Alone Together for Christmas: Teenage Dads Concert Review

There I was, reminiscing on a year of excellent live music and incredible new releases, when it hit me: I hadn’t seen Teenage Dads this year. Suddenly, I felt a pang of sadness and nostalgia as I recalled their 2024 concert at The Tivoli, a standout performance in a year of great shows. I regretted that I had missed the opportunity to see the Dads again this year as their musical journey took them further afield this year, travelling across the world and returning home to support other international acts. But then, like a holiday miracle, an Instagram post fell onto my feed announcing a short and intimate tour celebrating their new festive fare, Alone Again For Christmas!

And so, this is what happened at Teenage Dads’ Alone Again For Christmas show at the Crowbar on December 12^th, 2025.

LOTTIE MCLEOD

The vibe in the Crowbar felt very relaxed, like a get together of family and friends for a Christmas party. Brisbane/Meanjin-based artist Lottie McLeod arrived on stage to gently warm us up with her heartfelt acoustic set, featuring James Xavier. Lottie got into the Christmas spirit with her a snowy, flowy shirt and a guitar adorned with tinsel. Lottie’s music had a comforting sound, contrasting with some of the deeper themes of her songwriting. Her lyrics reflect a range of painful experiences, but Lottie’s poetic writing and sweet, yet passionate, vocals invite the audience to empathise and build connection, creating a beautiful sense of community. By the end of her set, Lottie’s voice was flowing powerfully over the audience, leaving us feeling like we were just getting started and already wanting more!

Fave song: Ruin A Good Thing

LOVELOVELOVE

Amping things up next was Brisbane/Meanjin-based band LOVELOVELOVE, fronted by Denis Janse and also featuring James Xavier on guitar and Ella Hicks on drums! LOVELOVELOVE’s music is dreamy indie, with a steady beat to dance to, lovely musical flourishes, and romantic vocals from Janse. Their lyrics are honest and insightful, reflecting on all that’s gritty and good about the different relationships we experience and how they impact us as people. A funny-in-hindsight story about a near-death experience, heartbreaking ending, and familial betrayal make for a song encapsulating just those themes, showcasing LOVELOVELOVE’s ability to turn personal experiences into shared musical moments that unite us all in the chaotic, but ultimately exhilarating, journey of life! I’m excited to hear more from LOVELOVELOVE after this great first taste of the band and their music!

Fave song: Talk!

TEENAGE DADS

With a stage decked in candy cane balloons and Christmas lawn ornaments, Teenage Dads emerged, donning their Chrissy t-shirts and hats! The indie-pop band from the Mornington Peninsula features Jordan (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Vincent (drums, backing vocals), Connor (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Angus (bass guitar, backing vocals). They’ve had a big year on tour overseas and supporting Franz Ferdinand recently on their Aus tour, but have thankfully made room for these intimate Christmas shows.

They set the tone for a typical Teenage Dads experience with Boarding Pass and its retro rock immediately hooking everyone into the dance. The fantasy fun of Tale of a Man was followed up by Cheerleader. The band has a knack for creating bubbly, bright hits that uplift the spirit immensely. This doesn’t make the music too same-same, and even within a song the instruments add so much layering to the emotional experience, turning what could be a straightforward sentiment into a deeper exploration of the nuance behind those feelings. Speedracer and Boyfriend show that really nicely.

It’s hard not to smile when a song by Teenage Dads hits your stream or is carried out over the airways, and the band’s enthusiasm and optimistic on-stage energy is incredibly endearing. Tonight, we had a chance to embed that same energy into a series of covers, old and new! First up was their popular Like A Version, Video Killed The Radio Star. We also got our first Christmas song of the night with a nostalgic rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming by Australian kids’ performers Hi-5, which had my heart feeling so happy! The band is definitely in the Christmas spirit, bringing gifts aplenty for the fans to enjoy – they performed an instrumental cover of Jingle Bells next as we played a crowd-wide game of Pass the Parcel!

We transitioned into a serious section of the set as Teenage Dads switched up the softer songs for some of their darker and edgier music. It’s still got the same retro rock flair, but has a greater sense of pace and urgency to it, raising the heartrate and creating some very enticing tension in the crowd with songs like Live Until You Die and Hey, Diego! With the energy in the room palpable, we were ready for the fast and flowing singalong and theatrical presentation of Teddy, which is beloved by fans for a good reason!

It was time for another Christmas cover soon after and we were treated to one of the most iconic pop songs for the Yuletide season with Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You featuring the gorgeous Aleksiah as a special guest to take the lead! It was such a treat to get to hear her phenomenal vocals as she sang with the band and she did brilliantly! We eased into a dreamy landscape with Midnight Driving afterwards, which had us swaying serenely along to the beat as Jordy sang us through the turmoil of the song’s relationship. It seemed sad, yet beautiful, and perfectly led to the band’s next Christmas cover, this time featuring Mason Watts, for Last Christmas.

We hyped things up one last time with the energetic and cool Weaponz, which made for the start of an exciting conclusion to the evening. Lucky Brisbane was the first city to hear Teenage Dads’ new Christmas song live and we enjoyed Alone Again For Christmas greatly, with its bittersweet lyrics and cheery holiday instrumentals. It was a beautiful ending to the night and a great start to the thick of the Christmas season. Even perpetuating its sorrow at the prospect of spending the holiday season alone (or feeling so with the wrong people), Teenage Dads brought everyone together tonight to spread some holiday cheer and to help us find the type of people we could be friends with, or maybe more, one day. Merry Christmas and thanks for the party, Teenage Dads!

Fave song: Speedracer

SOUNDS GOOD?

If you love the retro-esque indie pop of Teenage Dads, you should be sure to ask Santa to leave their CD Majordomo under your tree this year! And why not add a CD from each of these bands to the gift list too?

Lime Cordiale – If you’re really into the retro flair of Teenage Dads and like the duality between their lighter, bubblier tracks and their edgier, fast-paced songs then you’ll like the same range in Lime Cordiale’s music – try Enough of the Sweet Talk!

Nana’s Pie – I loved Nana’s Pie when I saw them earlier this year. They have the same upbeat energy and unrestrained enthusiasm when performing.

Puree – Puree is another charismatic and good-humoured band who have the same consideration for creating memorable music and live performances. You can add their EP What Happens Now to your gift list to get to know them!