It felt like the return of an old friend after a long time gone, the Vans Warped Tour was back in Australia, and filled with enough acts to keep everyone busy.
Thankfully, the weather was overcast and promised to stay that way, saving plenty of party goers the dreaded festival burnout. If there was another music festival on that weekend in Adelaide, this crowd didn’t care, and rightly so.
Local act Sierra was first to kick off the day. Playing their own style of melodic hardcore, they started to warm the crowd up for the big day ahead. With a nice thick bass sound, they pumped through their set without any bullshit. Short songs and straight to the point.
Another local act, Far West Battlefront, were a must see with singer Adam Atkins finishing up with the band after the tour. First song in and let the pitting begin! With arms and legs flying around, punters were either staying out or diving into the pit, depending on how brave they felt. The sound was mixed just right, and Far West Battlefront played a great set giving Adam a perfect send off.
Thankfully, the weather was overcast and promised to stay that way, saving plenty of party goers the dreaded festival burnout. If there was another music festival on that weekend in Adelaide, this crowd didn’t care, and rightly so.
Local act Sierra was first to kick off the day. Playing their own style of melodic hardcore, they started to warm the crowd up for the big day ahead. With a nice thick bass sound, they pumped through their set without any bullshit. Short songs and straight to the point.
Another local act, Far West Battlefront, were a must see with singer Adam Atkins finishing up with the band after the tour. First song in and let the pitting begin! With arms and legs flying around, punters were either staying out or diving into the pit, depending on how brave they felt. The sound was mixed just right, and Far West Battlefront played a great set giving Adam a perfect send off.
Tonight Alive were up next with energetic and lovely front woman Jenna McDougall bursting out on stage getting everyone's attention instantly!
The poppy punk tunes were beautifully delivered with the stage presence of a veteran well beyond her years simply jamming and having a great time with her mates. Do I have a thing for Jenna?? Hell yes, who wouldn’t!! She has a great voice, fun attitude and suits the stage so well, even if she did have her head in a bowl throwing up just that very morning, if she hadn’t announced it we would never have known!
She threw a challenge out to the crowd that anyone who could surf over the barrier had to come and give her a high five, and as she sat on the foldbacks singing, bodies started coming over relentlessly, Adelaide certainly didn’t disappoint there!
The poppy punk tunes were beautifully delivered with the stage presence of a veteran well beyond her years simply jamming and having a great time with her mates. Do I have a thing for Jenna?? Hell yes, who wouldn’t!! She has a great voice, fun attitude and suits the stage so well, even if she did have her head in a bowl throwing up just that very morning, if she hadn’t announced it we would never have known!
She threw a challenge out to the crowd that anyone who could surf over the barrier had to come and give her a high five, and as she sat on the foldbacks singing, bodies started coming over relentlessly, Adelaide certainly didn’t disappoint there!
Now for one of the acts I, and many others, was really pumped for. Ska legends Reel Big Fish hit the stage with a party atmosphere that was instantly addictive. Everyone was dancing - including this pasty white guy (me). You’ve got to love a band that can write catchy songs with titles like “I Know You Too Well To Like You Anymore”- don’t we all know someone just like that? With a big shout out to all the Radaladies in the crowd by singer Aaron, aka the man with the best mutton chops of the day, they kicked into “I Want Your Girlfriend To Be My Girlfriend Too”. Even with such a short set they still made time to joke with the crowd and play a great selection of songs. ”S.R.” had everyone trying different dance moves to please the band and we didn’t do too badly. The death metal version even had the security turning around to see if it was the same band on stage! After listening to “Beer”, I thought it appropriate to honour the band’s wishes before catching the next band.
The Used came out and did what everyone wanted - play some dirty loud riffs! With a bit of prompting they managed to get the punters to split down the middle for the first ‘wall of death’ for the day. Crowd surfers crashed overhead thicker than flies around a BBQ. Quinn Allman was wailing on the guitar backed up by a solid effort from drummer Dan Whitesides. You really could not fault them on the day. It’s no wonder so many people were looking forward to their set!
New Found Glory hit the stage and gave their fans a bit of pop punk to chew on. Fists were being pumped in the air while the crowd sang along, knowing every word to songs like “Never Give Up” and “Dressed To Kill”. After their set, vocalist Jordan Pundik jumped off the stage to high five and shake hands with their fans to show his appreciation and it was certainly well received!
With a stern warning to Adelaide that interstate crowds were making us look bad, Hatebreed forced us to take notice, question ourselves, and do something about it! The circle pit then took off around the mixing desk over at stage two. There is no bullshit within a Hatebreed song, it’s all or nothing. And that’s how they played the rest of the set.
The Amity Affliction were here not too long ago but it made no difference. The crowd still swelled and condensed for this one! I’m not sure if the first riff had even finished when the first of many punters were already flying through the air. One of the loudest bands of the day, these Brisbane boys have what it takes to get the whole crowd jumping.
With a stern warning to Adelaide that interstate crowds were making us look bad, Hatebreed forced us to take notice, question ourselves, and do something about it! The circle pit then took off around the mixing desk over at stage two. There is no bullshit within a Hatebreed song, it’s all or nothing. And that’s how they played the rest of the set.
The Amity Affliction were here not too long ago but it made no difference. The crowd still swelled and condensed for this one! I’m not sure if the first riff had even finished when the first of many punters were already flying through the air. One of the loudest bands of the day, these Brisbane boys have what it takes to get the whole crowd jumping.
After a short delay back at the main stage, The Offspring came out to a huge roar, opening with “All I Want”. It’s easy to see they still enjoy what they do up there. “Self Esteem” took me way back, and “Why Don’t You Get A Job” just topped it off. Front man Dexter Holland clearly enjoyed the way the crowd took over for the bridge in ‘Bad Habit’, with ‘Stupid dumb shit God damn Motherfucker' being yelled by everyone with so much gusto I’m surprised veins weren’t exploding in foreheads!
Not to be out done by other bands, the call was put out for crowd surfers to hit the 1000 mark. I’m sure we came close within minutes. The Offspring could have played for hours and still would have missed tracks people wanted, but they hit home with a great selection of songs that showcased a huge career.
I had to run over to catch some of a band that played three back to back SOLD OUT shows here recently, a true testament to their popularity. Parkway Drive was in full swing by the time I got there and the boys from Byron Bay were going off!! Melodic one second, chaotic the next, they could do no wrong. They deserve the recognition they have worked so hard for.
As the music stopped and the punters started clearing it was time to brush myself down, try and find the sunnies that flew off my head, end the day, and reflect on the return of a festival that continues to bring the best of punk and hardcore bands together.
Hope to see you next year Vans Warped Tour, it was a pleasure.
Review by Wayne Walters
Photos by Melissa Donato. See full gallery HERE
Not to be out done by other bands, the call was put out for crowd surfers to hit the 1000 mark. I’m sure we came close within minutes. The Offspring could have played for hours and still would have missed tracks people wanted, but they hit home with a great selection of songs that showcased a huge career.
I had to run over to catch some of a band that played three back to back SOLD OUT shows here recently, a true testament to their popularity. Parkway Drive was in full swing by the time I got there and the boys from Byron Bay were going off!! Melodic one second, chaotic the next, they could do no wrong. They deserve the recognition they have worked so hard for.
As the music stopped and the punters started clearing it was time to brush myself down, try and find the sunnies that flew off my head, end the day, and reflect on the return of a festival that continues to bring the best of punk and hardcore bands together.
Hope to see you next year Vans Warped Tour, it was a pleasure.
Review by Wayne Walters
Photos by Melissa Donato. See full gallery HERE
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