27 April 2025 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words and pictures by Cody-James Henderson
When it comes down to the nitty gritty, one of the most consistently evolving and nostalgic genres of all time is none other than pop punk. The various waves have seen us go from Descendents and Billy Idol, to Green Day and The Offspring, through to Good Charlotte and Sum 41. But at the turn of the decades in 2010, the new waves of acts seemingly went more underground. It’s not that it lacked in any quality, but the styles and demands were different.
But very quickly from the underground, came a couple of teens from the UK making music in their bedroom. Very suddenly, this underground band surged through the surface and was a household name before they had truly gotten started. Neck Deep have since become a national treasure in the scene, riding the forefront of the next generation of pop punk. A decade after breaking through, the band are back to Australia once more for the release of their 2024 self titled album, bringing with them their best friends in State Champs and Australian up and comers Late 90s.
Late 90s: Before this tour was announced, I wasn’t familiar with the name of Late 90’s, in fact the only term I ever used the term was to tell people when I was born so they’d stop hassling me. But as I hear the nostalgic sounds of now 17x champion John Cena come across the speakers, consider my interests peaked.
Guitar harmonics, fender bass, denim shorts with pulled up socks in dickies shoes… oh yeah, this is the Late 90’s indeed. It’s all grit, less glamour from the get go. Where the pop punk are there to be heard, there’s a collective fusion of Australian Alternative structured like melodic hardcore. Think Silverchair meets Turnstile that honours a variety of strong 90s defining rock elements. The quartet from Perth are familiar to a few faces in the crowd that have been to a few shows on this tour. But none so familiar to family members in the crowd who are seeing guitarist Zaac Morgan play some of the biggest stages of his life time.
Late 90’s – FMH – photos by Cody-James Henderson
“If we don’t see you at the merch desk, we will see you in the pit” claims vocalist Stephen Loreck. The level of crowd participation can be hard to balance when performing with an instrument, but the balance is perfected here tonight. A near full room follows every command all whilst simultaneously moving along. There is a clear appreciation for this kind of opportunity not just as musicians but as fans. That kind of reminder that the bands we see enjoy the concerts as much as the next person is a gentle return to realisation.
It’s clear that Late 90s are destined for many splendid things. Where their name takes on the past, the future seems infinite. I wonder
STATE CHAMPS: When I first heard State Champs in late 2014, I knew I was entering a realm of 0 return. I had tested the waters of pop punk to the depths of my ankle, but this was a swell that took me in. The first ticket I bought for a show on my 18th birthday was to see State Champs and some UK band (I might remember their name later) But now, a decade has passed, 3 more albums have been released and State Champs are finally back in Brisbane. After 10 years, would it feel the same as before?
The band attest self titled gets us underway with ‘Silver Cloud’ sending the music hall into eruption. It’s hard to believe that State Champs are the main support act tonight and not the headliners when hits like ‘Mine is Gold’ and ‘Losing Myself’ garner strong sing a longs from a near sold out crowd. The end of tour can often lead to tiresome performances, especially when a band has come across the world from New York. But the jet lag appears to be transparent as vocalist Derek DiScanio powers through barely remaining still. His actions almost contagious in an attempt to be more than just a warm up.
State Champs – FMH – photos by Cody-James Henderson
Still smashing out many a track from their latest album, a voice from behind me yells “Play The Constant” much to the laughter of friends. Without a skip, Derek lets out “Track 1, The Constant” as if it were a voice command. As bassist Ryan Graham spin cycles a waterfall of sweat across the stage, the youthfulness of my first State Champs show rains on my mind. Not a moment has been lost in these last 10 years, it’s only gotten stronger, more concise, more evolved into the foundations of Pop Punk. This isn’t the same group of kids I saw play to a room of 500 people, this is the very here and now of this wonderful genre.
It wasn’t solely for the new school of fans. ‘All You Are is History’ and ‘Elevated’ transport fans to the very beginning and earliest peaks of the bands career. The parallels of growth of State Champs and Neck Deep are almost identical. Having toured Australia together twice in the past, it feels correct to have them here again. What feels more correct is having ND vocalist Ben Barlow join the New Yorkers for his part in ‘Everybody But You’, settling the biggest “What If?” question of the night. Even if you knew it was happening, it was a pleasant surprise. Rounding out with the stratospheric launch that is ‘Secrets’ the band promised to give everything that had for the 45 minutes they were allotted, and to say they gave anything less than that would be a lie.
NECK DEEP: Oh hey, it’s that UK band I was talking about earlier! If State Champs were the band that brought me waist deep into Pop Punk waters, then Neck Deep were the ones to flood me up to my neck (Pun intended) It’s hard for me to describe just exactly what this band has done for me over the last 11 years, so allow me to do my best.
The band is here on the grounds of their also suitably self titled latest album. Front loading the set with a powerful rendition of ‘Heartbreak of the Century’ the 5 lads from the UK are at their most energetic when given the space to be free. This is only reinforced as the band two steps and spins their way through ‘STFU’. Inflatable Aliens are launched from the crowd for ‘Take Me With You’ as vocalist Ben Barlow claims the only options we have as a human race is “World peace or an Alien invasion”. The invasion sounds fine as long as we can get through the remainder of tonight’s already iconic show.
Neck Deep – FMH – photos by Cody-James Henderson
The band are celebrating a monumental milestone in 2025. Their breakthrough album ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ turns 10. Where I thought the bands next tour would be an anniversary set, the band made sure to celebrate a chunk of it with us. From the theatrical and mythical ‘Kali Ma’ into the anthem of the 2010s ‘Gold Steps’ it clearly didn’t matter when you became a fan of Neck Deep, what matters is that this album has had influence on every single person in this room. Even when the band had their doubts of the room lying about being old school ND fans, ‘The Beach is for Lovers, Not Lonely Losers’ soon changed their minds as not a single word was skipped. But as soon as the history began, it was quickly back into the newer eras of UKs finest.
An all girl mosh pit for ‘She’s a God’ was an astounding success for those in attendance, before slowing things down for ‘It Won’t Be Like This Forever’ in tribute to all those in attendance that had their lives saved by the bands music. I took a moment for myself here to relish in the confidence this band gave me through my latter teen years and I don’t think I was the only one. Much as the set started with the bands latest album, it would end that way with the likes of ‘Dumbstruck Dumbf**k’ and ‘Sort Yourself Out’ seemingly becoming highly regarded fan favourites even just a year after the albums release. A very politically motivated Barlow would then go on to proclaim “Pop Punk has always been political. If you don’t stand for something then you’re living for nothing” for the resounding ‘We Need More Bricks’ before the show would enter an encore.
As we come back around to the ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ chapter once’s more for ‘December (Again)’ I sit and yearn for the day that we get another acoustic version of this performance. As much as the full band version is an enjoyable experience, sometimes I just want to cry to an all time emo classic and it’s hard to do that when others are moshing around you. But what did nearly make me cry was Barlow going on record saying “I don’t like playing this song” before breaking out ‘A Part of Me’ with the full band at tow. A song I never expected to hear again, the crowd took full control here for the loudest singing session I’ve ever heard in this building. Truly a memorable moment. Giving high praise to Late 90s and their friends in State Champs, the members of said bands would join the stage for ‘In Bloom’ to round out tonight’s show and the entire tour in truly united fashion.
From the underground into some of the largest rooms in Australia, tonight was proof that Neck Deep are here to stay and are deserving of the highs they have gone on to reach. It was something for absolutely everyone that celebrates 10 years of one of the most well deserving names in the history of Pop Punk. A terrific ending to the bands most successful and monumental Australian tours.
