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Irish rock band NewDad has once again proven themselves to be at the forefront of the live music scene with their raw energy and captivating stage presence. The band, led by frontwoman Julie Dawson, graced the stage last week at the iconic Los Angeles venue The Troubadour. Following up on their tour from last year supporting their debut album MADRA, NewDad managed to include many songs from their upcoming album Altar on this tour, in addition to songs from MADRA and their previous projects. Safe to say, their set was nothing short of brilliant–the beautiful guitar tones and driven drumbeats combined with Dawson’s echoey vocals entranced each and every audience member for the band’s entire set. 

NewDad opened the show with “Sickly Sweet,” a track from their first album that started the night off strong with its sharp guitar motif. The minimal instrumentation on the verses allowed the song’s poignant lyricism to . As Dawson crooned into the mic, her vocals were reminiscent of Dolores O’Riordan’s, the Irish lead vocalist for The Cranberries and one of the most influential women in rock music. 

As NewDad transitioned into “Let Go,” Dawson’s voice became increasingly more haunting to match the vibe of the song. One moment without bass towards the end of the track felt almost floaty, making the beat drop for the last chorus hit even harder than during the studio version. The next song, “Puzzle,” saw Sean O’Dowd’s guitar and Fiachra Parslow’s drums slowly rise to stardom, letting Dawson’s vocals fade into the mix. The full, warm guitar perfectly transitioned into “Blue,” one of NewDad’a earliest songs that was released in 2020. Between each song, Julie Dawson spoke to the crowd; she was very appreciative and made the audience feel right at ease with her relatable quips. 

The apex of the show was during “Angel,” NewDad’s most popular song to date. The band’s chemistry was incredibly apparent during this song; they were perfectly in sync, listening to each other to hit each downbeat intuitively and with a clear sense of purpose. The harmonic minor sevenths in the vocal melody created tension that was eventually burst with a series of successive beats in unison, marking the highest point in energy of the entire set. In the following song, Dawson dropped to her knees while riffing away on her guitar, maintaining the momentum the band had so carefully built up during the rest of the show. 

NewDad played two encore songs at the end of their concert, foreshadowing Altar’s brilliance by teasing tracks off the highly anticipated album. As the band took their final bows and headed offstage, they left a clear message behind – Altar, set to drop in mid-September this year, will be a beautifully crafted album with tons of sonic diversity, and we can’t wait to hear it.