Korn‘s Jonathan Davis was so excited by ORGY that he created his own record label …
REAL FRIENDS w/ Columbus and Harbours
Wednesday July 27th, 2017
The Brightside, Brisbane
After witnessing the furious two-piece that is ’68 wreck the Crowbar stage last night, we decide to back it up again for another mid-week gig, as Illinois pop-punk masters Real Friends pull in to town.
After our friend Geoff Jefferson does a hasty car-park, we stroll up to The Brightside and grumble through the indignity of having our ID scanned at 8pm, before catching the tail-end of random beer-garden trivia.
With some tasty beverages in hand, we slide into a booth with a solid view of the stage as the warm up act sets about the task of actually warming up. We’ve never heard of openers Joy In Motion, but it doesn’t take long for the band’s overly polished, saccharine pop-rock to leave a sour taste in our mouth. With an over-reliance on obvious backing tracks and cringey stage banter, things aren’t off to a great start—and oh, did we mention that’s just the soundcheck? Yeah, they haven’t even properly started yet. After an eternity of dicking around (vocalist Jake Solway had to quickly check his hair in his phone screen), the four-piece finally kick off with the track Foolish Boy, and its bombastic sound and radio-friendly ‘whoa-oh-oh’s feel awkward and overblown. It’s clear that the group figure themselves to be the next Twenty One Pilots, and between cuts like Falling Out and Can’t Stop/Won’t Stop (sadly not a Madball cover), Solway and bassist Patrick Heaton spend their time spruiking t-shirts and sucking up to the tour promoter.
Their set sounds more like shameless self-promotion than real emotive art; that is until Heaton makes it abundantly clear that the band has “great customer service.” Which makes complete sense, especially when the band sounds like they got most of their songs from a fucking drive-thru. Oh, and they somehow completely lifted an entire synth line from Minus The Bear’s Lies and Eyes on See Your Face. Hhhmmm. We almost feel bad for drummer Carly Sinn, who at least does a competent job of punishing her kit; and while we certainly can’t begrudge a band for wanting to play entirely safe pop music, it still feels like we’re watching an empty vessel. If the band ditched the backing tracks, the bells and whistles, played a floor show or two, and wrote songs that didn’t function on tired, love ballad platitudes, they might have a chance. Until then, Daddy’s Trustfund In Motion have a way to go.
After washing down the bile in our throat with a beer or seven, Melbourne alt-rock act Harbours take the stage and bring some much-needed grit and heaviness to tonight’s proceedings. We last saw the five-piece supporting Funeral For A Friend on their anniversary/farewell run, and when they launch in to recent single Flicker and Fade, we’re happy to see that the band has lost none of their power or stage presence. Churning through tracks from 2016’s Nothing Stays The Same, the driving riffs of Take Me Under are a highlight, alongside that creeping title track. Fans of contemporaries like Balance & Composure and Basement would certainly find a lot to like here. For us, the real takeaway is watching skinsman Kristian Evagelistis’ epic drum faces. Dude is as tight musically as he is visually hilarious. Jokes aside, Harbours rock through a brief set and leave the crowd salivating for more. Get on top of that debut album fellas, ASAP.
Harbours // by Charlyn Cameron
We see plenty of smiling faces singing along with every word.
Next up are home-town boys Columbus, and right from the get-go it’s easy to see that their profile has taken some leaps and bounds in recent months. Tracks like Replace Me and Daffodil get a massive cheer from the crowd, and we’re caught off guard by how much people are singing along and throwing themselves into the music. Guitarist Alex Moses and bassist Ben Paynter can’t help but smile as the chanting for the verse of Learn To Swim, off their album Spring Forever, becomes borderline deafening.
Their heart-on-sleeves punk rock is exactly what the crowd wants this evening. Moses stokes everyone’s ego by continually calling The Brightside the ‘best venue in Australia’—a huge call no doubt. Dusting off the Vinnies-endorsed op-shop single Next To Me from their recent EP, the boys are clearly proponents of what we categorise as ‘the Luca Brasi effect,’ with solid triple j rotation seemingly raising the band’s profile ever higher. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that Columbus were tonight’s headliner, as the energy in the room is utterly infectious. As Moses lends some rough screams to welcome older tracks (his mouth agape to the point where it’s Steve-Tyler-esque), even hitting the occasional bum note and screaming out “Fuck!” only endears him to the crowd even more. All in all, it’s a fantastic set and we can only expect bigger things for these Brissy gents.
Columbus // by Charlyn Cameron
We refresh our beverage once more and set about protecting our booth vantage point from a few vultures, who circle around looking for anywhere to add extra centimetres to their view of the stage. Then, with little fanfare, pop-punk overlords Real Friends emerge from the curtain backdrop to take the stage. There’s a brief intro track to set the mood and then the Illinois five-piece are off and running into the glorious bounce of Empty Picture Frames from their recent full-length album, The Home Inside My Head. Guitarists Dave Knox and Eric Haines deliver crisp riffs and thunderous power chords, as vocalist and affable frontman Dan Lambton soars through the chorus. The entire crowd sing back the refrain of “Walls with empty picture frames/No one will ever see.”
The group transition into the slow-burn of Colder Quicker, and it’s clear that the Brisbane crowd is beyond stoked tonight. A sweaty throng of chanting girls up front sliding alongside pop-punk bros in hoodies, angling for the best stagedive launchpad. Bassist Kyle Fasel addresses the crowd, thanking the dedicated fans for coming out, nostalgically mentioning the band’s previous Aussie outings and tour spots. Before the next track, Fasel challenges the crowd to “turn it up” in full hype-beast mode, as his bandmates take everyone for a wild ride through their discography.
Real Friends // by Charlyn Cameron
The pace of Loose Ends keeps the energy up, while old jams like Floorboards and Late Nights In My Car get a rousing reception of cheers and beers from across The Brightside floor. When the band slow things down for a simmering take on Mokena, the smitten fans up front swing and sway with Lambton, replete with his Hurley from Lost hair-do and Patrick Stump sideburns, who croons each note softly with every deft melody. Meanwhile drummer Brian Blake is the silent hero of the evening, effortlessly keeping time and chugging along with brisk rhythms, best accentuated on the banging intro to the catchy Lost Boy.
It’s a little after the mid-way point in the set, where some technical difficulties hamper the band’s flow. Knox, Blake and Fasel leaving the stage to huddle in damage control. Never one to be flustered, Lambton works the crowd with some banter and humourous anecdotes on the ills of modern technology. With Haines by his side, the two remaining Real Friends deliver a stripped-back take on Sixteen, which has the crowd going suitably apeshit. We see plenty of smiling faces singing along with every word. Interchange comes and goes, replacing Haines with a returning Knox, as the band move quickly into the heart-breaking I’ve Given Up On You. With the full line-up restored, Real Friends hit full steam once again, powering through cuts like I Don’t Love You Anymore and fan-favourite Dead.
With only one song remaining, Lambton thanks the crowd for what feels like the thousandth time, but it’s clear that he humbly means every word. Rounding out with hit single Mess, the crowd is practically roaring back to lines like “Last year I was a train wreck/Now I’m just a mess/I’m letting go, so I don’t lose myself,” and we catch ourselves smiling like an idiot at the cheeky Death Cab reference in the verse. As The Brightside empties out, the Brissy crowd can rest easy knowing that they were where they needed to be tonight, amongst real friends old and new.
Catch Real Friends with special guests Columbus & Harbours touring Australia this July/August. Read our interview with Real Friends’ Kyle here!
Fri July 28, Ahepa Hall, Brisbane QLD (AA)
Sat July 29, The Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW (Lic/AA)
Mon July 31, YMCA HQ, Perth WA (AA)
Tue Aug 1, Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA (18+)
Wed Aug 2, Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA (Lic/AA)
Thu Aug 3, The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne VIC (18+)
Fri Aug 4, Arrow on Swanston, Melbourne VIC (AA)
