The Goo 1
Interview PIC: ALICEBACKHAM AARON KAVANAGH NewDad
2023 was the fifth anniversary of the formation of the Galway indie dream-pop fourpiece, NewDad, and was one of perpetual growth and success: from recording their debut album, to signing with the historic and illustrious Atlantic Records, to playing some of Europe’s biggest festivals, to appearing on the cover of the NME, to an extensive tour supporting Paolo Nutini. Currently comprised of vocalist and guitarist Julie Dawson, lead guitarist Sean O’Dowd, bassist Cara Joshi, and drummer Fiachra Parslow, the band capped off their tremendous year with an intimate sold-out show at their hometown’s 280-capacity Róisín Dubh, just before Christmas. PAGE 8 MADRA, OUT NOW “You know what? There’s no such thing as a small show in Galway!” says Fiachra. “Even though it was smaller, number-wise, there was more energy there than every other venue we played all year, combined.” “It was one of our favourite gigs,” adds Cara. “We were joking afterwards, saying we would do a ten-night run in the Róisín! Like, it’s so fun, though! It was one of the most nervous I’ve ever been, because we were kind of debuting some of the new songs on the album for the first time live, and we’ve upgraded the set to having synths and an SPD pad. There was so much risk of, ‘It could go wrong; people