STATE CHAMPS // THE HOME TEAM // BROADSIDE LONDON, UK FRIDAY 28TH FEB 2025
You never know where you may end up on a cold Friday evening. I found myself at O2 Kentish Town Forum spending my evening with pop-punk legends State Champs, along with The Home Team and Broadside.
Escaping the bitter cold from a dark north London; from the moment you walk into the venue, you can already feel a buzz from the camaraderie amongst the mass of punks and punkettes in attendance. Every other person you see has State Champs/The Home Team merch on, and it’s exciting to see, with some fans even traveling from Philadelphia to expose themselves to a familiar sound in perhaps unfamiliar surroundings. A packed bar and a long merch queue will always be a sign that you’re in for a good night.
Broadside, from Richmond, Virginia, kicks the evening off fifteen minutes after doors opened; which is always welcome! Opening with Stranger, this really hyped up the early crowd, with the uninitiated quickly becoming familiar with their energy.
Vocalist Ollie Baxxter was stomping around the stage, his stage presence keeping the crowd engaged and rowdy. Halfway through the set, Brian from The Home Team also joined them onstage to sing ‘Cruel,’ which was a nice surprise.
Next up was Seattle’s finest, The Home Team, with huge roars from the crowd as they entered onto the stage, with bassist Ryne and guitarist John doing some synchronized dance moves! (even drummer Dan joined in on occasion!)
Starting their set with ‘Brag,’ which always packs a punch when played live alongside the infectious vocals from Brian mixed with guitars alongside the up-tempo set of songs, including ‘Move it or lose it.’. Ollie from Broadside came out to sing ‘Someone else’s face,’ which was a nice reply to Brian’s cameo earlier in the evening.
Nearing the end of their set, the ballad ‘Walk this world with Me’ was greeted with a room filled with lights from phones, which was a beautiful moment. The upbeat set really sets the pace for the rest of the evening.
Cue the confetti! (with little caution shown to my fellow photographers and I!) The main event Pop-punk royalty State Champs, hailing from New York, Derek leading out Ryan and Co. to a packed room full of excited fans. ‘Silver Cloud’ starts off the set after setting off the aforementioned confetti cannons of chaos, and the room erupted with cheers. Shortly after launching into another one of London’s favorites, ‘Losing myself.’.
Of all the finer things, these guys have gone around the world and back and are living proof that they are the kings of the new age (or should that be old age?). Nostalgia reigns supreme. Any State Champs classic should always get a good reception, and the hundreds in attendance showed their gratitude. Many crowd surfers were seen, felt, and then pushed to the side by security over the course of the night, bringing all the high energy to end a great night full of pop-punk goodness.