydney. I think that is going to be a massive test for the 4 of us because we're very high energy, high octane so it's quite the workout each show," said Jordan.
Follow Teenage Dads' Creative Journey on Social Media: @TeenageDads
Sep 30. The Marlin, 110 Princes Hwy, Ulladulla
Oct 1, The Lansdowne, 2-6 City Rd, Sydney. (3 SHOWS)
Oct 2, North Wollongong Hotel, 3 Flinders St, Wollongong.
Tickets & Info: www.teenagedadsofficial.com/tour
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