New Yorkers State Champs bring their iconic pop-punk charm to a sold out O2 Ritz in Manchester
February 22nd, 2025 - Manchester, UK
As soon as the line-up for State Champs UK tour landed, you instantly knew what sort of show awaited – a stacked bill of pop punk as the Albany legends celebrate the release of their self-titled record that graced fans late last year. With sell-out signs appearing across the board, the scene was set for something special. The legendary springy floor of the O2 Ritz goes hand in hand with a pop punk show, very few places can produce atmosphere quite like this place. The scene is set, fans queue around the venue in anticipation of doors opening as the Manchester sun sets.
Anytime I attend shows in the venue there is always one stand out every time and it’s the dedication of the fans attending – regardless of the start time or who is on first, the crowd pack the floor straight away and it’s a credit to this scene as a whole and the support that people have for live music.
With that in mind, the first band to take the stage comes in the form of Virginia’s pop-punk highflyers Broadside. Their live performance is always full of energy and their sound blends pop, rock, and alternative together perfectly, their music is very relatable and has a special connection with their loyal fans who have came in their numbers including two girls who have travelled all the way from America for this show – again highlighting the loyalty & dedication for this scene.
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To those unaware of who Broadside are, they were instantly engaged with just how captivating this band are to watch live. A set spanning over a decade, they gave Manchester a good mix of what they are all about including of the standout anthems “Coffee Talk” taken from their 2015 debut “Old Bones.” Next up is an honourable mention to a song that comes with a lot of meaning – dedicated to all the shit times in life, “Cruel,” joined on stage for this one by Brain from The Home Team adding that extra special feeling to things. Prior to playing “Heavenly,” vocalist Oliver Baxxter dedicated the song to all dog owners and letting dogs on the bed – dogs belong on the bed.
Sticking to the task of warming the crowd, they end in style with “The Raging Sea” and “Foolish Behaviour” completing what was a set packed with fun high energy. Broadside have been around for some time and continuously show why they are deserving of being on these types of tours, weather they play to 1 fan or thousands of fans, they produce a set they can be proud of every time – the joy they bring into their shows spreads from stage to crowd and this is one of the many reasons they are loved by the loyal fan base they have.
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Continuing the high energy, tonight’s main support are certainly a treat for anyone in the room and by the sound of screams when they stepped on stage, this could easily have been their own show given the volume of fans – it’s Seattle’s finest, The Home Team.
The 4-piece continue to blow me away every time they step on stage – they have grown into a much loved and respected band especially within the UK and it’s all a credit to the work they have put into their incredible career. Coming from pop-punk and metal influences, they have introduced a mixture of R&B, pop & funk into their sound that’s lead the band to the successes they have achieved so far. Off the back of last years debut headline tour in the UK, their fan base just grows and grows and when you catch their live performance is easy to see why.
Starting as they mean to go on, they kick off with fan favourite “Brag” taken from last years next level record The Crucible of Life that seen the band hit all new heights on that album. Thanking the fans who have stuck by the band from day one and personally shouting out The Used for bringing them to the UK for the first time in 2023, you can see just how much this means to each member on stage. There is a consistent high energy filling the whole room, more big hitting tracks like “Right Through Me” and “Move It or Lose It” receive the hero’s welcome they rightly deserve.
Despite having such a large fan base in the room, it was the perfect time to showcase last years new record and that they certainly did and then some – tunes like “Overtime,” “Hell,” and “Love & Co” all taking the volume up a few notches. Just like the set prior, The Home Team were joined on stage by Oliver Baxxter for the performance of “Watching All Your Friends Get Rich” before giving a huge shoutout to Broadside. Concluding what a truly spectacular set with “Loud,” it just echoed exactly why this band are so loved and why so many fans have packed the room out and only for a support slot, the future especially in this country is extremely bright for The Home Team.
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Before it was time for the main event, a shoutout needs to be made for tonight’s song choices between bands – any sound tech that has Shania Twain thrown in there deserves to be hailed as much as possible.
The scene is now set for State Champs and after two incredible support acts, it’s safe to say that Manchester is more than ready. Having worked their way up through various venues in the city since 2014, it was amazing to see these guys pack out such an iconic Mancunian venue. Kicking off in style, they dive straight into “Silver Cloud” quickly followed by “Losing Myself” setting the tone for what was in store tonight. The crowd surfers and pits were instant showing exactly how you would expect a State Champs show to go.
With an extensive catalogue as well as a new record, the set was a great blend of everything these guys had to offer – the infectious love from the crowd poured out for every track new and old, something you can see reflects on frontman Derek DiScanio as he controls every inch of the room. The passion from the band is certainly a standout as you watch these guys live, from Derek’s front presence to the constant donuts bassist Ryan Graham pulls off on the regular, there’s never a moment you would think there is no fun involved in what they do and it’s why they are loved in the way they are.
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They way they jump from old to new just blends seamlessly into the set, this was shown early on when going from the nostalgic “Mine is Gold” & “Outta My Head” to “Light Blue” with the crowd singing their hearts out to both showing endless love to the newer material – being the first time playing the new record in the UK, it was difficult to tell how they would go down, tonight has shown exactly how the fans feel. The pit opens again as a circle pit begins for the intro to “Criminal,” the energy has no sign of slowing down on the dancefloor especially on a Saturday night.
With such a stacked setlist, there was little time to waste, standouts getting the room going coming in the form of the classic “Perfect Score” taken from the bands iconic record Around the World and Back that came as a melody along with “Frozen” and “Fake It.” Another notable standout with its infectious chorus is “The Constant,” raising the volume that little bit extra in the venue before following up with “Hard to Please” and the very playful “Tight Grip.”
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The band dedicated “Elevate” to all the fans who have stuck by them over the years – it’s moments like that where you can see just how much all of this means to the band and how far they have come over the years, the work they have put in since day one is very reflective in what they do – the collective bond between the fans and band is something special and its plain to see during this song.
The show is sadly coming to an end after what was a highly energetic masterpiece from State Champs – the encore was exactly what you would expect and more with two solid bangers seeing out the night. “Everybody But You” gets things going with the obvious absence of Neck Deeps Ben Barlow for his part in the song, this was filled beautifully from the fans who screamed their lungs out to one of the bands biggest hitting singles. Before concluding, Derek thanks every single person involved in tonight from the fans to the venue staff and security as well as the notable thanks to tonight’s incredible support bands – “Secrets” is the curtain closer, one final burst of energy from the pit and crowd surfers see’s the night off in style. The crowd over powering the vocals of Derek with their own deafening vocals.
As the band leave the stage smiling, waving and throwing in their setlists to fans, it’s safe to say the future of pop-punk is in very capable hands when you see shows like tonight, with upcoming names to bands who have been there through it all.
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