Wow, what a great day.
I’ve just left one of the best shows I’ve seen all year, and even with my energy failing and my exhaustion overtaking me, I can revel in the fact that I’ve used it all in the most positive way possible.
Real Friends absolutely destroyed me, just like they always do, and the smile on my face will not be leaving for a while.
With sad lyrics and extreme energy, Real Friends are one of my outlets into the Pop Punk scene which has continued to be for the youth, whereas I, am always getting older. However, at this show,
I am just another lost boy who has found his way to heaven, and let me tell you, heaven is pretty fucking rad.”
Opening up tonight is Aussie band Eat Your Heart Out, the sole female fronted band on the tour. The band was slamming it hard throughout their entire set, with songs reminiscent of Jawbreaker, a smidge of Fugazi, and throughout, reminding me of my favorite Australian band, Tonight Alive. If there are more of these bands hanging out down under, we need to start bringing them over, because their brand of pop punk is a breath of fresh air to the scene.
Real Friends are the main attraction at this show, being the headliner and all, but I get the sense that even if they were just openers, this audience would still bring and feed off the same energy no matter what. I’ve had the chance to see RF quite a few times, but this show seemed extra special, both for the band, and for me. I was excited because their new album, Composure came out earlier this year, and has easily become one of my favorite albums of the year.
I could feel the power and sincerity in Dan Lambton’s voice as he bared his struggles with his newly diagnosed bipolar disorder to the audience, and the positivity and vitality of the crowd seemed to energize him.
Mid-set, the band stopped playing, as Dan decided to bring a fan up on stage to sing for him, as they had done earlier in the day at Park Avenue CD’s, a kind of punk rock karaoke.
As soon as the song, “Late Nights In My Car,” kicked in, he jumps off the stage into the crowd as the fan and everyone else, myself included, just poured their hearts out into singing along with one of our favorite songs.
This kind of special moment just goes to show how much Real Friends has impacted not just me, but a whole group of people who go about their day, carrying just a little bit of sadness around with them and on just one night, with one song, we are able to release that sorrow and truly live.”
Real Friends are just that. Real Friends.
The kind of friends you would go to with all the shit that life throws at you, and they can turn it around and get you smiling again, even if it’s through tears of joy. It’s shows like this that always make me say,
Wow, what a great day.”
LIVE REVIEW Real Friends & Eat Your Heart Out 2018 by Garrett East
LIVE PHOTOS Real Friends 2018 by Eat Your Heart Out 2018 by James Strassberger
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