Silverstein, Real Friends @ The Gov, Adelaide 5/8/2025
‘In twenty five years of doing this, I’ve never bit my tongue on stage before’ Silverstein vocalist Shane Told chuckles. Yes, twenty five years! For quarter of a century Silverstein have been tearing up stages across the world with their blend of influential emo post hardcore.
Australia has long drunk in the band, and they in return give it everything when landing in Adelaide. Twenty tracks spanning the bands career highlighting the dexterity of the band’s style while crowd pleasing is at times ferocious and it’s all on display.
Also on display are Real Friends, who may be on the under card yet are no less illuminating with energy. From opening number Late Nights In My Car to closer Tell Me You’re Sorry singer Cody Muraro zooms across the stage, in and over the crowd while leaving nothing off the table.
At times it’s raw and passionate, at others like the intimate I’ve Given Up On You, sung while surrounded by the crowd, it’s emotionally touching. Passing the mic duties between himself, guitarist Dave Knox and any number of willing members of the crowd, the band rips through tracks from their career such as Six Feet and Me First, all wrenched from the gut and heart in pop punk heaven
To be fair to Real Friends, they have to be on at one hundred percent because Silverstein are imperious. The crowd pushes forward and the band unload with Skin & Bones.
Spanning their whole career, they are at times serenely gentle in The End and equally floor shaking heavy in Vices and everything in between. Emo, pop punk, dashes of metalcore and all highly engaging.
Singer Shane Told looks a lot like British comedian Matt Berry when his hat flies off during The Altar and it just adds to the beauty of it all as the circle pit and crowd surfers ignite, something he has to remind people to be careful off.
With the set list in three parts, the first of newer stuff in the first part, leans itself to old school in the second part before the triumphant lap of honour of classics at the end including a spine tingling My Heroine. The crowd do match the energy in Bad Habits and Infinite, whether it’s clapping or singing the intro. Silverstein have everyone dancing and letting go.
Whether it’s one from ’07 in My Disaster or this year in Confession, Silverstein put on an electric performance. No need to bite, or hold, your tongue, you can tell everyone here will rave about this for some time.
Live Photos By Samuel Phillips