From the band’s website

After the serious theme I chose for this week’s Tuesday Tunes I thought I’d go for something fun for my midweek post. This one kind of fits in with my occasional Under The Covers series, but the band in question also writes and records their own songs, and I’m going to play you some of those too, so I’m not including this in the brand (he said, rather pompously!).

If you have seen previous posts you will know that I enjoy a good covers band, and YouTube knows that too: my recommendations often include them. That is where I found today’s new (for me) band, with the first song I’m playing today – a cover of my favourite song by The Cure. The band is Little Quirks, and they place their emphasis very much on having fun:

See what I mean? And I love their little dog! Little Quirks are an Australian indie folk band formed in Gosford on the Central Coast (New South Wales) in 2014 by sisters, Abbey Toole (guitar, vocals – 15 at the time) and Mia Toole (drums, vocals – just 11), and their cousin Jaymi Toole (mandolin, vocals – 17). The group have toured Australia and released four EPs and, last November, a full length album. In 2019 they were joined by Alex Toole (Jaymi’s older brother) on bass guitar and since 2021 their friend Jordan Rouse has played lead guitar. I’ve watched a lot of their videos since I first found them: they attack everything with the verve displayed in this one, and their enjoyment of what they are doing is infectious.

Their cover of Friday I’m In Love was released three weeks ago, and follows their pattern of choosing great songs and putting their stamp on them. Some of their earliest ones show the promise they are now fulfilling, and it is great to see the three young sisters playing so confidently. This next one was published in October 2014 – it may be their first, I’m not sure – and while it might lack some of the polish of their later offerings it is good to see how they started off:

I’m a big fan of Counting Crows and it seems that Little Quirks are too: that was their version of Accidentally In Love, which was part of the soundtrack to the Shrek 2 movie. In case you were wondering, the band were named by one of their parents: in an interview Abbey recalled “We have always been very quirky kids and have our own little ways we do things.”  The girls’ fathers had performed together in groups including Adam’s Apple and Sugarmoth – I guess those names might mean more to Australian readers than they do to me! It is apparent that they get a lot of support from their family: Abbey and Mia’s dad Adam is often credited on their videos, for camerawork and direction, and the ‘Toole’ name is quite prevalent!

I mentioned that they have recorded their own songs, and this is one of those. This is Devil’s Ivy, and it was on their third EP, Cover My Eyes, released in January 2020 just before the pandemic came along and halted them and everyone else in their tracks. It’s another fun song and video:

I thought I’d share another of their covers next. I’m sure most will be familiar with this song, and I’m playing it because it comes from July 2021, when Jordan was new to the band and already making his mark, and also for Abbey’s signature ‘back to the camera bum wiggle’ move:

For anyone who didn’t recognise it, that was, of course, SOS by a little band called  ABBA, of whom you may have heard – not that the girls were around for them, but have clearly been well schooled by their parents! It is a good example of how family harmonies bring something special to a tune, I think.

I’ve said a couple of times that Little Quirks exude fun in everything they do. That was another good example, as is the next one – the final cover I’m playing today. This video is a bit of a behind the scenes effort, and it also emphasises just how good Mia is on the drums:

Another very well known song – Jolene, by Dolly Parton – given the Little Quirks treatment. Yet another fun one, too. They have been playing the song in live shows and thought they should record their version, which was published a month ago.

I’m closing with a track from the band’s full length album, which as I said was released in November 2024. This is such a great video, encapsulating the band in four minutes:

The album was simply called Little Quirks, and that song is The Ones That Dance. I defy anyone to watch that and not share in their evident joy! They toured the album release around Australia, culminating in two dates supporting Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. Regular readers will know that I’m a big Frank Turner fan, and it is great to see him giving them a showcase for their talents.

Little Quirks have around 11.6k followers on YouTube, and have a presence on all of the other social media sites, so you can find them there if I have piqued your interest. And if you are in Australia they are playing dates across the mainland and in Tasmania through August and September. They aren’t (yet) the biggest band in Australia, let alone on the planet, but they bring so much joy to their music that I wanted to share my new find with you. And if they do take off into the big time you can tell everyone that you saw them here first!

See you again for Song Lyric Sunday 🎶