Sunday 14 April
Supports: Boys Like Girls, We the Kings, JAX
Canadian pop punk icons Simple Plan haven’t been to our corner of the world since before the pandemic (Good Things Festival 2019 was their last appearance down under for those wondering), so it is no wonder that their first Australian tour in four – almost five – years was an absolute sellout. This band are a huge reason why I am in the music business and a core reason why this website exists today. Besides spreading the glory and goodness of emo, pop punk and everything in-between, of course.
The evening kicked off at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall with US upcoming artist JAX. If you’re a regular TikToker you may well be familiar with her antics, but for most in the room, it was a first glance into this Jersey/LA act. In summary? Honestly, JAX does what entertainers do best: she entertained us with so much enthusiasm. What felt something inbetween comedy and music, the star sang songs that pulled into the depths of nostalgia – a quirky soundtrack for 90s kids, which fittingly catered to 90% of the audience. A particular highlight was her ode to ‘Adam Sandler’ – a catchy, pompous but cheeky track about paying homage to some of the best films of our youth.
If JAX’s band looked familiar to you, then you’d have realised that The Summer Set drummer Jess Bowen made a sneaky appearance on this tour alongside guitarist Nash Overstreet (of Hot Chelle Rae). We’re now secretly wishing for them to return to Australia with their own projects in the near future…
Following this, the first cab off the rank on the triple pop punk threat headliner were Florida quintet We The Kings. Launching straight into their zestful hit ‘Skyway Avenue‘, the band had fans captivated and hooked for much of their performance. Frontman Travis Clark offered up plenty of banter inbetween songs as a way of increasing that fan interaction tenfold. Clark even went down in the moshpit to get amongst the action. Each song flowed effortlessly into the next, which only added to the momentum of the evening, being a full-throttle pop punk gig. The boys seem to be frothing the nostalgia and the new life that ‘Check Yes Juliet‘ is taking on too.
Offering up even more than nostalgia though were emo heartthrobs Boys Like Girls. Vocalist Martin Johnson, alongside fellow OG drummer John Keefe and new recruits Gregory James and Jamel Hawke are currently in the midst of a new era with last year’s release, SUNDAY AT FOXWOODS. Boys Like Girls took to the stage opening with fan favourites ‘Love Drunk‘ and ‘Five Minutes to Midnight‘ and honestly, it threw me straight back to the emo-clad years of 2006.
As the bars of ‘BLOOD AND SUGAR‘ began to play out over the speakers though, the overall vibe did flatline for a minute, and it was only ride-or-die fans that were vibing on this new, evolved sound. Although a little less rock, Boys Like Girls‘ newest material is very much still emo pop at its deepest. When you drop 2009’s ‘She’s Got A Boyfriend Now‘ right in between that and ‘LANGUAGE‘, well, I can guarantee that every head in the pit had their head bopping and singing along to those “na-na-na..” by the end.
Banter was kept to a minimum, and this meant that more bops could be squeezed into the band’s hour-long set. Nevertheless, Martin definitely had most females in the room swooning, particularly when he serenaded the entire venue with loved-up anthem ‘Be Your Everything‘ which kicked into the Taylor Swift collaboration ‘Two Is Better Than One‘. I think I speak for every girl that night when I say that hearts exploded that evening. By the time ‘The Great Escape‘ came on, you can bet your life that emo hearts were pumped with all the nostalgia and overwhelmed sensations.
Stay tuned for more Boys Like Girls next week on PITPASS.com.au in our sidestage chat with singer Martin Johnson.
The lead-up to Simple Plan taking the stage really had that emo night kinda atmosphere. Emo anthems of our formative years like Papa Roach’s ‘Last Resort’, Good Charlotte’s ‘The Anthem‘ and Sum 41’s ‘In Too Deep‘ blared out across the Music Hall, which almost made us forget about the lower back aches creeping up by then. We’re definitely not kids anymore. But the music and stage lights dimmed and the opening bars to the Star Wars theme song played out, which was a tad cheesy but I’ll take it. Pierre Bouvier, Sebastien Lefebvre, Jeff Stinco and Chuck Comeau took their places on stage and as soon as that intro to ‘I’d Do Anything‘ played, it was pop punk heaven.
‘I’d Do Anything‘ led to ‘Shut Up‘ which then led to ‘Jump‘ and when Pierre tells you to “jump“, you kinda just do it. I am definitely not 24 anymore because, three songs in, all that jumping had me completely out of breath. Nevertheless, singing along to every word, being in a Simple Plan moshpit is the biggest mood. It’s my happy place, and tonight, there was no place better.
Simple Plan powered through their strongest setlist in YEARS. ‘Your Love Is A Lie‘ gave us a minute to catch our breath before Jeff led the way with his guitar solo moment before taking things up a level with heartbreaker anthem ‘Addicted‘. Fan favourites ‘Welcome To My Life‘ and ‘Summer Paradise‘ offered ultimate singalongs, beach ball grabs and maximum crowd interaction, something the band has superseded in their twenty-year career.
But wait, they’re still not done yet. Having just released their Harder Than It Looks LP in 2022, Pierre cemented their icon status by reminding the crowd that when someone tears you down, the only thing you do is throw your middle finger in the air, get outta that rut and push back even harder. That ethos has stuck with many fans over the years and Simple Plan proved it is part of their formula for longevity with an endearing performance of new hit ‘Iconic‘. The only other newish track that appeared tonight was ‘Million Pictures of You‘, which seemed to please many diehards, given it’s one of the top standouts from the album. Personally, I definitely would have enjoyed hearing ‘Ruin My Life‘ live as well!
Levels of dopamine were through the roof as the French Canadians performed a VERY unique mix of ‘Grow Up‘ that segued into the live debut of ‘Vacation‘. Hearing this song finally in a live setting was the tip of the iceberg of this entire tour and it will make any fan who missed out on tickets envious as hell. That and if you were one of the lucky chosen few who got to dance on stage with Simple Plan during ‘What’s New, Scooby Doo‘, well, you will be reminiscing about this show for years to come.
Simple Plan’s infamous party mashups was a chance to party like it was 2003 with Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’, ‘Sk8er Boi’ by Avril Lavigne and ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers — all massive classic pop punk hits. Aussie fans were even treated to a special rendition of The Angels’ classic ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again‘, and seeing the amused yet stoked grin on Pierre’s face hearing the crowd chant “no way, get fucked, fuck off!” was absolutely priceless. Alongside that and the Bluey-themed entrance before the encore and in front of us is a band who are the leaders in fan engagement. Bands, be more like Simple Plan.
The evening ended with fiery cannons of confetti pouring over the crowd as the band performed the finale (‘Perfect‘ what else could it be?). Cue the cliche, but the only thing missing was an encore of ‘BOOM!‘ — oh well, there’s always next tour. Here’s hoping Australia won’t have to wait four more years for Simple Plan to return.
Review by Tamara May
Photos by Reece Trudgen
