NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Fast rising Irish dream pop band NewDad have only been around for six years but it’s been a hectic ride. I say dream pop but you can say shoe gaze, lo-fi, or even grunge and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. After forming and releasing several singles in 2020, the pandemic halted things for a bit but they quickly recovered, releasing their first EP Waves in 2021, their second EP Banshee in 2022, and their first full studio album Madra in 2023. Somehow, the album has very slowly gained traction, as has the band, becoming more popular in 2024 than it was in 2023! With the Cure as a primary influence, you can really hear that sound, especially in songs where the bass line kicks off pounding through the silence. After primarily playing festivals and touring as a support act in the UK and EU, they embarked on a brief “world tour” through Asia and North America in October, ending at Elsewhere in New York City on November 7th.
The opener this evening was Brooklyn-based indie rock band Nara’s Room, the latest project for singer/songwriter/poet, artist Nara Avakian. Bathed in blue light with some moving spotlights and a small TV/VCR combo playing the Lizzie McGuire movie at the front of the stage, the band definitely created a mood. When I asked Avakian the meaning behind showing Lizzie McGuire, he asked me what it means to me! Haha, not much but I get the intention. Their songs and FIY videos do evoke a sense of nostalgia although I’m not sure Avakian was even alive when VCR’s, Sony Walkman’s, etc were in vogue. Their short set was a great introduction to their music and I’ll have to go back and listen to more.
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NewDad kicked off their set with “Sickly Sweet” off “Madra”. How were we all bouncing our heads with such dark lyrics? This is the contradiction of these amazing lyrics over a heavy bass that makes you want to dance. This seemed to be the theme throughout the night. Lead vocalist/guitarist Julie Dawson, with her pixie cut, evoked images of Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries, another Irish band that influenced NewDad. She was consistently drenched in colors from the projected visuals while guitarist Sean O’Dowd, bassist Cara Joshi, and drummer Fiachra Parslow remained mostly in shadow. The setlist comprised of mostly songs from “Madra” but also included a couple of old songs and a couple of new songs including “Under My Skin”, released in September. The highlight in an evening of bangers was “Let Go”, with its slow heavy bass and simple lyrics leading to a head banging chorus! So good!! The fourteen song set seemed way to short for NewDad’s fans and it would have been nice to hear a few more songs from their first two EPs. Nevertheless, it was great to see this up-and-coming band make it across the pond for at least a few shows. NewDad is working on a new album and Dawson also released a solo album “Bottom of the Pool back in September with a slightly different sound, focused more on synths, with songs that are just dying to be remixed for the clubs. Is a solo tour in the works? I don’t think so but I eagerly await the next time this band comes to North America. I expect they will be playing much larger venues the next time around.
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