Featured image: Zyanya Lorenzo
The crowd plunges into darkness as NewDad take the stage. Haze fills the room and the deep blue lights flood the venue, reflecting the aesthetic of their newly released debut album, Madra.
Cheers erupt from the sold-out room as the band rip into the grunge-filled ‘Angel’. Julie Dawson’s enchanting voice comes to life, outshining the crafted brilliance of the studio recording of Madra’s opening track. The heaviness of the guitars over their dreamy atmospherics transforms the audience into a sea of head bopping.
‘Slowly’ from NewDad’s 2021 debut Waves EP, has the faithful singing along in unison while swaying hypnotically to the gauzy indie-pop sound. The band intertwine elements of the past and present through tracks ‘In My Head’, ‘Say It’, ‘Let Go’ and ‘Blue’.
Their performance is stunning, yet is not without technical difficulties; the sound cuts out multiple times for the crowd while persisting through the band’s monitors, leading to multiple replays of songs. Dawson makes light of the glitches, quipping that the crowd is in for extended versions.
With a set already filled with standout moments comes their cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’. It receives a distinctive NewDad transformation with their distinctive shoegaze touch, while the set closes with ‘I Don’t Recognise You’ and debut single, ‘How’.
After a brief interlude, Dawson and drummer, Fiachre Parslow reappear for a beautiful stripped-back performance of Madra’s ‘White Ribbons’, creating the most intimate moment of the night, before the whole band reunite to deliver the album’s title track. A graceful conclusion to the show.
NewDad are set for big things and return to the city in August for Manchester Psych Fest.
Featured image: Molly Goble and Anna Comerford aAh! Magazine fashion editor Imogen Burgess meets the Manchester fashion creatives rewriting the rules of the industry. Fashion has long been defined by its connection to exclusivity and elitism – an industry where “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” rings true. This phrase, also a…
Featured image: Ciara Reynolds and Charle Mooney Every Tuesday, 91-year-old Joan walks from her flat to Turncroft Lane in Stockport to set up for the weekly ballroom dancing. Joan, a dedicated member of Woodbank Community Centre, has been attending ballroom classes for more than 20 years – and she has no plans to slow down anytime…
Featured image: Aigerim Zhumabay Life comes at you fast once you leave uni. One of the biggest decisions you’ll make post-degree is where to set up home. If you plan on staying in Manchester, there’s so much more to the city’s suburbs than Chorlton or the familiar sights around the Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road corridor. Greater…
Featured image: Georgina Hurdsfield Sam Fender has become impossible to ignore in the past year, from being crowned the Mercury Prize winner to releasing his best-selling album, selling out stadiums, and receiving four Brit Award nominations. The Geordie’s indie-pop anthems and addictive, rock-influenced tunes provide something for the masses to sing their hearts out to. If…
Leave a reply