Teenage Joans, TOWNS, Bukowski @ The Ed Castle, Adelaide 31/10/2025
A Mad Hatter squeezes past me to get view through the looking glass of what is The Ed Castle’s show with Adelaide’s own Queens Of Hearts in Teenage Joans.
The two piece, dressed like the twins in The Shining, are the centre of attention in a room filled with the Mario Brothers, cowboys and clowns. Like both Carroll’s and Kubrick’s masterpiece’s, this is a weird and wonderful world where we’re all mad down here.
The show is the opening night of the bands My Hearts Dead tour. The recently released single the beginnings of the next phase of the band after the brilliant The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest album.
With them on this Halloween evening of ghosts and ghouls is Bukowski who take to the stage dressed up in muscle padding which doesn’t seem to be restrictive to the band despite its size.
The band though have their own horror story happening, guitar issues and a member leaving midset to catch a flight may seem disastrous however you don’t even realise the magnitude such is the power of their songs and the humorous way they engage the audience, fixated and in a trance.
For TOWNS, both members arrive dressed as French mime artists letting the music speak for them. Powerful, direct punk, the songs are anthems with catchy melodies you’ll hum long after they finish. Season 5 (Break My Fall) finishing a rousing set that included getting the audience to figure out a mime, fans literally climbing the walls for a better view and more than a fair share of the bands trademark humour to boot.
For Teenage Joans, the world has been a whirl since their album dropped. Going from America with Sleeping With Sirens to last week’s return to Adelaide stages at Harvest Rock, fans have waited to see how they will follow up their cracking debut.
Opening with Hospital Bed from that album and 5 Things I Can Taste the assortment of wonderland characters in the audience are all as one, punching the lyrics back at the band.
The new song is played , as is an even newer track called Bandits, and Cahli is a confident powerful front person, the years of shows paying off , as they have the audience eating out their hand to join them in clapping, singing, waving phones and just letting go. Drummer Tahlia, locks in and her dual vocals, softer to Cahli’s rasp, create a perfect blend of contrasting harmony, rare in a pop punk setting.
Moneymoneymoney is performed serenely like a cat sunbathing while Cahli then teaches the audience the lines ‘you’re my little sunshine’ to the next new song which is executed by all perfectly.
The epic Kaleidoscope roars and fantastical lyrical twists of Ruby Doomsday signify the beginning of summer and the triumphant return of Teenage Joans.
Their last album was a surprise that keeps giving, the new songs, and tonight’s show, display there is so many more gifts to come. Tonight’s trick was a treat, Teenage Joans are back.
Live Review By Iain McCallum