Live Review: Teenage Dads - Exchange, Bristol 07/09/2025
Aussie genre-bending masterminds deliver another powerhouse performance at Bristol’s Exchange.
This past Sunday, the Bristol music scene was treated to another unforgettable experience from genre-bending Aussie four-piece teenage dads. Having played venues like the Louisiana before, they are no stranger to the energy and the power of the Bristol audience. This familiarity makes them feel like they are playing on home turf, and the audience entirely reciprocates this. Teenage Dads have levelled up the capacity to resounding success as they were able to nearly sellout a bigger venue than on their previous years performance and this time bringing along London outfit Lazy Day to get the vibes going for the early risers, this line up was perfect for a Sunday night show and was on track to create a laidback warmup for the crowd before having to burst into action at the sheer charisma of the Teenage Dads. As the room filled up and the anticipation drew near, Lazy Day finished their set-up and prepared to get hands clapping and feet moving, and they did just that.
Lazy Day kicked off their set with a Lo-Fi and vibe laden rhythms that got the crowd moving without a second thought, this was time for the lead singer Tilly to show off their raw talent and spectacular vocals, out the gate the band blasted the audience with gorgeous melodies and heavy grooves that eclipsed perfectly allowing Tilly to switch pace and notation with ease and create a spectacular energy around the song, they possess this ability to use their voice as if it was an extra instrument, perfectly complimenting the by the book yet precise and picturesque sound being created.
This set was a stand out for the rest of the band also as Lead guitarist Martin worked tirelessly to correlate his effects pedals to the distinct feel of the song, this translation from studio to stage is not an easy feat as with studio time, you are given more than enough time to master effects and timings, but on stage this is not so simple. Martin was able to use an excellent flurry of effects throughout every song that Lazy Day played. This only added fuel to the fire for the rest of the band as they all put on the performance of a life time, the shuffling drum patterns from Mikey on tracks like “Bright Yellow” and the emphatic bass lines from Kris on “falling behind” all blended seamlessly to help the songs of the recent debut album spill into the live format in a concise and rehearsed manner. They powered through and after an emotive and gracious track that cascaded into a river of sound that washed over the crowd with pure energy, and with that, Lazy Days short yet very sweet set had ended.
The crowd began to rattle in anticipation at the thought that we were a few short minutes away from the set of a lifetime. If none of you have seen Teenage Dads before, you are doing yourselves a tremendous disservice as they are, without a doubt, one of the wackiest and most enjoyable bands I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, and this time round was no different. Opening on the fan favourite tale of a man, they immediately set their unserious and playful tone upon the crowd, who fed back with sheer joy and questionable dance moves. The start of the set was absolutely captivating and reminded me why I love this band so much. They bring the energy every single time, evolving tenfold every time they set foot in the UK and delivering a masterpiece of pure entertainment. The start of the set was a mix of bangers like “Midnight Driving” and deep cuts such as “Live Until You Die” that were all welcomed with open arms by the Bristol crowd. Seeing this band’s plethora of music expand every time they tour is a delight, as you never quite know what shenanigans you're in for the next time around.
The middle portion of the set continued with much of the same; they debuted some excellent new tracks from the brand-new EP “My Memento,” which featured soaring melodies and gorgeous twists and turns of composition, all executed perfectly by the band. Frontman Jordan Finlay lets his effervescent, Bo Burnham-like persona shine through their songs, cracking jokes and engaging with the crowd while incorporating excellent showmanship and comedic timing to create an unforgettable gig experience. This shone through during the new songs as the band were obviously trying to give fans some good memories to go home with, surrounding the new music.
The individual personalities of each band member are evident on stage at all times, and this was never more evident than during the closing half of the show, when the boys pulled every banger out of the locker that they could. Both the antics and the crowd energy were dialled up to 11 and they began to close out the show in emphatic fashion, bassist Angus Christie busted out some of the finest dance moves of the 21st century, instructing the crowd with his hips as he shredded away, drummer Vincent Kinna expertly battled a couple of technical faults and displayed excellent adaptation as he continued to pound away at the kit with raw talent and power, lead guitarist Connor Mcclaughin shredded away with expert precision and gave the crowd the notes to move too and the aforementioned frontman Finlay tore up the stage, playing keyboard with his guitar and making every strange noise possible. This energy made tracks like “Hey Diego” and “Teddy” blow the roof off the exchange with smiles all around. The Aussie four-piece closed the show with “Weapons” in emphatic fashion before saying their goodbyes. This show has created memories that will last a lifetime for a great number of people, and I personally cannot wait to do it all again.
Words by Josh Pook
Photography by Liv Lindsay
