WE THE KINGS
+ Something To Rescue + Across The Atlas

@ The Gov Adelaide

07/02/18

Reviewer: Chelsea Wood

We The Kings

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American rock band, We The Kings lit up Adelaide’s The Gov as part of their 10 year anniversary tour, celebrating their smash debut album, Self Titled. The night itself showcased both the talent of these Florida natives and the local talent Adelaide has to offer too.

Kicking off the night were local band, Something To Rescue, who charmed the crowd with their unique blend of soul and pop. Although the immediate crowd was small, the opening track, How To Love, seemed to grab the attention of everyone at the venue. The band’s relaxed vibe was well fitted for the summer evening, with their pristine sound and polished vocals making it easy for the crowd to enjoy their short set. Their set list highlights included, You Found Me, Once in a Lifetime, and their own funk take on Bruno Mars’ Finesse, all before closing with their catchy tune, Dance Your Troubles Away. Following on from these guys were punk rock outfit, Across The Atlas. Their undeniable energy on stage during songs such as Anxiety, and their punk cover of Nero’s hit, Promises, helped the crowd grow and amp up ready for the night’s headliners.

Before We The Kings even appeared, the crowd were greeted by a booming voice over declaring the ‘Rules’ for the show, with the final rule being, ‘What happens at We The Kings Ten, stays at We The Kings Ten.’ A ten second countdown followed, prepping and exciting the crowd for the night to come. By the time the three second mark hit, the crowd had fully merged into the main room where the atmosphere was buzzing. With the opening bars of Check Yes, Juliet, the crowd erupted into excited screams and surged forward, as singer Travis Clark joined his band mates onstage. As the first line of their most recognisable hit began, the crowd burst into life with the same energy it would have in 2007.  As the chorus hit, the crowd took over, almost overpowering Travis’ vocals chanting ‘Run, Baby Run, don’t ever look back…’ These first seconds of the show indicated what was to come; over 90 minutes of high energy and certainly no slowing down.

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We The Kings

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After then smashing out Headlines Read Out, and before moving onto All Again for You, Travis took a moment to promise fans they would hear every song from Self Titled, and even more after (if that was okay with them). The crowd was smaller than I had expected but the fans certainly made up in volume for what they lacked in numbers, with Travis recognising this, ‘I was worried…you guys are loud, I appreciate it!’ The Quiet came next followed by Travis humorously (over)sharing the inspiration behind Secret Valentine, by likening losing his virginity to a game of Tetris. Throughout this, rhythm guitarist, Coley O’Toole casually chimes in on keys to create a mood for the story, while Travis continues to fight the distraction, suddenly turning to him, ‘Dude! Why are you playing church music right now?!’

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An acoustic break then followed with Travis left alone onstage to belt out Don’t Speak Liar, and a thank you to the band’s hometown in This is Our Town, with Travis’ vocal and musical ability excelling. Stay Young came next, then the album set was finished with an explosive, Skyway Avenue, which the crowd had been highly anticipating.  

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Following the album set, came a shorter set list consisting of some of their most memorable hits from their other albums so far, starting with She Takes Me High. Their appreciation of their fans was repeated throughout the night, but most memorably by Travis hoping their fans understand that the band wouldn’t be in the position they are today, if no one bought albums or tickets to shows. A statement of which led into Just Keep Breathing (that blended into a rendition of Coldplay’s, Fix You), to be dedicated to their fans. The mood toned down for a delicate version of  Sad Song that got lighters and phone torches in the air, while we were all singing the chorus like we’ve just had our hearts broken.

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Travis then teased the crowd with the idea of a brand new song being revealed, only for it to be Say You Like Me, with its final chorus being extended beyond a few minutes itself. More fun was added to the mix with their cover of Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle before settling down into another round of Check Yes, Juliet, of which had even more energy and volume as the first. As though that wasn’t enough, after the rest of the band had left the stage, Travis stood and sung over the remix of The Story of Tonight taking the night from punk rock to trap.

A lot of things have changed for the band over the past decade: they’ve suffered grief and loss, gotten married and become fathers, but one thing that certainly hasn’t faltered is their obvious love for each other. Cheesy, I know. But seeing these guys interact on stage is nothing like watching a manufactured band, or even a group that’s grown tired of the songs that got them to where they are. It’s watching a bunch of guys who’ve grown up together, joke around on stage and genuinely enjoy it. Maybe it’s because for each city they changed the set list up to give their fans a unique experience. Or maybe it’s just they’re still the kids that created a band to get girlfriends, but picked up wives, kids, and an uncountable amount of fans along the way.

This was the first We The Kings show I’d been to and to be honest I was shocked at how humbled these guys were to be there. They would address the crowd on a personal level and it was made clear by them that we weren’t there just to watch them, in fact they were there to cram in a decade’s worth of thank yous to their fans. Stories of the past decade  and beyond were shared making the show a hell of a lot more intimate. They could’ve gone down the route of pumping out the set list and heading off. But they didn’t. Their set was well over 90 minutes long, and even that wasn’t long enough. The bands energy mirrored that of the crowd and for me that’s what made the show.

With this concluding the night, it’s safe to say We The Kings are still at the top of their game, the tour has been to say thank you for and to celebrate the past 10 years, and to put it simply, they absolutely smashed it.

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AMNPLIFY – DB