With the release of their debut album, ‘Skinny Dipping’, last October, Stand Atlantic have captured the attention of plenty of new fans.
Part of the resurgence of pop-punk, the Sydney-based band have brought a fresh feel to a seemingly tired scene; reminding us there’s still hope for those of us that had ‘Infinity On High’ in their Spotify Top 100 last year.
Taking on their home-town show in the sweaty, intimate mess that is The Lansdowne (25 January), Stand Atlantic brought along The Dead Love and On The Verge to warm up the crowd. This was certainly a show that was worthy of your Friday night.
When you’re the opening support, there’s really no knowing what you’ll get out of the crowd or if there will be any crowd at all. It was a stiff start for On The Verge, with the band room rivalling the mannequin display at your local Kmart. But with enough onstage energy and scuzzy riffs, the atmosphere really began to lift.
Technical issues littered the set, but thankfully the band didn’t let it rattle them, and proceeded to smash out their very own renditions of Fall Out Boy’s ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’ and Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’.
While you’ve got to commend a band for taking on one of pop punks pioneering bands, sometimes you’ve just got to leave the angst to Patrick Stump.
Right from the beginning of their set, The Dead Love blew the crowd away. With a heavier, grittier sound, the three-piece lifted the energy in the room from the very first song.
The band launched into their single ‘Sugarcoat’, prompting a mass sing-along from the crowd. With a rock-heavy sound and an enviable stage presence, it was hard not to draw comparisons between The Dead Love and Foo Fighters, which is certainly not a negative thing.
Halfway through their set, the band really ramped up their sound; it was like a metaphorical punch to the teeth. It caught you off guard and hit you harder than anything you’d come to expect [from the band].
Even though they’re relatively new on the scene, The Dead Love is destined for bigger things.
Now it’s one thing to sell out your home-town show, but to sell out every date on your first national headline tour is phenomenal. It really speaks volumes about Stand Atlantic and how hard they’ve worked over the last few years.
As the first, few notes of their latest single, ‘Bullfrog’, echoed through the room, the crowd went wild. It’s hard to ignore the charm and vivacity of frontwoman Bonnie Fraser as she powers through the set.
By the time the band began playing their title track, ‘Skinny Dipping’, The Lansdowne was enveloped by the sweat and excitable screams of the crowd.
This was a set that had everything: sing-alongs, mosh pits and most importantly, crowd-surfing mums. Never before has there been a more respectable or wholesome crowd-surfing experience at a rock show.
Bonnie Fraser and Jono Panichi’s mums climbed up on stage, right as the band were about to play ‘Chemicals’. Racing each other across the crowd, the band's mums were clearly having (presumably) one of the best nights of their lives.
After such a raucous start to their set, Stand Atlantic began to slow everything down as Bonnie and guitarist David Potter played a stripped-back version of ‘Toothpicks’. It was a solemn moment, but one that really connected with the crowd who began to illuminate the stage with their phone lights.
Closing out their night with their hit single ‘Lavender Bones’, Stand Atlantic were truly a sight to behold. I’m calling it early, but this has to be one of the best shows of the year.
If you’ve got tickets to any of their upcoming tour dates, you’re really in for a treat.
