#1 Dads

Tom Iansek is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of Big Scary, but under the #1 Dads name he steps out with something quieter and more hand-built. The Australian alternative rock project began in late 2010 as a sideline, initially called Dads, and leans acoustic rather than electronic. A Sputnikmusic reviewer described a fertile stretch in which the Melbourne songwriter, holed up at home, recorded a full album.

Debut album Man of Leisure arrived on 1 May 2011, and critics noted its fuller arrangements, with bass, piano, vocal harmonies, mandolins and glockenspiels layered over intricate guitar. Its single "Life, Oh Life", released in July 2012, was singled out for opening with rain and building toward an acoustic climax, with flute adding a subtle melody. Second album About Face, from August 2014, entered the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 80 and spent 34 non-continuous weeks on the Hitseekers top 20 by mid-September 2015. Its promotion used a live band including Gus Rigby on saxophone, and "Nominal" earned a nomination for Best Male Artist at the 2015 ARIA Music Awards. Every Little Fire is due in October 2026, announced in August of that year.