Neck Deep brought the kind of chaotic, high-energy night to Festival Hall that pop punk dreams are made of.
Touring off the back of their self-titled album, the Welsh crew ripped through a punchy, no-frills set that had the entire room sweating, shouting and (naturally) crowd-surfing within about five minutes.
Joining them were Perth newcomers Late 90’s, who opened with a short but no-less frantic set, throwing out big riffs and even bigger choruses. State Champs followed and wasted no time turning the energy up even further. There’s a reason the New Yorkers have been staples of the scene for years — their set was sharp, slick and full of anthems built for fists-in-the-air moments.
By the time Neck Deep hit the stage, it was pure chaos. Launching straight into Heartbreak of the Century, they didn’t let up once. STFU and Take Me With You followed in quick succession, whipping the pit into an early frenzy. Frontman Ben Barlow stalked every inch of the stage, looking like he’d downed three Red Bulls and a handful of Skittles beforehand (in the best way).
Fan favourites like Kali Ma, Gold Steps and Lime St. hit even harder live, with the Melbourne crowd howling back every word. A cheeky snippet of blink-182’s Dammit snuck its way into The Beach Is for Lovers (Not Lonely Losers), naturally causing complete chaos amongst the crowd.
Newer cuts like Dumbstruck Dumbf**k and Sort Yourself Out slotted in perfectly alongside the older classics, proving just how strong the Heartbreak era is shaping up to be. After a quick encore break, they returned with December (Again), before closing on a massive, all-in singalong to In Bloom. It was truly the kind of moment that reminded you why Neck Deep are still at the top of the pop punk food chain a full decade in.
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