The Teenagers

Photo by ANNIE LY

The Teenagers existed in relative obscurity until very recently when their fusion of catchy pop songs, ridiculously cute French accents and deliciously ironic lyrics were noticed worldwide through the power of MySpace.

Saturday 14th June saw them perform the third show of their first Australian tour, this time at the Oxford Art Factory, home to Sydney’s tightest jeans and pointiest shoes. It was a sold-out show, leaving a line outside the venue and security guards warding off those without tickets trying to sweet-talk their way in.

Inside, after the support bands warmed up the crowd, The Teenagers hit the stage to a very enthusiastic audience. From the amount of people pushing their way closer to the stage and singing every word in sync with the band, one could assume The Teenagers had been around for decades. Such enthusiasm for a band is rare to witness nowadays at a gig that isn’t happening at Acer Arena. But any hope one had that the enthusiasm was there for the music withered when the band invited three girls on stage to be cheerleaders during the song Homecoming. The stage soon became packed with excited girls competing for the attention of their favourite band member and pushing one another to give kisses and pose for photos taken by their friends in the audience.

So all this enthusiasm, excitement and groupie-like hysteria for a band that has only just exposed their music to the world? The Teenagers have unfortunately been thrust into that dark world of Latest Hipster Fad. They’re one of those bands some people are afraid to admit liking because it’ll associate them with the screaming ‘fans’ who grind up against one another on stage next to someone ‘famous’ hoping that one day a photo of such antics will wind up on The Cobra Snake. Despite the fun songs they play, despite their stage charisma, despite their witty lyrics and lovable appearance, this is one aspect of their music career that will undoubtedly haunt them. It will sell records and t-shirts and tickets to places on the other side of the world from their hometown, but it will leave them branded as just another trend. The price of fame appears to be high in the new music environment.