With Confidence – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 18th August @ Factory Theater, Sydney NSW

Posted on August 21, 2017 by breevane

With Confidence
The Factory Theater, Sydney NSW
August 18th, 2017
Supports: Seaway and WSTR

If you like pop-punk even remotely and you live in Sydney, you’ve probably seen With Confidence live. These boys have supported some big names over the years; but off the back of an international headline, With Con are back not just headlining, but SELLING OUT The Factory Theatre. You only need to be in that room for a moment to know exactly why they’ve been blowing up recently.

Despite the freezing weather, dedicated fans had been lining up for hours prior; needless to say the venue was almost at capacity from the moment the doors opened. For first support, British 5-piece WSTR, this made for a welcoming crowd. The band’s energy is pretty immediate; assisting the crowd in getting comfortable with a slow build rather than an abrupt bang. With a set-list including tracks from their most recent release Red, Green or Inbetween and classic fan-favorites such as Graveyard Shift, front-man Sammy Clifford, shows off his impressive vocal range. His charismatic nature and talent with audience interaction, setting a high standard for the bands to follow.

After a gloriously curated intermission playlist (an important aspect of every gig) the crowd was greeted with the wonderfully energetic Seaway, who just generally are really happy and it’s ridiculously infectious. Opening with evidently popular ‘Best Mistake‘, the band has everyone off their feet in seconds. This is only solidified by the ever danceable ‘Something Wonderful‘ and beautifully titled ‘Sabrina The Teenage Bitch‘. The crowd was a puddle of sweat by the end of ‘Airhead‘ and the boys definitely left with a venue full of new fans.

The moment the opening guitar riff of With Con’s ‘Voldemort’ was played the crowd went wild. There was dancing, there was jumping, there was screaming. The boys looked genuinely stoked about just how full the venue was and fed off that energy immensely. Front-man, Jayden Seeleys stage presence is mesmerizing, and every eye in the room follows him as he hammers through absolute banger ‘Dinner Bell‘, the danceable ‘Archers‘, and energetic pop work of art ‘I Will Never Wait‘.

The banter between Seeley and guitarist Luke Rockets has always been a highlight of their live shows. Rockets claiming the reason Seeleys hand was fractured was due to a freak ‘fisting’ incident… charming. The close friendship comes across in their performance. Dancing through b-side ‘Poison’ and classic ‘We’ll Be Okay’; Rockets bending and jumping like a revenge era Frank Iero.

‘Keys’ is my personal highlight of the night; Inigo’s performance is filled with such raw passion that you can’t tear your eyes away. The crowd feels every word and screams it back with just as much desperation. It’s honestly beautiful to watch and displays the huge range of talents from the entire band. Following this we had another slew of favourites; ‘Long Night’, ‘Higher’ and impressive b-side ‘Here For Nothing’. The crowd finding the energy to start a new wave of crowd surfers and peer pressuring drummer, Josh Brozzesi into doing a shoey (There’s always one).

Finishing the pre-encore with classic fan-favourite ‘Godzilla’ the band and crowd alike took a collective breath. We all knew what was coming next. As someone who has seen the band play five times now, I was well aware of the tradition that was about to be upheld. ‘London Lights’ announced itself to the room like an old friend. The pit opened, the crowd ran, the boys danced around with smiles on their faces. The energy in the room was almost tangible as they finished with ‘Keeper’; elated and covered in sweat the crowd expelling the last of their energy to shout every last word, reaching a volume that assured the entire city knew the phenomenal night that had been experienced by everyone in that room.

It doesn’t take much to understand exactly why With Confidence has been blowing up. From their immense musical talent to their charming stage presence, the boys are sure to have the longevity they deserve.

Written and shot by Bree Vane. Find her on Facebook and Instagram
Please credit Wall of Sound and Bree Vane if you repost.

WSTR