#1 Dads are an Australian alternative rock band devised by

Tom Iansek Tom Iansek is a Melbourne-based Australian record producer and songwriter, best known for his work with #1 Dads, Big Scary, and No Mono. Iansek has produced music for Emma Louise, Airling, Lanks, and Slum Sociable. Career 2006-present: Big Sc ...

, who is also lead vocalist-guitarist of

Big Scary Big Scary is an Australian musical duo formed in Melbourne in 2006, by Tom Iansek and Joanna Syme. The pair have released several EPs and five studio albums. Their 2013 album '' Not Art'' was nominated for the Australian Album of the Year at ...

. He formed the group, initially named Dads in late 2010, as a side project during down time and plays music which is "more acoustic than electronic in construction" compared with the parent band. According to

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

's reviewer Iansek "began a particularly fertile period of writing and recording. Holed up in his house, the prolific Melbourne songwriter laid down a full album." Dads issued their first album, ''Man of Leisure'', on 1 May 2011. Sputnikmusic's reviewer felt the group were "experimenting with a fuller, more layered approach, adding flourishes of bass and piano and vocal harmonies and mandolins and glockenspiels to his intricate guitar work, making for a rich, diverse and rewarding listen." Oscar Coleman of

FasterLouder Junkee Media, formerly known as Sound Alliance, is a digital media company based in Australia. According to the company, Junkee Media's websites attract a monthly audience of over 2 million unique browsers. Nearly 70 per cent of the website's tr ...

described it as "much more intricate and full though the use of varied instrumentation and layering, letting this project pique the interest of followers of his main band and lovers of acoustic ambiance alike." It provided the single, "Life, Oh Life" (July 2012), which Coleman felt was the "album's strongest and most memorable track... due to its creative brilliance, starting with the calming sound of raindrops and building to an acoustic climax, with the subtle flute melody complementing the scratching guitar and relaxing piano." #1 Dads second album, ''About Face'' (August 2014), debuted at No. 80 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

; by mid-September of the following year it had spent 34 non-continuous weeks on the related ARIA Hitseekers Albums top 20 chart. For the 2015 promotion of ''About Face'' a live backing band with Gus Rigby on saxophone, Tom Snowdon (of Lowlakes) and

Ainslie Wills Ainslie Wills is an Australian singer-songwriter. Career 2005–2011: Early EPs After graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2005, Wills recorded and produced her debut recording. She collaborated with fellow VCA graduate Lawren ...

were used. At the

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

of that year #1 Dads were nominated for Best Male Artist for the single, "Nominal".

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - , rowspan="3" ,

AIR Awards of 2015 The AIR Awards of 2015 (or Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards of 2015) is the tenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at The Meat Market, North Me ...

, rowspan="2" , Number 1 Dads , Best Independent Artist , , rowspan="3" , , - , Breakthrough Independent Artist , , - , ''About Face'' , Best Independent Album , , - ,

AIR Awards of 2021 The 2021 AIR Awards is the fifteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards). It took place virtually on 5 August 2021 in Adelaide. The nominations were revealed on 2 Ju ...

, ''Golden Repair'' , Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP , ,

ARIA Music Awards

The

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, "Nominal" , Best Male Artist , , -

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was made by Australian Music Pri ...

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The commenced in 2005. , - , 2014 , ''About Face'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

J Awards of 2014 The J Award of 2014 is the tenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Austral ...

, ''About Face'' , Australian Album of the Year , , -

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. , - , rowspan="2",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, Best Musician , , - , Tom Iansek for #1 Dads – ''Golden Repair'' , Best Producer , , -

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Melbourne Musical groups established in 2010 2010 establishments in Australia