It may have taken 11 long years, but Vans Warped Tour finally made its way back to Australia. A small but eager crowd assembled for The Dangerous Summer. A combination of fans screaming along to every word and intrigued punters who’d walked in the gates and stopped to look, were treated to a high energy set made for singing and bopping along. Across the park, a much bigger crowd were pogoing away to Man Overboard’s angsty but irresistibly catchy pop-punk, the band’s successful musical formula keeping the crowd with them. Tonight Alive continued to prove why they wear the crown as darlings of Australian pop-punk. Led by green-haired princess Jenna McDougall they raced through a set filled with sing-alongs, crowd surfing and united fist pumps, every band member on point from start to finish.
Punters continued to support the aussie talent with Hands Like Houses pulling a huge crowd to the smallest stage, their combination of heavy rock, electronic elements and an engaging stage presence kept everyone impressed.
Vocalist Bert McCracken emerged prowling around the stage before The Used powered through a set of classics from their earliest three releases. They may be older and have a lot less hair but they still rocked through their set like it was 2004. We Came As Romans were ready to put on a show, and they did, complete with synchronized punk jumps and head-banging. While clean vocalist Kyle Pavone still has some work to do, the rest of the band definitely hold their own on stage. New Found Glory successfully transported the crowd back to the last time they were on Warped Tour in Australia, playing their album Sticks and Stones in its entirety. Because really, what’s better than watching grown ass men jumping around to Forget My Name like it’s still 2002? The Amity Affliction never fail to please a crowd, and Warped was no exception. The triple header of R.I.P Bon, Fruity Lexia and Youngbloods proved just why Amity have gathered one of the most passionate followings in Australia over the last four years.
With hits including Addicted, Shut Up and Perfect, even the most metal punters were caught singing along during Simple Plan’s deliciously catchy set. Led by the happiest dude in metalcore, Parkway Drive continue to be one of our biggest exports, and rightly so. From the intro to Dark Days until Carrion’s closing riffs they had the crowd in a frenzy and completely under their control. The Offspring had main stage closing duties, powering through a set spanning 21 years of their career and proving that time has not faded their entertainment factor. Their memorable lyrics, and hilarious stage banter ensured punters closed the night in style.
BY GLORIA BRANCATISANO
Photos by Emily Day
Loved: That I can finally tick the Warped Tour dream off my bucketlist.
Hated: Sunburn and swollen ankles – should have worn socks!
Drank: A gallon of water and a half frozen tropical slushie.
