Only two weeks behind on this, but better late than never, eh?

So July 6th was my first pop-punk show since January 2020 and oh my god it was glorious! I saw State Champs at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, which is one of my favorite venues in the area. They played with a local band called Giveaway, Forever Came Calling, and The Summer Set. We got there towards the end of Forever Came Calling's set. We completely missed the opening band, Giveaway, who I didn't realize was a local Bay Area band until after the show. Always love to see the bigger bands giving local bands a chance. I checked them out a little bit before the show and really enjoyed them, they remind me a little of Finch. Hopefully, I can catch them at a local show sometime soon!
Check out Giveaway here: instagram / apple music / spotify

Though I didn't get to catch much of Forever Came Calling's set, they were great! They played their entire album 'Contender' for its 10-year anniversary, which was cool. Even cooler to see the band members just hanging out in the crowd and at the bar throughout the rest of the show. Ugh, I live for this shit! I checked out their album earlier in the day before the show and it's great! They've won me over as a fan for sure. I'm hesitant to give them a label but would consider them pop-punk/punk/emo. It looks like they're doing a tour starting in September, if you can catch them I'd highly recommend it!
Check out Forever Came Calling here: instagram / apple music / spotify

The venue was pretty bare up until this point, but it started filling out in prep for The Summer Set. I wasn't familiar with them either and checked them out before the show. They have a very poppy sound and I wasn't sure if I'd like them but wow, they put on an amazing show! The second they started playing the energy completely changed. I didn't know any of the songs but I enjoyed it just as much as if I knew every word. Also, have to give a special shout-out to Jess Bowen on the drums, she absolutely killed it up there! In such a male-dominated genre, it's always nice to see more women being a part of it. They had some great merch that said "emo kid at heart" (which I now know is a line from one of their songs), so I obviously had to buy a sweatshirt and a beanie. If you can catch a show of theirs I would highly recommend it, they put on a really fun show and I honestly wish they played a little longer.
I can't describe the feeling I felt during their set, standing in a crowd on the floor, seeing everyone hyped and jumping up and down, just being lost in the music. It's a feeling I haven't felt in 2.5 years, something I've missed so much but didn't realize how much I missed it until I got it back. This is where I thrive. Thanks for that, guys!
Check out The Summer Set here: instagram / apple music / spotify

Then, the whole reason I came to this show, State fuckin' Champs! Man, I was so hyped to see them and they did not disappoint. The only negative thing about their set was that their audio was messed up or something and you couldn't hear Derek's mic at all, especially over the drums. They never caught it during the show but that didn't take away from how great it was (at least not for me). They played songs from all of their albums which was awesome. It seems like most bands usually skip an album or two so it was a nice change. It was just so amazing to be a part of the crowd again, similar to how I felt during The Summer Set but this time with songs I know and love. I was able to get pretty close to the stage too which just put the cherry on top. I can't wait to see them again, hopefully next time with a working mic. I left the show consumed by this passion for music and live shows and from the show, I was inspired to pursue concert photography. I have no basic photography training but I'm excited to get started!
Check out State Champs here: instagram / apple music / spotify

This show meant so much more to me than I could've imagined. After 2.5 years, I finally feel like myself again, like I found the piece of me that was missing. Thanks, State Champs for bringing me home.