Stand Atlantic – Gig Review & Photo Gallery, 2nd July @ The Tivoli, Bris QLD

Posted on July 5, 2022 by Tamara May

Stand Atlantic
The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD
July 2nd, 2022
Supports: With Confidence, Bakers Eddy and The Sunday Estate

It almost seems unfair that the world gets Stand Atlantic while their homeland gets left behind. Prior to tonight, my last time seeing the Sydney pop punk heavyhitters was on Unify Gathering 2019 and before that, it was probably a tiny local show in Sydney somewhere. So tonight very much feels like a complete do over for the first time. After many a cancelled tours thanks to the C-bomb, the Australian four-piece currently sweeping the globe by storm finally kicked off what was their biggest Aussie tour to date. And apparently, the band’s biggest headliner ever with Brisbane outselling Sydney’s hometown headliner the night before.

Bringing the overly excited punters who rocked up at doors into a relaxed state of euphoria was indie punk outfit The Sunday Estate. The lads set the ambience in the right direction with their mellowed-out symphonies of Aussie-tinged rock and laid back stage presence. It made for an unexpected chance to rest our mosh energy for the night ahead.

When Bakers Eddy hit the stage, the energy in the Tivoli drastically picked up momentum. Vocalist Ciarann Babbington’s stage presence is infectious to watch; reminding me of something along the lines of a sober version of the Dune Rats. Their surf punk collection of tunes were a big vibe, especially on songs like ‘Can’t Afford It‘. These Kiwi transplants seemingly made the transition from catchy indie to pop punkier melodies effortlessly.

It’s been awhile since Sydney pop punkers With Confidence have graced Australian stages, but their appearance was embraced with rowdy moshpits and singalongs of their infectious collection of sugar-coated punk. Fans began packing in the pit shoulder-to-shoulder in anticipation for Stand Atlantic, and it made the atmosphere more enjoyable especially when lead vocalist Jayden Seeley kicked in with some of the band’s classics, ‘London Lights‘ and ‘Voldemort‘. Definitely took me back to 2015, that’s for sure.

Moments before Stand Atlantic to the stage though, the energy in the venue transitioned into what I could only describe as a magnified festival version of Brisbane’s The Beat. Honestly, everyone was just as stoked as each other to be there; the energy was contagious. It picked up tenfold when the band’s intro track (a quirky phone hotline that counts down to the minutes they took to the stage) with each minute playing an overzealous pop anthem. As the closing bars of The Veronicas’ ‘Untouched’ played out, the lights dimmed and one by one, drummer Jonno Panichi, guitarist David Potter, bassist Miki Rich took their positions on stage, before vocalist Bonnie Fraser bounced out, leading the boys straight into ‘Doomsday‘.

On stage, Stand Atlantic are effortless, firing off a massive set of hits to make up for the last 2-3 years of being away from home. As the world’s dominating pop punk sensations, their musical strength is as strong on stage as it is in the studio. From the enthusiastic bounce of ‘Jurassic Park‘ to ‘Switchblade’s crushing blend of punchy pop, the quartet had every fan in that house swooning. This band go all out in everything they do, proudly swearing by the mantra of their latest release — f*ck everything and run. Bonnie is an absolute gun on the stage, not just on the fast-paced anthems either. A highlight of the night came when Potter, Miki and Bonnie ditched the stage and snuck up to the upper mezzanine of the Tivoli and belted out an empowering performance of ‘Toothpick‘.

It was through Bonnie’s captivating performance on ‘Lavender Bones‘ right through ’til ‘Deathwish‘ though that definitely had much of the crowd feel a little more queer pride than they entered the venue with. Enough to have straight folks like myself almost turn. It was honestly a beautiful energy to be amongst. With the show being one of the latest sets I’ve ever witnessed, Stand Atlantic returned to the stage with enough energy left in the tanks to power on into their breakthrough hit ‘Coffee At Midnight‘ right at the stroke of midnight (did they plan that?)

Their entire set was as strong at the end as it was when they began — proof that Stand Atlantic really are in a league of their own. If you don’t believe the band’s impact on Australian music and the pop punk genre, head on out to a live show and be proven wrong. They absolutely crush it. See y’all at Spilt Milk this December!

Review By Tamara May @citylightstam

Setlist:

Doomsday
Jurassic Park
Skinny Dipping
Wavelength
Hair Out
Switchblade
Like That
Pity Party
Eviligo
Lost My Cool
Dumb
Toothpick
Drink to Drown
Lavender Bones
Blurry
Deathwish
Hate Me
Coffee At Midnight
Molotov