Teenage Dads, Death by Denim, aleksiah @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 6/10/2023
There were three acts tonight at the Lion Arts Factory and all three were in incredible form for this sold out show. First up was hometown hero aleksiah who released the wonderful “Fern” late last year and that song did gangbusters on Triple J. Aleksiah started her set with Ant Song to the already huge crowd and they were really getting into it. Her voice is so warm and inviting and her indie songs are all very catchy. Next up was the song Pretty Picture which will be released in two weeks. I was impressed when I saw her at the Grace Emily in August and she and her band just keep getting better. Next up was 24 and then I Hate Getting Older which was about her finding her first grey hair. Then we were treated to Fern and then lastly the rocking and excellent Cold. I really think aleksiah has a bright future and I look forward to her upcoming releases and live shows.
Next up was Death By Denim who were an unknown band for me but they really impressed me with their great indie rock sound. I streamed a few songs of theirs earlier in the day and from the first listen I thought they were tight and professional. The live experience lifted it somewhat with incredible synths and impassioned singing. They are such a fun band and I agree with a lot of people who say that leader singer Nikolas Iliadis sounds like an Aussie version of Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys. This Perth band has various musical styles. The excellent Out of Habit has a brilliant 70s groove while Hope We Don’t Fall In Love from this year’s EP is a kick-ass synth-dance tune. The vocals on Tattoo were glorious and I felt their cover of Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar was better than the original. Other highlights were My House Is A Club and the final song Cigarettes and Honey which got the loudest crowd reaction.
The Lion Arts Factory venue sounded so good tonight. I really love the sound system and the way they use the digital screen behind the band.
Lastly on the stage were Teenage Dads who were incredible tonight. I was lucky to see them earlier in the year in Vienna when I was on holidays in Europe. I was able to speak to the whole band after that show and was so impressed with their dedication to their craft. I promised them and myself I would see them in Adelaide when I got back home.
The crowd was so impassioned and excitable that it fed into the performance of the band tonight. Early on Teenage Dads were shocked that so many of the Adelaide crowd were singing their songs. The first song was Come On, Cowboy. Fire Your Gun! and this and the next four were from the 2021 Club Echo EP. My personal favourites Thank You for the Honey, Honey which is just so catchy and Piano Girl were just so good. Their latest singles I Like It and Speedracer seem to be a departure from their previous songs as they are so super quirky and both well deserving of inclusion in this years Triple J’s Hottest 100. They departed the stage after Speedracer and got the a huge roar from the crowd to return to the stage when they did their brilliant cover of the Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star and their two biggest bangers Hey Diego! And Teddy. Death By Denim helped by singing the chorus of Teddy. The band said this was the best show of the tour. I hope they return soon and bring more Merch as on the way out I saw the biggest line of fans waiting I had seen in a while.
Live Review By Richard De Pizzol