Strolling through Melbourne CBD on Friday night and it was an unusually quiet ghost town. There was an icy chill in the air that indicated Winter is well and truly here and keeping people tucked up in the warm at home, but some dedicated music fans braved the conditions to see Melbourne pop-punk rockers, Between You & Me. The group are touring Australia with their Sh!t Yeah tour – named after their recently released EP – and this was the first epic night to kick things off. Fans were lined up around the block waiting for the venue to open, and with a delay in the doors opening many around me were regretting their wardrobe choices, and the sound of mild whinging and chattering teeth were ringing in my ears from short sleeved clad concertgoers. So, when the doors opened and the line started moving, there was an audibly loud groan of relief from those wanting to get inside and warm up to some great music.
Traipsing down into the dark depths of 170 Russell, there was a buzz in the crowd as I could hear cans being cracked and laughter rattling throughout, whilst many rushed to the front of the stage to get their prime position for the night. Adelaide duo Towns were the first warm up for the night, and they certainly got the room heated up. Their set included their recently released track Birthdays, as well as a cover of Good Charlotte’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous which the crowd really lapped up.
Towns Gallery
Next on the bill were New York natives Young Culture, in which tonight was their very first Australian show. Lead singer Alex Magnan’s energy was off tap from the start, and the crowd responded just as enthusiastically. They ploughed through their set which included Party Girl, Tattoo, Better Off and finished with the fun Holiday In Vegas. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have a holiday in Vegas right now, thanks for the reminder guys!
Young Culture Gallery
Between You & Me hit the stage to the deafening screams of their fans as they blew them away with the fast-paced Dakota to open their set. Supervillain with its ripping guitar solo induced some serious moshing, whilst newer track Nevermind got everyone a “little fucked up and searching for the California kind of vibe”. Throughout the set lead singer, Jake Wilson was met with a rowdy but compliant crowd every time he screamed “Can I get a shit yeah??” and got an equally enthusiastic response every time. He went on to ask who in the room had only discovered the band that week, or had been dragged along by someone, in which most were too shy to respond, but the band was appreciative nonetheless of the group who had shown up regardless of if they were old or new fans. This led into one of my favourites YEAH! before the band belted out one of their ‘arse shaker’ tracks, Pleased to Meet You. The name Shrek was thrown out there which sent the crowd into a frenzy, as they knew the band were going to be playing the Smash Mouth cover All Star, which they had covered for Triple J’s Like A Version. The audience were going toe for toe with the band in the energy stakes, and both were completely bouncing off the walls.
One of their earlier releases Overthinking saw a few crowd surfers pop up, before Young Culture lead singer Alex Magnan joined the band on stage to play what I feel is an ‘anthem in the making’, Kill My Vibe. Despite being released on their recent EP, this song really invokes the nostalgia of the punk bands of the early 2000’s. Go to Hell brought a slightly more sombre tone as the band brought out another guest on stage in Mikaila Delgado – lead singer of fellow Aussie punk rockers Yours Truly. The crowd were absolutely frothing this collab and were visibly thrilled to be witness to it. This epic night was starting to draw to a close as Wilson explained they had “fuck all songs left”, before he then went on to thank Melbourne for giving a fuck and that they were truly humbled by the large crowd who had come out to see them.
Deadbeat and Butterflies from their 2021 album, Armageddon, rounded out this epically energetic set and everyone was on a visible high having just been part of such a kick-arse show. This gig was also being recorded live by Triple J, so whenever it is that they may be replaying it, I implore you to check it out because you’ll be bopping along uncontrollably. Between You & Me have definitely solidified themselves as one of the best pop-punk groups to come out of Australia, and I can only see them continuing on an upward trajectory.
BETWEEN YOU & ME GALLERY
With thanks to Crowd Favourite for the media accreditation
Images credit: Adam Portelli
