Gang of Youths decided to take on an “uncool” song for triple j’s Like a Version, performing a cover of the Travis classic ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me?’.
At the turn of the millennium, bands like the Scottish outfit and Coldplay ushered in post-britpop, a softer style that felt reactionary to the swagger and braggadocio of the peak of britpop. Released in 1999, ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me?’ became a huge hit for Travis, with Fran Healy melancholically pondering if his ill-fortune was because he “lied when I was seventeen.”
The track reached number 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart at the time and over 20 years later, it clearly still means something to Dave La’aupepe and co.. For their Like a Version, Gang of Youths offered an almost faithful rendition of the Travis original, with Le’aupepe backed by strings and piano.
After the performance, the singer and Tom Hobden explained why they chose to cover Travis. “It’s just a really timeless, beautiful song that, we were able to kind of do it quickly and efficiently and beautifully, in a way that we thought was the right standard,” Le’aupepe said.
“Also, they’re a band that’s about as uncool as us, and I thought that was really sweet to do it. We knew that we’d irritate bespectacled music nerds everywhere, so that’s kind of part of it as well.”
After the Travis cover, Le’aupepe also played ‘brothers’, a track from recent album angel in realtime., on piano alone. You can watch both performances below.
It’s set to be a big few weeks for Gang of Youths. Currently in the middle of their Australian tour, the band are scheduled to play a special acoustic and intimate show at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Monday, August 22nd.
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Before that, the band are taking over the city’s Lord Gladstone Hotel this weekend with a pop-up shop featuring exclusive merchandise.
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Check out ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me?’ (Travis cover) by Gang of Youths:
Check out ‘brothers’ by Gang of Youths:
