We last saw State Champs on stage when Simple Plan brought them over alongside Mayday Parade for a completely wild and stacked night.
That night they were first up and the opening billing didn’t do them most justice. Tonight they aim to make up with that with their own headline show in our favourite concrete warehouse.
The supports for tonight are also familiar to us… The Home Team, who supported The Used last year, and Broadside who we recently caught at the Cathouse with The Dangerous Summer. We were lucky to catch all of Broadside too thanks to another assumption of a 7pm start… it’s not the first time I’ve been late and I should have learned my lesson. Ran through the door just as they came on, though.
Broadside suffered some real technical issues when we saw them at The Catty with amp and backing track issues. They took it in their stride at the time and that confidence and stage craft shines through tonight too. Frontman Oliver Baxxter drips with charisma and his southern American accent is one we didn’t think would be so alluring, but that’s another thing I was wrong about. It’s a testimony to their draw that the bar area was completely barren while they’re on stage. The music is spot on with incredible energy and the showmanship of Baxxter is going to be hard to beat. Tonight proves The Cathouse was too small a stage for these guys.
The Home Team are just as funky as I remember them and just a bit more rocky. Walking on to a disco track and dancing in front of vibrant neon tube lights, it’s clear there’s going to be a bit of showmanship tonight. Frontman Brian Butcher is unmatched in his falsetto tones that make comparisons to Justin Timberlake not as laughable as they first sound. It’s a range enviable by most people who occupy the same stages. The instrumentals are solid, mixing pop punk with a heavy dose of unashamed pop.
They do rely heavily on backing tracks, and there are passages in some songs where it’s only tracks which leaves the bassist and guitarist dancing like backup dancers for the aforementioned Timberlake. The rock guitars cut through so much that it saves The Home Team from toppling over the cliff of pop and lets them cling onto their position of bona fide rock stars, though. There’s enough pop and no more than can draw new fans in from other fandoms and introduce them to the pop punk world… and that’s only a good thing.
The house lights dip prematurely sparking cheers and excitement, only to come back up again for a few minutes, before going off again for State Champs to come do what they do. What they do is unashamed pop punk how we remember it back in the 2000s. No need to drag other genres into it, no need to add twists or gimmicks. This is concentrated pop punk for the masses.
The more a band leans to pop, the younger the crowd, but that’s not stopping this one going mental. Security don’t get a minute to themselves helping surfers over the barrier which is being pushed forward by a warehouse full of fans. The younger crowd is also a blessing for those who hate being stuck behind the tall guys at shows… it’s a clear view all the way from the back!
The stage presence is fantastic as all three members who aren’t stuck behind a drum kit make full use of the stage and additional front riser. We get jumps, high kicks, spins… this band aren’t holding back as they work through the list of fan favourites to increasingly loud cheers. State Champs are giving back as much energy as the crowd are throwing at them, and that’s a shitload If you’d pardon my French.
It’s pretty much non-stop for the full set but the most impressive thing is the atmosphere of shear love and friendliness. Where other shows that feature darker, screamer, act can attracted those who drink more than they can handle and ruin things in the pit, the State Champs crowd is a friendly one and everyone can feel it. A night of high energy, sonic hugs from a massive room of strangers that you know are into the same stuff you’re into.
Photos by Catching Light Photography
Catching Light Photography
- Set It Off / Call Me Amour / Point North / TSS - 25 February 2025
- State Champs /Broadside / The Home Team - 24 February 2025
- Four Year Strong / Koyo - 24 February 2025