Alt-rock Mass: NewDad bring ‘Altar’ to Glasgow
Delayed but undeterred, NewDad captivated a packed SWG3 with a set that balanced brooding beauty with emotional release.
Photo: Peter Eason Daniels
Known for their lush, melancholic alt-rock sound, NewDad have steadily built a reputation as one of Ireland’s most exciting new exports. Following the release of their second album, Altar, the Galway trio took their tour to Glasgow’s SWG3 TV Studio for their biggest headline show in the Scottish city.
Fellow Irish alt-rock risers Cardinals opened the evening with a rush of chaotic charm. Launching into Twist and Turn – featuring perhaps the most enthusiastic tambourine playing ever witnessed from accordionist Finn Manning – the Cork five-piece tore through a set that balanced folk-tinged sincerity with melodramatic rock. Unreleased tracks, likely destined for their debut album Masquerade, hit hard, while the gritty propulsion of Big Empty Heart and the stormy intensity of The Burning of Cork drew the crowd closer to the stage. Deserving every ounce of hype surrounding them, the Irish band didn’t just warm up the crowd; they converted them into Cardinals fans.
It was then only a short wait till NewDad hit the stage at their slightly later than usual set time – the result of a van breakdown en route – and fittingly opened their set with Other Side, the atmospheric opener from their latest album. Under soaring white strobes, vocalist Julie Dawson began alone, her voice airy and spectral, before the band surged in to lift the song into a storm of distortion. The crowd – a diverse mix of teenagers, twenty-somethings, and veteran shoegaze fans – were instantly swept under the sound, staying there for the rest of the night.
Even when a brief technical fault silenced Heavyweight, the audience filled the gap with cheers until the sound snapped back to life. Smiling through it all, the band carried on without missing a beat – a testament to their composure and the mutual trust between band and fan.
With the glitch behind them, NewDad hit their stride. Let Go leaned into the heavier tones of their debut album Madra, its bassline rumbling through the floor, while Puzzle swung between whisper and wall-of-sound, showcasing Dawson’s stunning vocal control.
There was an easy intimacy between songs, too. When a fan shouted, “What’s your favourite animal?” Dawson answered with little hesitation: “Wombat.” Laughter rippled through the room, and small conversations sprouted up between groups in a small human moment that grounded the band’s dreamy, immersive sound.
As the set deepened, NewDad drew the audience further into their world. Everything I Wanted came alive with martial drum precision, locking the room into a hypnotic sway, before Mr Cold Embrace slowed the tempo further, painting the room in searching white light as Dawson sang, “Comfort me, save me.”
By the time the pounding urgency of Roobosh thundered through the room, the performance had reached full catharsis. When the final note dissolved, the applause was long, loud and heartfelt, a fitting response to a band whose music thrives on emotional honesty and shared experience.
NewDad may have arrived in Glasgow later than planned, but they left having reaffirmed why they’re one of the most compelling bands to emerge from Ireland in recent years. In their hands, gloom becomes grandeur, melancholy turns magnetic, and every song feels like a collective exhale that lingers long after the lights fade.