The Metro Theatre’s floor is already a mass of shuffling feet and clutched drinks tonight, when Teenage Joans take the stage. The Adelaide duo — Tahlia Borg on drums and Cahli Blakers on guitar — waste no time, crashing into a set that’s both tight and loose in all the right places. They swap smiles mid-song, vocals bouncing back and forth like it’s second nature. Their tracks cut through the chatter at the bar, met with a chorus of what appears to be a Sydney-based fanclub that mouths every word.
By the time PUP step up, the room feels smaller than it is. Stefan Babcock grins at the front row, Nestor Chumak’s bass lines already rumbling through the floorboards. There’s barely a pause between songs; there are plenty of hooks, gravity-defying jumps, thrashing bodies and raw energy but never a slowing of the momentum.
The crowd is loud but in sync — a mix of flailing arms, shouted choruses and quick bursts toward the barrier. Zack Mykula’s drumming keeps everything tight while Steve Sladkowski stalks his corner of the stage, guitar slung low. It’s sweaty, it’s urgent, but it’s not chaos — there’s an unspoken rhythm between band and crowd that keeps the night moving.
It’s a night where the energy never dips — Teenage Joans setting a pace PUP are more than ready to match. By the end, the Metro is loud, hot and grinning, the kind of room you don’t want to leave.
The tour moves on to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth next.
Sunday August 10 Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
Tuesday August 12 Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide
Thursday August 14 Magnet House, Perth
Go HERE for tickets.
Images Deb Pelser
