Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms welcomed Stand Atlantic on the first date of their first ever headline tour. The Australian pop punk quartet were unable to tour their sophomore album Pink Elephant due to the coronavirus pandemic, so naturally, Jodie Averis was eagerly anticipating their performance. Here are her thoughts.
Sadly, I missed the support for Stand Atlantic; however, when I arrived into the venue, the crowd was buzzing and so I can only speculate that they were well received by the crowd and also an appropriate warm-up. There was a certain buzz in the air, I might even call it apprehension, as we were all waiting to see what Stand Atlantic could do after retaining our tickets for a year and a half.
"Spunky front woman Bonnie Fraser took to the stage like a duck to water, beer in hand, and grin on face"
And we were not to be disappointed. Spunky front woman Bonnie Fraser took to the stage like a duck to water, beer in hand, and grin on face. Jumping straight into Jurassic Park from Pink Elephant, it was clear to see that Fraser and the band were overjoyed to finally be showcasing their record to the Rescue Rooms crowd. Followed then by Eviligo, Stand Atlantic went on to play some of their older fan favourites, such as my personal favourite, Skinny Dipping.
It was interesting to see the influence of different genres so quickly, as some critics commented on Pink Elephant’s more 'poppy' sound in comparison to its predecessor. It is well worth mentioning that Fraser is a compelling and charming front woman, who regularly interacted with her crowd and demonstrated her fun and feisty personality. Stand Atlantic played several numbers from their upcoming album, including pity party and popular deathwish, as well as teasing us with an unreleased track, dumb. Through these singles, they have demonstrated that despite slightly evolving their sound with Pink Elephant, they retain their angst and gusto.
There was a slight interlude with Fraser ‘fucking up the lyrics’ when launching into ballad Drink to Drown, and it took her three attempts to sing them correctly. However, this did not interrupt their flow; she laughed along with the sea of us sweaty onlookers, proving that her nerves aren’t anything compared to her big personality and her desire to put on a show. It was a moment of pride for us older Stand Atlantic fans, to see the band not take themselves too seriously, and allow room for these things; "after all, it is our first fucking headline show!" Fraser cheers.
"Stand Atlantic showed that their energy and personality allows them to conquer their anxieties of their first headline show"
After Fraser baring her most vulnerable self with Toothpick and Drink to Drown, her voice understandably shaking slightly with emotion but retaining its note, she swiftly launches back into Hate Me (Sometimes) and Coffee at Midnight, before saving the best until last, their furious new single Molotov [OK]. "Spin the fuck around" she tells the crowd and bodies began to collide. By ending on this note, Stand Atlantic showed that their energy and personality allows them to conquer their anxieties of their first headline show. It will be exciting to see them grace a larger stage in the future; and it looks bright, for the band from Down Under.
Jodie Averis
Edited by: Gemma Cockrell
Featured image courtesy of Stand Atlantic via Facebook.
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