Stand Atlantic, Knuckle Puck, Nightlight @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 29/10/2026
Stand Atlantic have had a massive week with the release of their fifth studio album Godbreatth. Having scored their first number one on the ARIA Album Chart the scene was set to hear these songs live for the first time in Adelaide rock city. It is fair to say that the pop punk genre is largely dominated by bands in the US and we should be proud that Stand Atlantic can mix it with the best of them. Their dynamic live show has all the trimmings of a stadium show and combined with a war chest of killer songs both old and new they are unbeatable. This is Stand Atlantic’s time and more noise should be made about them.
Melbourne trio nightlight are making some serious inroads on the live scene returning for their second Adelaide show with the last being back in August with Heartline. Their brand of alt-pop metal offered a subtle contrast opening with NEZUMI! they wasted no time powering through a set that included DRAMA//DRAMA, what if I’m the devil, TAKE//OVER and set closer HEAVEN//BELOW which is their biggest single to date. Definitely a band to keep an eye out to see what their next move will be.
Knuckle Puck, oh my! It has been far to long for this much loved band to return to Australia. Having this much Chicago pop-punk band as a support is a major coup and as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Wow! They didn’t disappoint either ripping through a twelve strong set list flexing plenty of muscle right from first drop with a fan favourite Disdain. There was plenty of bounce in this crowd and no doubt a significant number there to see Knuckle Puck strut their stuff. Knocking over Double Helix, Tune You Out, Nice To Know Ya and Want Me Around there was an air of nostalgia about their performance reflecting on starting out in 2010 and reminiscing about playing “Fowlers Live” (aka Lion Arts Factory) and even smoking a joint in the basement. Good times! Vocalist Joe Taylor added that “it’s amazing to go this far across the world and have a pit like this!”
There were plenty of moments of gold with oldie Why Would You Care? backed up by the likes of You & I and The Tower. The crowd were going off, cue the crowd surfers! No Good was phenomenal finishing on some other set staples Untitled and Pretense. Not sure if many picked up the promise to return to Australia next July but we’ll hold them to that. Superb stuff!
Well, it was down to the main event being Stand Atlantic who really did up the ante and it would be hard pressed to not be impressed by the show. It had everything! And I mean everything! Inflatable beach balls, fireworks, smoke and confetti. The vibe in the room was jubilant and a great lead in to the weekend.
Right from the outset there was no moment of weakness opening with Lucid and Lavender Blues showcasing a solid back catalogue of music since they started out with something from every album played. The feisty version of CRIMINAL was killer to the visual spectacle of Sex on the Beach keeping the crowd entertained with the beach balls unleashed. GIRL$ was a moment for the girls to crowd surf their way to the stage in a safe space to dance and sing with front woman Bonnie Fraser.
A stripped back version of Skinny Dipping was a moment of reflection with coming to terms with one’s sexuality promising that “it is better on the other side”. Looking like “seaweed” LOVE U ANYWAY saw the crowd link arms and sway back and forth. Some blow up inflatable boats were unfurled on pity party encourage any way too jump aboard and surf their way across the crowd with a nice prize of being an exclusive Stand Atlantic t-shirt. Time literally did fly with Velcro, dumb (complete with wall of death, party tricks and return of Opera Girl), Hate Me (Sometimes) and EDGE OF VEGAS leading the charge to the finish. The first shoey of the tour was in there as well. Return for an encore and “proper activation” of the pit for Coffee at Midnight which started with Bonnie right in the thick of a wall of death with the show coming to close with deathwish. Well played! Well played by all the bands on this bill.
Live Review By Rob Lyon