State Champs, O2 Ritz Manchester, 22/02/25

By Josh Wilkinson

On Saturday I was fortunate enough to attend what I have no doubt will end up being one of the best gigs I experience this year, with that being State Champs' Manchester date of their European Winter 2025 tour. Joined by Broadside and The Home Team the night was an absolute blast from start to finish, and one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Broadside

Starting off the night as it meant to go on, Broadside jumped onto the stage to a huge fanfare from the already-filling out crowd. Right from the off it was clear that this was going to be one of those special nights where every act performing puts on a headline worthy show, with the group bringing an incredible energy that immediately had the audience riled up. Lyrics were being belted out, hands were in the air, and applause filled the venue at the end of every track.

I went into the night thinking I only knew a couple of their songs, but before long I was thinking "I had no idea this was them" and tapping my foot along to every other track. Of course the high point came with their most popular track "Coffee Talk", which could've easily fooled anyone into thinking this was their own show. I really can't recommend checking these guys out enough, and I hope we get a UK tour of their own in the near future.

The Home Team

Onto the second act of the night and we were treated to heavy pop darlings The Home Team, who have made their mark in the scene through their catchy beats, suggestive lyrics, and expert use of social media. It was only a couple of months ago since The Home Team came to the UK on a headline tour of their own, but it was clear that it hadn't dulled the excitement of the crowd whatsoever. There's no other word I can think of to describe The Home Team's sound other than groovy - almost every track is made to get your body moving and your hips shaking, with everything from the drumbeats and bass riffs to the expert vocal performance from Brian Butcher working in tandem to achieve this goal.

The group sounded exactly as they do in their recorded material while up on stage, with the heavy vibrations that you can only get through live performances only adding to the infectious nature of their tracks. Fan favourite tracks like "Brag" and "Loud" were a joy to experience in a room full of people singing along, and reinforced that The Home Team have an extremely bright future ahead of them. If you like even a single song of their repertoire, make sure you make the effort to go and see them live. You won't regret it.

State Champs

By the time State Champs took to the stage the crowd had already experienced two sets of non-stop energy, but they were certainly ready for more. State Champs are really a band you can never see 'enough times', but it's hard to put a finger on exactly why because there's just too many reasons. It could be their excellent catalogue of consistently fantastic releases from the past 15 years, their amazing stage presence, the infectious energy of their tracks, or any combination of these things and far, far more. The band have also cultivated a great fanbase that really brings an extra dimension to every show, making you feel as one as you all sing along to hit after hit and crowdsurf over the barrier.

And hit after hit it really was, but you're always going to get that with State Champs. From the track that started it all with "Elevated" to "Light Blue" from their latest self-titled album release late last year, every song on the setlist had the audience fully involved with their performance as they displayed in full glory that they haven't missed once. Their energy was just as consistent as their music, with kicks, spins, and jumps galore that matched the upbeat and fast-paced pop-punk melodies the band are known for.

By the end of the night, I realised that State Champs are exactly what we need in today's world - a good time. Everything about their performance, their music, and the night as a whole was just fun, plain and simple. State Champs remain to be one of the shining beacons of pop punk, keeping its spirit well and truly alive. If you haven't had the chance to catch them live before, you should make every attempt to do so the next time you can.

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