STEPSON // Youth Of Today

STEPSON with Vitals, Tired Eyes & Days Like These
The Backbone, Brisbane
Saturday, 25 August, 2018

Only at an all ages gig will you see a room full for the first act, and The Backbone had a decent crowd despite being 6pm on a Saturday. The Backbone, born out of the steady downfall of Brisbane’s AA venues, is a bowls club turned live music space, and this would mark it’s largest event yet.

MORE: HALLOWEEN HYSTERIA: Your Guide To The Best Gig This October // THE AMITY AFFLICTION: No Script Necessary // TROPHY EYES: The Dreamers And The Doers // ALPHA WOLF: … And Out Come The Breakdowns // OUTRIGHT: Don’t Holler Atcha Girl
REVIEWS: THE AMITY AFFLICTION: Misery // TROPHY EYES: The American Dream // AS IT IS: The Great Depression // MANTAR: The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze

Starting the night off with some local talent, pop-punk sad boys Days Like These opened on Autumn Winds off their 2018 release State of Growth. Between playing more tracks off the album, the band pulled a fast one on the crowd by playing an interesting cover of Perfect Places by Lorde, it was going to be hit or miss with the crowd and unfortunately it was the latter. With the pace faltering after the underwhelming cover, Days Like These managed to pull it together with a heavy end to the set, finishing on fan favourite Lucille and making up for energy lost prior.

Days Like These // By Aimee Ravik

The problem with newer venues are they’re often still working out technical kinks, and sadly for Tired Eyes they took the brunt of them. With mic issues cutting the first song short, the set didn’t have time to replay the track and had to move on. Following up with “You know something good is about to happen when everything’s going wrong!” this rang true as the band went on to play Outta Sight of their latest EP In Denial, Force a Smile. The success of the set was short lasting as the band started a song they hadn’t played live before, they ended up starting it a few times over and never getting the hang of it, closing their set early.

Tired Eyes // Bt Aimee Ravik

Tired Eyes // By Aimee Ravik

By now the crowd seemed a little disappointed that the night hadn’t been super heavy so far but there was still a buzz of excitement as the headlining set neared. The third support Vitals read the room and came to similar conclusions deciding it was time for things to get a lot heavier, with lead vocalist Corey trying to start a pit early on in the set. The band had a solid set without many standout moments, but it was high energy and well and truly prepared the band crowd for the headliner.

Vitals // By Aimee Ravik

Vitals // By Aimee Ravik

Vitals // By Aimee Ravik

The youth of today clearly haven’t stumbled across the age old question of whether or not it’s weird to rep the merch of the band you’re going to see to the actual gig, with almost a third of the crowd donning Stepson gear. The cult like fans pushed forward the moment stepson stepped onto the floor, and as the band opened a crowd initiated circle pit ensued. With more dirt and grit in their live performance compared to their recorded tracks, the room was encapsulated in the bands energy.

Stepson // By Aimee Ravik

Stepson // By Aimee Ravik

Giving the crowd more than they’d bargained for with a $12 cover charge, Stepson teased an unreleased song before playing something much older that lead vocalist Brock Conry claimed might just be the last time they ever play it. As the band eased into Twelve from 2014 record Broken Bottles / Drunken Hearts, the room was filled with a bittersweet feel, stoked to be seeing such an iconic song but one they may never see again.

Stepson // By Aimee Ravik

Stepson // By Aimee Ravik

Despite battling some more mic issues, the band finished on a high note and the entire night was a reminder that AA gigs go harder than most licensed ones, and they’re also introducing the scene to a wide range of age groups … including the 4 year old that was kicking around at the front of the pit for the first half of the night.

Stepson play Halloween Hysteria at The Jubilee Hotel in Brisbane on Saturday October 27 with The Bennies, King Parrot, Void Of Vision, Alpha wolf and many more.
Tickets available here.