If modern shoes If it's suitable, hit the road. Any young mechanic has understood this and follows this principle.
The Australian alternative indie folk band from Tarntanya/Adelaide are currently far from home, finishing up another UK and European tour that included three successful music industry gigs at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, a charity gig for War Child at London's Shacklewell Arms, and now the band are gearing up for a series of summer continental festival appearances.
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The pan-European tour is in support of the five-piece band's critically acclaimed debut album. , The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The Foot , which was released last Friday, June 5th, via Warner Records/23 Recordings. This album fits seamlessly into the fast-paced world of polished pop, rock, and hip-hop.
Modern Shoe — is a surprise. It's relaxed Celtic-style rock, complemented by folk instruments. Including previously released tracks "Captain and Compass," "Pretty Strange World," "My House Divides," "There's a New Place on the Market," and "Snug Barber.", Modern Shoe — is a living, breathing collection that could not possibly have appeared in Australia in 2026.
Any Young Mechanic members Sam Wilson (vocals, guitar), Luke Kilgariff (electric guitar, banjo), Allan McBean (double bass), Jay Eliot Mee (drums), Thea Martin (violin) were in great spirits during the meeting with Billboard before his concert on June 6 at We Love Green in Paris.
«"We're all really excited," McBean explains. "The tour is going great. We're enjoying playing shows.".
It's noticeable. They've performed live across Australia and Europe, and last year, Any Young Mechanic performed at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK without releasing a single new song.
Album release Modern Shoe gave a feeling of freedom and was particularly successful in meeting the critics' opinions.
The Australian band received support from BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2, Radio X, triple j, Double J and FBi Radio, and also earned praise from The Independent, CLASH, Rolling Stone UK, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, Wonderland and Atwood Magazine. NME named the group one of the brightest bands of The Great Escape 2026, and Far Out Magazine put Modern Shoe topping his list of the year's most anticipated debut albums. Former Triple J music director Richard Kingsmill predicts the band's success.
«Imagine carrying a huge load for years,» Kilgariff explains humorously, speaking about the release of his new models. «Think of a backpack weighing, say, 50 kg. And although you’ve become accustomed to carrying that weight, and your body has adapted, your legs have become stronger as a result. Once you finally take that backpack off, you’ll feel like you can fly. You’ll have been burdened for so long that you’ll feel like you can jump. Take off and soar through the sky. That’s exactly the feeling the release of a model evokes.” The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The Foot ».
In high spirits, Any Young Mechanic will be performing at numerous festivals in the coming days in the Czech Republic (Rock For People), the Netherlands (Best Kept Secret), Croatia (In Music Festival), and elsewhere. "We're hoping to play more shows in this hemisphere," explains Martin, "and also return to Australia for a few festival appearances later this year. After the album, we'll have another music release coming out," they explain cryptically. These plans are currently being kept under wraps, but "we're really excited about it.".
Listen to the song «"The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The Foot"» below.
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