Live Review: The Wonder Years, Knuckle Puck, Our Past Days, The Away Game

Local trio The Away Game had the distinct honour of opening the show. Channelling the poppier elements of Massachusetts' Four Year Strong, then injecting more traditionalist pop-punk a la Blink 182, the three-piece certainly grabbed the crowd's attention justifying their presence on the bill. Worth The Risk, Good Things, Growing Up and new single Be Yourself from the band's new EP Tiffany all had many nods of appreciation from the willing audience and if there is anything for The Away Game to take "away" from the show, it is that their exposure on this night will most likely do "wonders" for them.

From the get-go Sydney's Our Past Days there didn't seem much to be missed from the quintet's shaky start. This hesitance soon diminished however and the five-piece found their feet, especially during their track Hide when their chemistry exponentially grew along with their vigour. While it did seem that the stage size hampered the outfit, their song Bloom Where You're Planted showed why the quintet are making waves nationwide with their The Story So Far-inspired brand of punk. A hot tip would be for vocalist Matt Doherty to scrap the use of a mic stand altogether, he glided remarkably without it.

Chicago's Knuckle Puck have been called the "next big thing" in numerous feature articles world wide in prominent rock magazines; the hype was certainly there. But the question becomes whether the reality is worth the hype? Honestly, it was; the five-piece came out blazing with the energy of a hardcore outfit and the heartfelt songwriting elegance of a band decades senior to them. Although clearly more suited to intimate, smaller venues, the larger stage of Fowlers did not hinder the quintet at all; they simply transformed it into a venue they preferred to play. Wall To Wall, In Your Crosshairs, Disdain, But Why Would You Care?, Your Back Porch, Bedford Falls, Stuck, Swing, Evergreen, Pretense, Untitled and the obvious favourite No Good inspired a growth in moshpit intensity, crowdsurfing and deafening singalongs. At this point it could have been Knuckle Puck's show, but there was a more distinguished act on Adelaide's collective mind.

With an attendee rocking a full-headed bird mask in the front row, the appreciation for The Wonder Years was obvious. It had become hard to move in the Fowler's venue and the levels of eagerness were otherworldly. Six Philadelphians marched on stage ready to deliver their wholehearted musical statement for the first time in six years. I Don't Like Who I Was Then ignited the sextet and their prolific, diverse pop-punk driven by honest lyricism incited chaos in their adorers. The energy was infectious, vocalist Dan "Soupy" Campbell executed his dancing spins with the elegance of an eagle's flight and showcased his emotional intelligence with inspirational between-song speeches. Local Man Ruins Everything, A Song For Ernest Hemingway, I Wanted So Badly To Be Brave, Washington Square Park, The Devil In My Bloodstream, Dismantling Summer, Don't Let Me Cave In, Cardinals, A Song For Patsy Cline, Living Room Song, Passing Through A Screen Door, Melrose Diner and Cigarettes & Saints provoked crowdsurfers and parallel feelings to Soupy's eloquently sung descriptions — it is unsurprising that he is as admired as much as he is, if anything he deserves more. That is the best thing about The Wonder Years, just how genuine they are with their music and their attitude. The encore of Came Out Swinging was a lovely goodbye letter, especially with the guest vocals of Joe Taylor from Knuckle Puck and Soupy crowdsurfing off stage to join his admirers and scream along. No Closer To Heaven may be the title of The Wonder Years' fifth album, but South Australians may have got just that bit closer after this performance. Don't wait another six years please TWY!