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Once again venturing out into Digbeth for a night of good music with friends, XOYO was the venue of choice for the evening. NewDad have quite nicely settled into the UK and Irish scene, especially after their most recent album\u00a0Altar<\/em><\/a>. Whilst I\u2019ve found the evolution of their music to be somewhat limited, this is most likely due to the small timeframe between\u00a0Altar\u00a0<\/em>and their debut album,\u00a0MADRA<\/em>, which was only released last year. I do enjoy their music too \u2013 evidently, otherwise I wouldn\u2019t have gone with my limited student funds.<\/p>\n Kicking off the night were fellow Irish band Cardinals, and unfortunately they were a profound disappointment. They seemed to be suffering sound issues, which in itself was irritating, but having seen them at the beginning of the year at King\u2019s Heath\u2019s Hare and Hounds, I can confidently say they haven\u2019t quite cracked performing on larger stages. Back then, they were top-notch \u2013 if a little gloomy \u2013 but on the larger stage at XOYO they had a rather muted and muddled set \u2013 a real shame, especially when compared to the quality of their studio recordings.<\/p>\n The music was great \u2013 a high quality sound, NewDad were clearly a tight unit<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Thankfully, once NewDad graced the stage the sound issues had been resolved, and they began the set with Altar<\/em>\u2018s introductory tracks: \u2018Other Side\u2019, and \u2018Heavyweight\u2019. I rate\u00a0Altar<\/em>\u2018s tracks, and my favourite single from the album, \u2018Entertainer\u2019, nicely rounded out the beginning of the set. This being said, I felt there was a performance element missing \u2013 a thought which persisted throughout the show. The music was great \u2013 a high quality sound, NewDad were clearly a tight unit \u2013 but there was a definitive lack of showmanship involved; personally, I think NewDad could do with some more crowdwork at their shows to bridge the gap between the stage and the audience.<\/p>\n Slight staleness aside, NewDad did perform extremely well \u2013 staple tracks like \u2018Sickly Sweet\u2019, \u2018Nightmares\u2019, and \u2018Angel\u2019 all made an appearance, and went down swimmingly. The slower, more emotive tracks from\u00a0Altar<\/em> were definite standouts \u2013 \u2018Everything I Wanted\u2019, and \u2018Sinking Kind of Feeling\u2019 were beautifully displayed on stage, and put the studio recordings to shame \u2013 I\u2019ll be reliving those songs when I revisit\u00a0Altar<\/em>. These more wistful tracks hit much harder in context with the album\u2019s themes of longing and identity in the band\u2019s move from Galway to London, and has made clear to me how much understanding an artist\u2019s intent enhances the experiences of these songs.<\/p>\n Make no mistake though, NewDad are a bastion of potential<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n NewDad are definitely a band to delve into for any indie lovers- they have sowed some rich roots, and created a strong foundation to launch themselves from strength to strength. I am hoping for a longer gap between releases than the gap between MADRA\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Altar<\/em> to really develop some new distinctions in the NewDad sound, and perhaps some fine-tuning in their live performances too. Make no mistake though, NewDad are a bastion of potential, and I can\u2019t wait to see where they go next.<\/p>\n You might also like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Live Music Fridays at HeyBrew: bringing a fun concept to Brum\u2019s indie music scene<\/a><\/p>\n Single Review: 5 Seconds of Summer \u2013 NOT OK<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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