UPDATE: Watch Gang Of Youths’ Stirring Cover Of A Noughties Indie Hit For ‘Like A Version’
ORIGINAL STORY: Last week, we asked you — our readers — to vote on what song you’d like to see Aussie rockers Gang Of Youths cover for their appearance on triple j‘s covers segment Like A Version this Friday. And you did NOT disappoint.
After reviewing the stack of votes we received in our poll, it’s become clear that the outright winner for who you want Gang Of Youths to cover is Mr Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen, who received more than twice as many votes as any other entry. The most requested songs from his discography were ‘I’m On Fire’, ‘Born To Run’ and ‘Dancing In The Dark’, for obvious reasons.
Second place, interestingly, was a tie — between brooding US rockers The National and the song ‘Get Schwifty’ from the beloved Adult Swim series Rick And Morty, which would be damn impressive to see Gang Of Youths perform…
There were also multiple votes for songs by the likes of Foo Fighters, INXS, The Killers, The Cure, Radiohead and, uhh, Daryl Braithwaite, because, well…
While there isn’t time for us to list all of the great responses we received, we’ve selected a bunch of suggestions which caught our eye, and have split them up into three different categories:
1. Legit Contenders
These are songs we think would be interesting to see Gang Of Youths reinterpret, given their talents for cover versions. Here are just some of our favourites:
‘Time To Pretend’ By MGMT
“Beneath the electro-pop sheen of the original is the skeleton of a really anthemic rock song that could shine with the Gang of Youths treatment” ~ Andy.
‘I Am The Highway’ By Audioslave
“I saw [Gang Of Youths frontman] Dave [Le’aupepe] support Chris Cornell, and it would be an amazing opportunity for him to do a tribute to such an influential artist.” ~ Jesse Bognuda.
‘Valerie’ By The Zutons
“Stop making a fool out of me, why don’t you cover this song called ‘Valerie’?” ~ Jasmine Steen
‘Beds Are Burning’ By Midnight Oil
“Midnight Oil is just an Australian classic for me when it comes to bands writing powerful, meaningful music as a means for change. It would be awesome for them to redeem the Aussie rock scene and pay respects to the legends.” ~ David Williams
‘From St. Kilda To Kings Cross’ By Paul Kelly
“Because [Gang Of Youths] are Australian and very good at singing tunes right in the feels, so a little dabble in Paul Kelly would go down a treat.” ~ Elise Miller
2. Honourable Mentions
These are songs that, while unlikely to actually happen, would definitely make for amazing viewing.
‘Single Ladies’ by Beyoncé
“So Davey boy can break out his amazing Beyoncé dance moves.” ~ Brad Whitehead
‘Takyon (Death Yon)’ by Death Grips
“BECAUSE IT’S FUCKING DEATH GRIPS AND IT WOULD SOUND WICKED SEEING THEIR TAKE ON AN EXPERIMENTAL INDUSTRIAL SOUND PLUS STAY NOIDED AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.” ~ Gvvci Gxng
‘Strawberry Kisses’ By Nikki Webster
“The perfect blend of a timeless classic and a downright banger, it’s self explanatory.” ~ Sherriden King
‘What About Me?’ By Shannon Noll
“Two words. Instant. Banger.” ~ Dane ‘Man-Beast’ Bath
Mambo No. 5 By Lou Bega
“Cause you can’t run, you can’t hide. You and me gonna touch the sky. MAMBO NUMBER 5…” ~ Jon Fiafefol
‘5678’ By Steps
“Dave will sing these lyrics with the emotional depth they deserve.” ~ Bill Robinson
‘All Star’ By Smash Mouth
Because “idk, memes” ~ Paddy Walsh.
‘Teenage Dirtbag’ By Wheatus
“IMJUSTATEENAGEDIRTBAGBABY, LISTENTOIRONMAIDENBABY.” ~ Ryan
3. Dishonourable Mention
‘Rollin’ By Limp Bizkit
“It’s a skitz song.” ~ Paddy Beaumont
Gang Of Youths’ latest appearance on Like A Version will be broadcast on triple j this Friday, 15th September. Stay tuned to Music Feeds for footage of the entire thing.
The band are currently on a national tour in support of their new album ‘Go Father In Lightness’, which you can stream right here.
