Rooted in the Canberra indie rock scene, the group was formed in 1996 by Narrabundah College school friends Paul Murphy, Toby Martin and Andy Cassell. The fourth founding member, Danny Lee Allen, never lived in Canberra, instead growing up in Maroubra and then Coogee in Sydney, meeting Paul through attending Marcellin College in Randwick. Andy Cassell was one of three partners in the Ivy League / Winterman & Goldstein group of companies. Of the original members, only Martin and Allen remained. The band's first show was in November 1997 at the Warren View Hotel in the inner Sydney suburb of Enmore. At this stage, Allen had played drums for approximately two months. Their first album, Urban and Eastern, was released in 2000.
In 2003, the band played at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and performed on 4 dates with The Vines and The Music on a US West Coast tour.After various configurations, including the temporary membership of John Lattin of La Huva, the lineup was finalised in 2004 through the addition of Cameron Emerson-Elliott on guitar (previously a member of The John Reed Club) and Patrick Matthews on bass (formerly of The Vines). A series of chance happenings lead Epitaph Records boss Brett Gurewitz to hear their second album, Skeleton Jar, in 2004 and release it in the U.S. in 2005. The band supported Death Cab for Cutie in 2005 on a coast to coast US tour.
Their single "Forever Young", a cover of the 1984 song by Alphaville, was used in the television show The O.C. and heavily featured in promos for Australian TV station Channel Ten at the beginning of 2006. The song debuted on the Australian charts at No. 2 in March 2006, and eventually peaked at No. 1. It was also No. 1 in the first ever digital download chart. During 2006, they supported Coldplay in their sold-out tour of Australia. They also won an ARIA for Breakthrough Single.
In July 2006, the band released their third album, Casino Twilight Dogs, which featured "Forever Young", along with the album's second single, "Catching & Killing". On 24 July 2006, Casino Twilight Dogs debuted at #10 in the ARIA Album Charts. The album was produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla.
They supported Kings Of Leon and Interpol on their 2008 tours of Australia.
They released their fourth album, The Night Is Ours, in July 2008 through Ivy League in Australia and in April 2009 on Worlds Fair Records in the US. The song "What is A Life" from The Night Is Ours was featured on The CW show Gossip Girl episode "The Bonfire of the Vanity".
Youth Group toured the US twice in 2009, as well as once again opening for Death Cab for Cutie in Australia, before moving into a hiatus. Though the band are still on good terms, they are focusing on other projects. Martin released a solo album, Love's Shadow, in July 2012 on Ivy League Records. Allen currently lives in New York and tours with We Are Scientists and plays with Brooklyn band, The Drums. Elliott and Matthews are both currently members of Sydney-based indie rock band Community Radio. Matthews also spent time in The Jewel and the Falcon.
The band reunited to play shows in 2015.
Booth Street
Youth Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pulling all the cobwebs out and blowing my defenses down.
I think that I've been needin' some of her spring cleanin'
Now we're gone.
If I'd known she was coming I would have baked a cake.
But we'll have to make do with minimum chips and flake.
Let's throw away the recipe, let's make it up.
I see you standing on Booth Street,
Waiting on two feet there for me.
I see you, a full bag of fruit
Yeah, I think that you suit
Me to a tee.
The heavenly choir now coming out of church.
To the altar I don't walk I lurch.
Heaven knows I'm hard to please, but I'm trying to change.
I see you standing on Booth Street,
Waiting on two feet there for me.
I see you chewing your nails
Yeah, it never fails
To chew me up.
Been through it so many times that it seems.
I'm in the middle of a recurring dream.
I see you standing on Booth Street,
Waiting on two feet there for me.
I see you, your favorite shirt on.
I hear the word on
The street is out.
I see you.
The lyrics of Youth Group's "Booth Street" appear to be about the excitement and joy one feels when an old friend comes back into their life unexpectedly. The singer describes their "mistily remembered friend" breezing into town and breaking down their defenses. They feel rejuvenated and inspired by the friend's presence, with the line "I think that I've been needin' some of her spring cleanin'" emphasizing this point. The singer also reminisces on past memories, mentioning how they should have baked a cake if they had known their friend was coming.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to focus on the friend's impact on their life. When they see the friend waiting for them on Booth Street, they describe her as a perfect fit for them. The heavenly choir and church imagery may suggest a sense of spiritual renewal or redemption that comes with the friend's presence. The singer admits that they are hard to please, but they are trying to change and improve themselves.
Overall, the lyrics describe a sense of nostalgia and happiness mixed with the desire for self-improvement that comes with reuniting with an old friend. The imagery and language used suggest a deeper emotional connection and renewal of the singer's spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
This mistily remembered friend just breezed into town,
A friend from the past who is difficult to recall has arrived suddenly in town and has lifted my emotional barriers.
Pulling all the cobwebs out and blowing my defenses down.
My friend has cleared away my emotional clutter and made me vulnerable.
I think that I've been needin' some of her spring cleanin',
I realize that I have been needing someone to help me emotionally declutter and sort out my life.
Now we're gone.
My friend and I have left to begin anew.
If I'd known she was coming I would have baked a cake.
If I had known in advance that my friend was coming to visit, I would have prepared something extra special to express my excitement.
But we'll have to make do with minimum chips and flake.
Despite not having prepared for the visit, we will make the best of what we have on hand.
Let's throw away the recipe, let's make it up.
Let's not follow any set rules or standards but instead improvise and create something new and unique.
I see you standing on Booth Street,
The artist is imagining seeing their love interest waiting for them on Booth Street.
Waiting on two feet there for me.
Their love interest is waiting on the sidewalk, standing upright, waiting for the artist to arrive.
I see you, a full bag of fruit
The artist is imagining seeing their love interest holding a bag of fruit.
Yeah, I think that you suit
The singer thinks that their love interest is a good match for them.
Me to a tee.
Their love interest fits them perfectly.
The heavenly choir now coming out of church.
The singer hears a church choir singing nearby.
To the altar I don't walk I lurch.
The singer is not moving smoothly towards the altar, but rather stumbling or struggling to get there.
Heaven knows I'm hard to please, but I'm trying to change.
The singer realizes that they are difficult to please, but are making an effort to change and be more flexible.
I see you chewing your nails,
The artist imagines seeing their love interest nervously biting their nails.
Yeah, it never fails
Their love interest's habit of biting their nails is a constant behavior.
To chew me up.
This habit causes the singer emotional distress and anxiety.
Been through it so many times that it seems.
This situation has happened so often that it feels like a recurring dream.
I'm in the middle of a recurring dream.
The artist feels like they are stuck in this situation and cannot escape.
I see you, your favorite shirt on.
The artist imagines their love interest wearing their favorite shirt.
I hear the word on
The artist has heard rumors or gossip.
The street is out.
The rumor is spreading through the streets or community.
I see you.
The artist is still imagining seeing their love interest.
Contributed by Anthony J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.