AEG presents NEWDAD with support from BETTER LIVING live at The Dome

The beauty and bite of NewDad’s debut album ‘Madra’ made the Galway band one of the biggest new hopes around. Bringing a youthful zest to storied influences such as Slowdive, The Cure and Cocteau Twins, their amalgamation of classic ‘90s aesthetics attracted a diverse and still-growing audience: teenagers throwing themselves around in the mosh pit with care-free abandon

Such scenes were replicated wherever they went, from Glastonbury to Radio 1’s Big Weekend and even into China. “I had never cried on stage, but I did in Shanghai,” grins vocalist/guitarist Julie Dawson as if he’s been transported back to that moment. “There were 1600 people singing back to us and I was like, what the fuck is going on? People were queuing for hours just to say hi. It was crazy.”

The tentpole moment of this first NewDad chapter came with a headline show at KOKO that was packed from wall-to-wall, from the dancefloor and into the venue’s ornate upper tiers. After playing to a visually arresting puppetry backdrop, they stepped off stage wowed by the moment - but also by what it could mean for their upcoming adventures. 

And NewDad’s future is now just a step away as they prepare to release their new EP ‘Safe’. It’s precisely what fans would want from their band: their core shoegaze/dream-pop sound elevated with a swaggering new self-confidence, a tight, masterly control of hooks, and broader touch points such as Pavement and Sonic Youth. In short: their ethereal elements feel more alluring than ever; the visceral moments are more selective and dynamic but hit just as hard; and their songs are simply a leap in sophistication beyond ‘Madra’.