By Vicky Greer.
It’s a packed house at The 1865 tonight (18/9/24) for a stacked line-up of international pop-punk excellence as Sydney’s Stand Atlantic return to Southampton. We last saw them in Engine Rooms, a little over a year ago. In tow are Slowly Slowly and Honey Revenge, readying the room for a night of relentless, celebratory pop-punk.
First up are Slowly Slowly, coming all the way from Melbourne to accompany their fellow countrymen on tour. A staple of the blossoming Australian alternative scene for almost a decade, their performance is polished and refined, even when they debut brand-new songs. Elevating their indie rock sound with pop influences, they set an exciting tone for the night ahead.
Next up are the incomparable Honey Revenge, a pop-rock outfit from California who are generating quite the buzz from their high-energy festival appearances. Lead singer Devin Papadol bursts onto the stage in an electrifying flurry of excitement, charisma and highlighter-pink hair. Old favourites ‘Rerun’ and ‘Airhead’ are met with jubilation from the crowd, and new cuts like ‘Medicine’ are met with the same commotion. Guitarist Donovan Lloyd looks to be having the absolute time of their life as they deliver electrifying riffs and bounce around the stage.
It seems that a lot of the crowd were already fans when they came through the door, and anyone who hadn’t heard of Honey Revenge was quickly converted. Opening for any other band, Honey Revenge could have easily overshadowed the headliner and stolen the show.
From the opening minutes of their set, it’s obvious why Melbourne’s Stand Atlantic are the main event. Their brand of pop-punk is heavier and more intense than the bands that have come before them tonight. Since they last graced the stage in Southampton, the band have heightened their showmanship with dramatic voiceovers, theatrical lighting and heavy smoke machine action. From the get-go, they have the crowd in the palms of their hands.
Lead singer Bonnie Fraser is a powerhouse vocalist, undoubtedly one of the best singers in the scene today, dazzling the crowd as the band set the night off with ‘WAKE UP-SIT DOWN-SHUT UP’ and ‘hair out’. ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’, from 2020’s Pink Elephant is another stand-out moment from the set, slowing it right down at the end to lead into ‘Toothpick’. It’s a hypnotic slower moment from the band as they incorporate Train’s ‘Drops of Jupiter’ into a beautiful interlude. But it’s only a brief moment of rest before they encourage as much crowd surfing as is physically possible during their performance of ‘pity party’.
By the time we reached ‘LOVE U ANYWAY’ from their new album WAS HERE, Stand Atlantic have built a real rapport with the crowd. There are several points where they reference previous shows in Southampton, and it’s clear that the city has a special place in their heart. No doubt we’ll see them back in Southampton – and hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.
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