Live Review: The Story So Far, Man Overboard, Dan Cribb & The Isolated

Wednesday night is a tough night to draw a crowd, especially a cold Wednesday night, but that didn't stop the faithful from braving the single-figure temperatures in Perth to see The Story So Far, supported by Man Overboard with Dan Cribb & The Isolated.

Cribb and co kicked things off and quickly warmed the crowd with a mixture of fast, catchy pop-punk tunes from their latest release, As We Drift Apart, along with a few Mario Kart jokes thrown in for good measure. The Perth four-piece played a tight set and proved to be worthy, albeit late additions to the line-up.

This is New Jersey five-piece Man Overboard's first visit to Australia and the punters inside the Amplifier Bar appreciated the effort made to finally get here. Mandatory moshing and stagediving was in full effect early in the set. The boys ripped through a set of favourites along with several new tracks, much to the delight of the Perth crowd.

The Story So Far are happy to be back in Perth with their eponymously-titled album, and how do we know? Lead singer Parker Cannon told us so! The sold-out crowd made it clear they were certainly happy as well. Live, the band has a tight, well-used formula: catchy pop-punk songs with a smattering of angst-ridden lyrics. The California natives used that formula to great effect and pretty soon stagediving reached a zenith of intensity with bodies flying off the stage at a rapid rate into arms held high.

Note to punters at future shows: stagediving is cool, but for Christ's sake don't try to kiss the lead singer, especially if you're a horrible overexcited sweaty man. Cannon dealt with this unwelcome love interest with good humour, shoving the offender off-stage without missing a beat. Over-amorous 20-somethings aside, The Story So Far hit all the right notes with their gathered legion of fans.

Moshing, stagediving, a circle pit and plenty of people singing along ensured a welcome return to Perth for The Story So Far and with that kind of support, there's little doubt the story will continue.