NewDad have shared a stripped-down cover version of The Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘1979’ – check out the video below.
The Irish band posted the footage on their Instagram account, with the caption: “1979 cover live from Texas”.
The four-piece travelled to the state to play South By Southwest Festival in Austin earlier this month, but they were one of the bands that withdrew from the festival – in the end, every Irish artist on the bill refused to play.
‘1979’ was first released on the Pumpkins’ 1995 album ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’, becoming one of their best-known songs.
NewDad and their peers’ decision to boycott SXSW came after it was revealed that the US Army was a “super sponsor” of the event, as well as the defence contractor RTX Corporation, which has supplied weapons to Israel.
The band, alongside members of Cardinals, Chalk, Enola Gay and Gurriers, gathered at downtown Austin’s Velveeta Room to show solidarity with Palestine in lieu of playing the festival.
“Sponsorship of the festival from defence contractors and those sending arms to destroy innocent lives is an act we find disgusting and reprehensible,” said Pierce Callaghan of Gurriers, who led the speech. “We as Irish people have a lot of solidarity with the people of Palestine as we share a history of occupation and oppression by colonialist countries.”
SXSW released a statement regarding all of the bands and artists who have been pulling out of the festival.
NewDad released their debut album ‘Madra’ in January. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “‘Madra’ is the sound of a band who have reckoned with where they come from and used it to map out where they’re going. They’ll likely see you at the top.”
NME also caught the band’s recent show at London’s KOKO. In another four-star review, they wrote: “Anyone who says there’s no interest from the new generation in actual bands can get to fuck. There’s a cult fanbase building here from the young hungry for something fresh, and latter generations who recognise a certain class passed down through their influences.”
“This band have something special. Hold them as close as they hold you.”