Live Review: Real Friends, With Confidence, Columbus, Dan Cribb & The Isolated

Thursday night proved that pop-punk is still alive and well, with a whopping six bands taking to the stage over the course of the evening to a robust and eventually rowdy crowd. Calm Collected kicked things off with a very smooth and composed set — it’s obvious they’re confident in their sound and it resonated with the audience. One Last Thing were more gritty in their approach, and vocalist Shan Taciak enjoyed swaggering around the stage in front of a handful of passionate fans. Dan Cribb & The Isolated were tight and received the most laughs of the evening thanks to some top notch onstage banter, before the first non-local band, Brisbane’s Columbus, took to the stage. Like One Last Thing, the trio were gutsy in their delivery, and Alex Moses’ throaty and energetic vocals complemented the emotional pull of the instrumental work from the other members; they’re seemingly heading in the right direction with newer tracks like Downsides Of Being Honest and Toss & Turn standouts among a solid set.

With Confidence certainly won over a heap of new fans over the course of the evening — there didn’t seem to be a note out of place as they powered through song after song with precision and grace. That’s not to say they don’t pack a punch — Jayden Seeley seamlessly switched between clean and coarse vocals, while the harmonies provided by Inigo Del Carmen were to a tee. London Lights was a particular standout and the group provided the perfect vibe for the eagerly awaited headliners.

Real Friends vocalist Dan Lambton was happy-go-lucky all evening and continually expressed how much he loved being in the country throughout the set. After the band kicked things off with last year’s debut album opener I Don’t Love You Anymore, a punter raised his fist into the air with a pair of glasses in hand to pass to the band on stage. “See, if this was in America, they’d have been smashed with a foot and then pissed on. That, right there, is a Good Samaritan.” After Skin Deep, Lambton again exclaimed quite genuinely how exciting it was to play an 18+ show, which apparently doesn’t happen very often. The crowdsurfing kicked in with Loose Ends and older track Anchor Down, before the band took it back with a few slower tracks including Old Book and Lost Boy. They played through a few more tracks from last year’s Maybe This Place Is The Same And We’re Just Changing, including newer one Cover You Up, but fan favourite Late Nights In My Car was the clincher for the night, sending people swooning. Pop punk mightn’t be at the height it once was, but at least the bands and fans still have plenty of passion.