Stand Atlantic - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 28th August @ Forum Melb, VIC

Stand Atlantic
Forum, Melbourne VIC
August 28, 2024
Supports Sly Withers and Vana

August has been a huge month for Aussie punk rockers, Stand Atlantic, with not only the release of their new album Was Here (our review here), but they have also kicked off their tour starting in Australia before they head overseas to the UK and Europe. I was lucky enough to head along to the first show of the tour in Melbourne, and I was intrigued to see what this ‘new to me’ band was going to bring to the metaphorical table. The icy, gale-force Melbourne wind all but blew me right into the door of the Forum on Wednesday night, and I was pleased to find refuge in its warmth, with the promise of some hot talent on the bill to get the ol’ heart started.

First act out of the barriers was New Zealand local, Vana, who literally dazzled the crowd when she appeared on stage adorning a red sequin dress with her signature fiery locks to match. Her set was what I would call ‘darkly bubbly’, as there was an even mix of both scattered throughout her music. She rocked out with her tracks 'Prettyboy', 'Nosebleed', 'Ragdoll', and even did a fun version of ACDC’s 'Thunderstruck', before things took a heavier turn and her Gwen Stefani-like voice seamlessly morphed into the depths of hell with some killer screamo during 'Clandestine', 'Beg!' and 'Crawling'. The crowd were in agreeance that this was a fun way to amp them up for the night, and they showed their appreciation as she finished up.

Lined up next was another ‘new to me’ band, Western Australian alternative rockers, Sly Withers. Oh MAN they bloody impressed me. Their heavy upbeat tracks like 'Lately', 'Overgrown' and 'Radio' really got the crowd going, whilst the slower songs like 'Clarkson' and 'Something' really balanced things out. Lead vocals were split evenly between Jono Mata and Sam Blitvich, and their harmonies together were flawless. Combined with their tight sound, these dudes really ticked all the boxes, not to mention they seemed like genuinely nice and down-to-earth blokes. I couldn’t help but laugh when frontman Sam Blitvich declared they weren’t a ‘shoey’ band and whilst “they respect our culture, it’s not theirs”. Thank you, Baby Jesus, for that, because I think I’ve seen enough shoeys at gigs this year to last me a lifetime - tries not to vom thinking about it. As I was standing behind the mixing desk for the night, I need to give a special mention to their sound guy. He was getting right into their set more than a lot of the punters, whilst simultaneously working his butt off to make them sound awesome, and honestly seemed like the ultimate hype boy. He was so much fun to watch and just radiated passion and excitement for this killer band. Judging by the excitement of those around me, these guys are super popular and well-loved within their fan base and deserve all the exposure they can get.

Floorspace in the Forum was now scarce, as the theatre had comfortably filled over the course of the night in hot anticipation of the band of the hour. Whilst the roadcrew had been prepping the stage, I couldn’t help but notice there were what looked like to be 2 stripper poles situated each side of the drum kit, with one of the crew seemingly either polishing or lubricating up said poles. No… Surely not…

Stand Atlantic appeared on stage to a rowdy reception all kitted out in complementary white outfits, and with the staged bathed in pink lighting they opened their set with a loud and punchy track from their new album, 'Wake Up-Sit Down-Shut Up'. Lead singer, Bonnie Fraser, had a contagious energy that bounced around the stage right from the get-go, and never faltered throughout the night. Their fun track, 'Jurassic Park', had the entire room jumping and everyone was absolutely lapping up what the talented 4-piece outfit were dishing out. The 2 mystery poles were put to use during one of their new tracks, 'Kissing Killer Cobras', as 2 backup dancers hit the stage and utilised the song’s fast and sexy beat, pulling moves on their respective poles that I’m sure even the Forum hadn’t seen before. If the crowd weren’t already razzed up, they certainly were now and they couldn’t get enough. Venturing through some of their older tracks like 'Switchblade', 'Blurry' and 'Kill(H)er', the room was pulsating with energy and the band felt like they were playing for their lives.

With it’s fast and catchy hook, 'Lavender Bones' brought out the crowd surfers who threw caution to the wind and seemed to be having an absolutely sick time. 'Hate Me (Sometimes)' was certainly a crowd favourite and had the crowd clapping and singing along with rigour, before things dropped down a notch with a stripped-back version of 'Toothpick'. Guitarist, David Potter, jumped on the keys for this one and they created a touching moment with this rendition, throwing in a bit of Train’s 'Drops of Jupiter' in the middle to mix things up a bit. More new tracks in the angsty feeling 'Nosebleed' and the light and fast 'Love U Anyway' would have you thinking they were old fan-favourite tracks, given the crowd’s delighted response to each. During 'Dumb', the band instructed the crowd to form a wall of death, and from the safety of my elevated position it sure was a sight to behold. Everyone seemed to come out of it relatively unscathed and threw themselves back into the mosh pit to carry on. Another hot track, 'Criminal', once again had the whole place bouncing and we were treated to a special guest appearance from Redhook's Emmy Mack, before the popular and crowd favourite, 'Deathwish', topped off their set on a complete high.

Of course, the night was not quite done and after some gentle persuasion, the band came back to do their encore. Before they got stuck into the music, to kill some time and do some extra promotion of their brand-new album, they decided to raffle off some merch to a few lucky winners who had purchased their album. With the crowd’s attention waning slightly, they fired back up just in time with 'Coffee At Midnight' (which I’m sure the crowd would be doing when they got home) and 'Girl$'. It was a happy and satisfied crowd that exited the theatre tonight, riding the high and vibing off the energy that Stand Atlantic had emanated the entire evening.

This is certainly a band I’m glad I got to experience live, and they truly set the bar in terms of talent and even stamina. Their new album, Was Here, came so close to being number one in Australia, so they deserve all the promotion they can get. As the self-proclaimed ‘cuties of the music industry’ said during their show in relation to this album on the charts, “we just want to beat Cold Chisel”. So, check out this hot Aussie talent and support their pledge in becoming number 1, because they sure as shit have worked hard for it!

Review by Terri Nas @tel_be

Setlist

WAKE UP-SIT DOWN-SHUT UP (Live debut)
hair out
Jurassic Park
WARZ0NE
KISSIN' KILLER COBRAS (Live debut)
switchblade
Blurry
kill[h]er
Sex on The Beach
Lavender Bones
Hate Me (Sometimes)
Toothpick / Drops of Jupiter (Train cover)
LOVE U ANYWAY
NOSE BLEED (Live debut)
pity party (with Vana)
dumb
CRIMINAL (with Emmy Mack)
deathwish

Encore

Coffee at Midnight
GIRL$

Photo Gallery by Adam Portelli. Insta: @adam.ellia
Please credit Wall of Sound and Adam Portelli if you repost.

Vana

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Sly Withers

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Stand Atlantic

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