Back in May of this year, State Champs delivered arguably the pop punk album of the year; ‘Kings of the New Age’. Then in June, they set Australian fans hearts racing by announcing their return for a September headlining tour. Joining them to create a stacked lineup are American pop rockers The Maine, UK alternative newcomers Hot Milk and Melbourne’s very own Paperweight.
Now fast forward to Sunday September 4th and the night has finally arrived. As I walk to the Roundhouse in Sydney it’s starting to rain, but that’s not going to dampen the spirits of the hundreds waiting to enter the venue. First up on stage were Paperweight, delivering their set like a ball of pop punk energy. They wasted no time in getting the party started as vocalist Haris commanded the audience, whilst guitarist Luana leapt around the stage . Set highlights included ‘Asteroids! And Where To Find Them and the super catchy new single ‘Lemon Spiders’ – that slaps even harder when heard live!
Next up making their Sydney debut live appearance were UK band Hot Milk. With an erratic energy that couldn’t be contained, vocalist Hannah bounded around the stage. From opening track ‘Bad Influence’ to the singalong ‘Teenage Runaways’, the band were winning new fans over with every song. The set closed with ‘Split Personality’ as the band left the stage with parting words “we’ve been Hot Milk and you’ve been fucking gorgeous”.
After a short break it was time for the main band to take the stage…wait, sorry…it was time for The Maine (pun intended). Well although they weren’t the headliner for this tour, it sure felt like it as the crowd had grown in size. The veteran, pioneer rockers kicked things off with ‘Sticky’ taken from their newest album ‘XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time’. No strangers to Australian shores, The Maine have built a loyal fanbase down under. Vocalist John O’Callaghan had everybody swooning with his cheeky smirk. They played a 14-song setlist, with standout tracks ‘Am I Pretty?’ and ‘Bad Behaviour’ giving us butterflies. They left the stage saying “We wish you nothing but happiness and health. We are The Maine from Phoenix, Arizona”.
It was now the turn of the headlining New York pop punkers to keep this party going. The four-piece bounced onto the stage taking the night to the next level with ‘Elevated’. What followed was a set not consisting of any acoustic ballads or slower tracks – just fast paced mosh pit-inducing fun. The band showcased their new album featuring six songs from ‘Kings of the New Age’. Derek paused during the set to say Happy Fathers Day to all the dads, but looking around I’m not sure how many dads were in attendance.
Before ‘Criminal’, the band demanded a huge circle pit and the crowd obliged. The set ended with the new party anthem ‘Everybody But You’ which had fans singing their lungs out and the crowd surfers catching one last wave. Whilst it was awesome to hear the song live, I would have loved for a special guest to jump on stage to do Ben Barlow‘s part. With such strong support bands alongside them on the tour and various members from Aussie homegrown favourites (like Tonight Alive and Between You & Me) in attendance, a guest spot on the track would Just Sound that much better!
Tonight in Sydney, State Champs proved why they are the reigning kings of the new pop punk age. They aren’t mainstream sellouts, but Living Proof that pop punk is here to stay.
Photos by Christian Ross
