LIVE REVIEW: Stand Atlantic, Honey Revenge, Slowly Slowly, The 1865, Southampton, 18/09/2024
Photo Credit: Alia Thomas
As the sun shone down on Southampton, The 1865 was ready to rock. Fans were lining up early, the queue went around the building, car park and onto the street! There was a buzz in the air and the vibe was set, even before the bands set foot on stage. Following a very successful Summer School tour with Stand Atlantic and Honey Revenge, these two were ready to take on a European tour with support from Slowly Slowly.
Kicking off the show was pop punk band, Slowly Slowly from Melbourne, Australia. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Ben Stewart, drummer Patrick Murphy, guitarist Albert Doan and bassist Alex Quayle. They are relatively unknown in the UK, but they put on a show. With catchy songs, clean vocals and a fun vibe, they could give Neck Deep a run for their money. Stewart kept giving a shout-out to the city of Southampton as he wanted to check the crowd was enjoying themselves. They were. Of course, Stewart also showed love to fellow Australian band and headliner, Stand Atlantic. Slowly Slowly was a great opening act to awaken the crowd, and one thing is apparent; Slowly Slowly definitely gained new fans. 7/10
Following Slowly Slowly, pop rockers Honey Revenge came on, getting the crowd clapping. It was going to be a high-energy and bouncy set. Hailing from Los Angeles, USA, they brought their charm from the Western state and were going to rock the house down. Donned in pink, the band looked well-put together and knew who they were. Honey Revenge have had such an epic rise to stardom and released an extended version of their debut album Retrovision in August 2024. So, of course, this set featured some of their new bangers. The band launched straight into Seeing Negative (Disappointment) and the crowd lapped it up. The band bounced around the stage and it was just the first song! They then followed up with their song of the summer, Recipe for Disaster. Vocalist Devin Papadol was kicking high while guitarist Donovan Lloyd danced around with bassist Tay and had fun with drummer Matt. The energy the band gave off was infectious, the crowd were jumping around; something that Slowly Slowly didn’t achieve.
During Rerun, Papadol jumped down off the stage into the middle of the crowd and danced with fans. The crowd were respectful of her and wanted to savour this moment as bands seldom do this anymore. Yet, Southampton was treated to this and many fans were starstruck by this experience. After that excitement, the band slowed it down with one of their new bangers, Medicine. Despite this song being new, so many people knew the words and sang their hearts out with Papadol. Of course, that was all a ruse as the band launched into some of their angrier songs Sensitive and Worst Apology. So many people were up for crowd-surfing during this part of the set, it looked a lot of fun and the band loved to see it. Nearing the end of their set, they launched into Murphy’s Law, Habitual, Distracted and Are You Impressed. Papadol wanted to see a circle pit and she got her wish. For an audience which seemed very tame at the start of the concert, they were awake, pumped and ready to give everything to Honey Revenge. There were so many smiles in the crowd, many will be seeing the band again.
As the set came to a close many fans were sad to hear that this was the end but the band wouldn’t leave without playing the song that launched them to fame. It was time for Airhead. Many people knew the words, and Papadol got the crowd to get low and as she launched into the final verse, commanded the crowd to “jump, jump, jump.” Many people did. With a previous UK tour of their own, a support tour for The Used last year and a festival slot at this year’s Slam Dunk, they could have easily been the main act! The only thing that was not perfect about this performance was the security. However, the band did everything within their power to help crowd surfers remain safe and are vocal on social media about the mishap. 9.5/10
Now it was time for the final act, Stand Atlantic. Comprised of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bonnie Fraser, lead guitarist David Potter, drummer Jonno Panichi and bassist Miki Rich, this Sydney-based quartet had an extensive catalogue to choose a setlist from. The band needed no introduction. They had a jam-packed setlist to get through and wasted no time starting.
They immediately launched into WAKE UP-SIT DOWN-SHUT UP and followed up by Hair Out. The floor was packed as the crowd punched the air, sang and danced to the first two songs, but it was when the band played Jurrasic Park that Fraser hyped the crowd up with their incredible screams which the crowd lapped up and tried to copy. Stand Atlantic played it loud, fast and with so much energy, it was infectious. And the number of crowd surfers quadrupled. One person even surfed on his stomach!
Between the songs, the band reminisced about their previous times in the south of England and how they loved Southampton before playing one of their biggest hits, Blurry. The crowd sang everything, even the backing. Fraser danced around the stage with their guitar and interacted with the crowd. Whether it was nerves or not, sometimes the vocals were a bit off, but Fraser recovered and gave it their all. They followed up later with Hate Me (Sometimes) from the same album as Blurry (Pink Elephant). This was a poignant moment in the set and Fraser draped an LGBT+ flag as they sang, played the guitar and danced around the stage. So many in the crowd cheered and Fraser unapologetically paraded around with the flag. It was a special moment for all of them.
The band slowed down mid-set with a throwback to their first album. Toothpick was a much-needed song at that moment as fans recharged. However, Fraser asked the crowd “Do you know the words to Drops of Jupiter?” before launching into an interpolation of Train’s Drops of Jupiter. Even if people were not the biggest Train fans, there was no denying that it fitted perfectly into the song and set. After that respite, they launched into one of their newest tracks LOVE U ANYWAY. As the set came to a close, they treated fans to Dumb, CRIMINAL and ended on the banger, Deathwish. Although the night was not done; they were set on an encore. After a brief time off the stage, Stand Atlantic had two songs for fans. To round the night off, they played another major hit, Coffee at Midnight before the penultimate song, GIRL$ featuring Honey Revenge’s Papadol.
There is so much love for all the acts but a couple of things stood out. Both Slowly Slowly and Stand Atlantic bring to the world stage that Australia is where pop-punk is at. Although Australia is far from the UK, anyone who is into rock and alternative should be looking at what talent comes from ‘down under’. As for Honey Revenge, they demonstrate that despite their youthfulness, they are masterminds at song-writing and composition. They always give each live performance 110% and make the crowd feel special. 8/10
Written By: Jo Lisney
Photo Credit: Alia Thomas
