Neck Deep - Gig Review & Photo Gallery December 1st @ Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Neck Deep
Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
December 1st, 2018
Supports: Stand Atlantic, Between You And Me and Stateside
Neck Deep are just one of those bands that guarantee a fun time with everything they do; so it’s no surprise that announcing an Australian tour, armed with three Aussie scene favourites resulted in a sold out Sydney show. The pop punk golden boys promised one hell of a night and as the venue quickly filled it was clear we weren’t going to be disappointed.
Starting of the night's proceedings, Brisbane sweethearts, Stateside. After kicking up a bit of dirt with the Simple Plan tour earlier this year, these guys have a reputation of putting on a good show. Front-woman Erin Reus continues to have stadium quality vocals and the band provides a really clean set. Playing crowd favourites ‘This Is War’ and ‘Neon’ it's clear they had the crowd's attention. The bar was 100% set for the night and I’m telling you they didn’t make it easy to reach.
Luckily the bill just kept getting better. Next up Melbourne’s Between You And Me; a band who after the release of their debut album Everything Is Temporary, have become a staple on everyone's pop punk playlists. The energetic boys get the crowd off their feet really quickly; it’s very clear these guys aren’t strangers to most of the punters in the venue. Highlights include the classic ‘Overthinking’, the underdog anthem ‘Dakota’ and the nostalgic ‘Friends from 96’. Aggressive finger pointing and crowd surfers were aplenty as the band dance around with the crowd in the palm of their hand. These guys are just incredibly talented performers and it’s impossible to get sick of seeing them play.
Finishing the stacked line-up of supports we have the homegrown, Sydney darlings, Stand Atlantic; another break-out band of the year, these guys have been making waves internationally after the success of their debut album Skinny Dipping which became another playlist staple. Needless to say, their live show is incredible, they may as well have headlined with how well they were received. Playing through ‘Lavender Bones’, ‘Skinny Dipping’ and a slew of other tracks from both the new album and the Sidewinder EP. The tight performance accompanied with the fantastic vocal talents of Bonnie Fraser make it incredibly easy to see why Stand Atlantic have been blowing up recently and I’m personally very excited to see them headline early next year.
By the time the iconic opening riff of ‘Motion Sickness’ filled the room, the crowd were already a sweaty mess. One by one the band jump and spin on to the stage as simultaneously the pit opens and the main attraction begins. It’s no surprise to hear the deafening choir produced by the crowd as they move through ‘Gold Steps’ and ‘Crushing Grief’. The intertwined mix of their discography continues with ‘Smooth Seas Don’t Make Good Sailors’ and the anthem that is ‘Parachute’. This is followed by a glorious cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’ which had everyone dramatically making fist microphones and serenading the person next to them in a way that only a dramatic classic such as this would achieve.
Front-man Ben Barlow has a way with his mannerisms as he jumps around the room that makes it impossible to keep your eyes off him as the band run through their energetic collection with bangers such as ‘Kali Ma’, ‘What Did You Expect’ and the gloriously heavy ‘Don’t Wait’ which was very clearly the highlight of the night for everyone involved and the biggest circle pit I’ve seen at a Neck Deep concert by far.
The mood very quickly switches with a performance of 'December' followed by the crowd going quiet as Barlow dedicates the next few songs to his late father and there isn’t a dry eye through ‘Candour’ and ‘19 Seventy Something’; his incredibly passionate performance really shining through and making it all the more emotional. The main set is finished off with the ridiculously catchy single ‘In Bloom’ and a candid joke about the stupidity of the whole encore routine.
That being said they still play into it and we’re treated with ‘Can’t Kick Up The Roots’, The heavy classic ‘All Hype, No Heart’ (performed by Matt West) and the nights topped off with the glorious ‘Where Do We Go When We Go’ which is absolutely dripping in gang vocals that the crowd naturally eat up as everyone exerts the last bits of their energy.
It’s incredible to watch these guys intertwine their ever evolving sound into one cohesive show. It’s clear to see why they sold out so quickly and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what they do next!
Gig Review Bree Vane @Briebrebree
Photo Gallery by Renae Egan. Follow Renae on Facebook and Instagram.
Please credit Wall of Sound and Renae Egan if you repost.
Stateside
Between You And Me
Stand Atlantic
Neck Deep
