Music / Reviews
Review: NewDad, Electric – ‘Female rage and longing’
Need to yearn for an hour? Or even let out some female rage?
NewDad might be just what you need.
In the heart of Bristol’s music scene, just a stone’s throw from Rough Trade where the band celebrated the release of their second album Altar last month, Galway’s NewDad brought real female rage and longing to the stage of Electric Bristol.
Combining sounds of heavy rock and beautiful melancholic melodies with painfully relatable lyrics, NewDad are really THAT band.
Galway’s NewDad include a beautiful tribute to their hometown in the set
The girlies and Radio 6 dads are treated to a double bill of Irish bands.
Following a pre-show playlist of favourite Irish acts such as Fontaines D.C. and Gurriers, Cork-based Cardinals were tasked with warming up the crowd.
With their aura of nonchalance and accompanied by an accordion, the band demonstrated their unique twist on the classic indie rock sound which was enjoyed by all.
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As Cardinals left the stage the room had filled not only with people but with anticipation for the headline band.
Frontwoman Julie Dawson entered alone (excepting the room overflowing with cheering fans) and began Other Side, later joined by her bandmates, adding a whole new life to the song.
Describing this as their “biggest ever Bristol headline,” genuine gratitude was shown throughout this monumental performance for the band with every song ending in a small “thank you” from Julie.
The band’s music runs the gamut of emotions – from gut-wrenching sadness to upbeat boppery to all-out rage
Continuing with tracks from their recently released second album, Heavyweight and Entertainer perfectly demonstrated why NewDad were standing on that stage.
Making full use of the screen, visualisers were cast above the band aiding in the storytelling of each song, often referring back to the house motif used throughout the album’s campaign.
Interchanging new tracks and fan favourites from debut album Madra, the crowd felt every mood possible thanks to the band’s very real lyricism.
“Is everyone sufficiently sad yet?” Dawson joked before beginning one of NewDad’s many gut wrenching songs disguised as an upbeat head bopper. Guitar heavy songs such as Sickly Sweet and Let Go filled the room with angst as a sea of people aggressively nodded their heads in unison.
The crowd of ‘girlies and 6 Music dads’ were hugely responsive
Paying homage to their hometown of Galway, the now London-based band played Pretty, one of the best received and more upbeat songs on Altar.
Singing about their love for their hometown and Irish identity brought spirits up around the venue, showing that the most beautiful love songs don’t need to be written about people.
“Oh this is a really old one!” Dawson exclaimed as the stage became drenched in blue lighting, the opening chords of fan favourite and the band’s third ever single Blue – more relaxed compared to the heavy rock sound they’ve later adopted – began.
Then it was immediately back to the heavy rock as they launched into one of their “more rowdy” songs Misery.
Walking off stage, NewDad left eager fans with a synth drone as a hint that they weren’t quite done with Bristol yet.
The band returned to play their biggest song to date, Angel, which was met with a huge fan response, the entire crowd singing every word back.
Ending with a bang on Roobosh, the first single from the band’s sophomore album, for a final time NewDad and fans screamed together and let out all the rage that was somehow left within.
All images: Lucia Brown
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