Episode 17: Jo Gardiner & Niam Hegarty – Dental Plan

When it comes to Melbourne indie/alternative/punk bands, I would say that I’m in a pretty good position to talk about Dental Plan. First formed in 2018 by guitarist and vocalist Niam Hegarty, bassist and occasional vocalist Jo Gardiner, and drummer Stu Young, the band kicked off writing, recording, and gigging pretty quickly, establishing a respectable fanbase around the city as they did so. Following their self-titled 2018 EP, they group released a single in 2019, before emerging from the depths of COVID in 2021 with ‘Hole In Me’, a track which saw Rolling Stone Australia label them as a band to watch. This all naturally led into the recording of the debut album for the group, who had by that point undergone some changes in the lineup, though Niam and Jo remained consistent. After being joined by drummer Paul Dwyer, they also welcomed a new guitarist just last year by way of… well, me. Yes, I am using my platform to shine a light upon my own bandmates this week. Of course, while accusations of nepotism and favouritism are probably being thrown about the world over, it’s worth pointing out that I was actually a big fan of Dental Plan before I even knew the folks in the band. However, the main reason I’m talking about Dental Plan is because just last week, they released their debut album, ‘Raw Nerve’. Speaking as someone who joined the band around the time the majority of the recording was completed, I’m therefore in a position to speak objectively and tell you it’s actually a really good album. If you like punk, indie, and alternative rock with influences of bands like Nirvana, The Wipers, and Pavement, well you’re in for a good time. As you might have guessed, Jo and Niam are my guests for the podcast this week. We actually recorded this episode at Jo’s house just after we had all come together to listen to the test pressing of our new record. I’d be remiss not to say you should grab a copy, of course, but this isn’t the Dental Plan sponsorship show. I will point out there’s a few spotty moments in the audio, namely owing to the rather relaxed nature of our recording. But if you can deal with the sounds of some cars going past the window, and a few bumps of the mic, I think you might learn something. Anyway, check out Dental Plan’s debut album, ‘Raw Nerve’, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.