It’s hard to acknowledge that tonight’s State Champs show is their first headliner in London. After support slots following some of the best bands out there – we’re looking at you New Found Glory – it’s finally time for the New York based five piece to show London what it’s like to be at a State Champs show.
Before we get a slice of the pop-punk headliners, newbies to the scene Knuckle Puck grace the stage to showcase tracks from their debut album Copacetic and back catalogue of EP’s. Pop Punk is a tricky genre to get right in a live environment, you can either bring that chaotic sound of punk feeling to the stage and still sound good, or it can just sound like a mess. Too many bands fall into the later category but much to our excitement Knuckle Puck don’t. Copacetic hasn’t been out that long so the tracks are still fresh in our minds and stuck in our brains which means when the beginning of ‘Disdain’ blares through the speakers we are gone. Knuckle Puck certainly know how to work a crowd and we’re sure it won’t be long before they’re here doing sold out headline shows themselves.
For State Champs tonight is well overdue, a headline performance which every member of the crowd has been waiting a few years for. Looking around at the crowd regardless of the track the 800 strong crowd scream the words back in a state of euphoria. After the success of their debut album the band have pushed themselves into the pipe line to be one of the best bands in genre, and this is only going to push forward with the release of their sophomore album ‘Around the World and Back’.
Annoyingly the sound guys must have missed a trick when State Champs bound on stage, as the opening line of ‘All You Are is History’ is completely silent as the microphone isn’t working, which means the impact just doesn’t hit like it should have. With a mere 45 minutes to play, every single second is a buzz of energy, sing-a-longs and screams so loud sometimes it’s hard to hear the band themselves.
New tracks like ‘Secrets’ and ‘Losing myself’ are welcomed just as much as the older tracks like ‘Deadly Conversation’ and ‘Hard to Please’, but closing encore track ‘Elevated’ is where everyone loses their minds, and their shoes as the mosh pits break out left right and centre.
With the bands second album out imminently, further touring is bound to be on the agenda. State Champs truly show that the pop-punk genre is thriving, thanks for restoring our faith!
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- Source: Official Logo
