Between You And Me - Gig Review 25th January @ Crowbar Brisbane, QLD

Between You and Me
Crowbar Brisbane, QLD
January 25th 2020
Supports: Oaks, Shorelines

After taking a few weeks off the live circuit after Good Things/Christmas/New Years, I was ready to get back into it and I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the new decade/year with a Between You and Me show! The Melbourne pop punk five-piece headlined this month's AM//PM: Emo Night Brisbane event in the newly re-established Crowbar. The boys were supported by two great upcoming Australian pop punk acts, Oaks and Shorelines.

Brisbane's Shorelines were up first, and from what I witnessed (I only got to catch their final song), the local boys managed to get the keen pop punk crowd hyped for the night ahead. They're pretty enjoyable to listen to, and I'm keen to see what else these guys have planned as they continue to grow. Next up were Oaks, who made the trip up from Sydney to play their debut Queensland show. These guys are so infectious to watch live, especially latest single 'Chokehold' and have the potential to become a front runner in Australian pop punk one day. The boys even threw in a cover of A Day To Remember's 'All Signs Point to Lauderdale', you know, to keep in theme with the whole Emo Night brand. With a new guitarist addition to the line-up, Oaks' upbeat anthems and antics are highly recommended.

The last time I saw Between You and Me was UNIFY 2019 at the AM//PM pre-night event, funnily enough, which makes me realise now that I've yet to see this band in a non-club/festival setting. Regardless of that though, as soon as the first chords hit, the energy in that room soared and it was contagious. The guys stormed through their current hits such as 'Overthinking', 'Famous' and 'Dakota' like it was a legit house party, inclusive of circle pits and stage dives. The 'Friends From '96' singalong reminded me of Man Overboard back in the day, the band's in-between song banter is highly entertaining (particularly between vocalist Jake Wilson and bassist James Karagiozis) and yep, these guys have nailed the complete pop punk package. Of course, it wouldn't be a BYAM show without vocalist Jake Wilson stage diving during the band's most popular hit, 'Dakota'!

It's not hard to see why they're signed to Hopeless Records and scoring US tour supports at every turn. I can't wait to see them on their own headline tours playing venues of a larger capacity one day, where the circle pits and overall energy are only bound to magnify. We named Between You and Me as our #3 Australian pop punk act to watch this year, and this show is evidence alone that we stand by our word.

Gig Review by Tamara May @citylightsTAM