CtrlAltMusic was at Kavka Zappa in Antwerp to catch State Champs on their European and UK tour in support of their latest album, State Champs. Joining them were Broadside and The Home Team, two rising names in the pop-punk scene who have been making waves and finally made their way across the pond alongside the New York foursome!
Maybe I’m a Foolish Believer… – Broadside
Broadside were the first to hop on stage, kicking things off with ‘Stranger’ and ‘Dazed and Confused’ from their 2024 release Hotel Bleu. From crude jokes about the songs’ themes to bizarre inside jokes, Oliver – their frontman – has truly mastered the art of stage banter. Broadside walks the fine line between seriousness and goofiness without one ever overshadowing the other.
While lyrically the band doesn’t try to reinvent the pop-punk wheel, their composition is what really makes them stand out. They pull inspiration from both past and present, crafting a fresh blend of modern influences that have been seeping into rock and metal over the last decade and a thick layer of classic pop-punk.
The band proceeded to play ‘Heavenly‘ then ‘Coffee Talk’, the song that started it all for them back in 2015, followed by ‘One Last Time’ – the song that made them believe once again that they have to pull through. As everyone expected when seeing both The Home Team and Broadside on the same bill, we were treated to Brian Butcher joining them on stage to sing his part of ‘Cruel’ – a long-awaited moment for many in the crowd!
Closing out the set, they delivered ‘The Raging Sea’ with pure raw energy before wrapping up with ‘Foolish Believer’, a song that reminds us to trust ourselves and keep chasing our dreams – because who knows? One day, we might be the ones crossing oceans to play shows in front of hundreds of strangers who know our lyrics by heart.
Honestly, the set felt way too short. Broadside absolutely needs to do a European headlining tour – the crowd’s energy made it clear that the demand is there!
Setlist: Stranger – Dazed & Confused – Heavenly – Coffee Talk – One Last Time – Cruel (With Brian Butcher of The Home Team) – The Raging Sea – Foolish Believer
Would You Walk This World With Me? – The Home Team
After treating us to some lovely City Pop and the Persona 5 soundtrack, Seattle-based The Home Team continued the night with what is arguably one of the freshest sounds in alternative music right now! You’d expect that a relatively new band opening on their first European tour would put on just an average show, but that was absolutely not the case. These guys delivered an insane amount of energy on such a small stage, using every single millimeter to get the crowd hyped – dancing, jumping, and yelling their lyrics.
It was clear that many had been waiting for these guys to finally hop the pond, as so many people in the crowd were screaming lyrics to all their songs – not just their biggest hits. They kicked off their set with what seemed like a live-only extended intro version of ‘Brag‘, the second single off their 2024 release The Crucible of Life, followed by ‘Right Through Me‘, their second most-streamed song. It’s a bold choice, following the recent trend of bands ditching the idea of saving their biggest songs for the end of the set.
From the moment they stepped on stage, their undeniable charisma was felt. You could tell they were having the time of their lives playing for a packed Zappa. From Brian’s mustache to John’s Battle Overall Shorts and Balaclava combo and synchronized guitar-karate moves, these guys gave it everything they had. After testing the waters to see how long the crowd had been following them – which was met with lots of cheers for more than 3 years of following The Home Team –, they launched into their first-ever big hit, ‘She’s Quiet‘, off their debut album Better Off. We then got two more tracks from The Crucible of Life – ‘Hell‘ and ‘Overtime‘ – followed by ‘Move It or Lose It‘ from Slow Bloom.
Just as we saw Brian Butcher on stage with Broadside for ‘Cruel’, Oliver Baxxter returned the favor by joining The Home Team for ‘Somebody Else’s Face‘. Both bands have been long-time friends, having toured together multiple times and looked up to each other since their early days. Brian also expressed his gratitude towards State Champs for bringing them along on their first European tour, mentioning how much they had inspired them.
They closed out their set with the heartfelt ‘Walk This World With Me‘, followed by the perfect one-two punch of ‘Watching All Your Friends Get Rich‘ and ‘Loud‘ – finishing their first-ever show on Belgian soil.
Setlist: Brag – Right Through You – Slow Bloom – She’s Quiet – Hell – Overtime – Move It or Lose I – Somebody Else’s Face (With Oliver Baxxter of Broadside) – Walk This World With Me – Watching All Your Friends Get Rich – Loud
written on the paper setlist: “WOW what a beautiful city. We took the train into the city and got to be tourists for like 4 hours. Definitely the best morning we’ve had so far. We ate waffles, saw the fortress and the cathedral, then made it back to soundcheck. Thanks for being here with us 🙂“
I’ve got more secrets than you’ll ever know! – State Champs
After two very strong opening acts, we finally reached what everyone was waiting for – State Champs! Younger than the old ones but older than the young ones, the Upstate New York foursome was here to show us that pop-punk’s not dead yet!
The band came out to ‘Silver Cloud,’ followed by ‘Losing Myself,’ and the crowd immediately locked in, jumping and shouting back every word. The band wasted no time setting the energy for what was an absolutely unforgettable night following with ‘Mine is Gold‘ and ‘Outta My Head’!
State Champs felt clearly at home on stage, with Derek’s vocals being on point with the studio versions but still giving us an amazing live show, especially on tracks like ‘Light Blue’ and ‘Criminal’. The band proceeded to play a medley spanning their discography with bits of ‘Perfect Score’, ‘Frozen’ and ‘Fake It’, taking the energy of the room up to eleven with everyone yelling the lyrics.
Before ‘The Constant’, Derek took a moment to chat with the crowd, asking where everyone was from. Hands shot up from all over—locals from Antwerp, fellow Belgians, and even fans from Brazil, but the loudest cheers came when a single fan who proudly yelled out that they’re from Upstate New York, getting a huge reaction from the band!
The band continued with ‘Hard to Please’, ‘Tight Grip’, and ‘Just Sound’ that hit like a freight train, delivering each song like you were listening to the album recordings. ‘Act Like That’ had everyone bouncing, while ‘Remedy’ and ‘Elevated’ served as the perfect one-two punch to lead into the final stretch of the set. ‘Dead and Gone’ ignited a massive singalong before they closed out with ‘Save Face Story’. The band’s merch guy jumped in to perform Fabio Krautner’s part, proving that the Champs crew is just as passionate about the music as the band itself!
After playing the usual Encore Hide & Seek game, the band returned for the two last songs that sent the venue into absolute chaos – ‘Everybody but You’ had the entire crowd singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs, while ‘Secrets’ perfectly closed it off, wrapping up a set filled with high energy and the signature State Champs magic.
Whether you were a longtime fan or seeing them for the first time, this was a show that cemented why State Champs remain one of the best pop-punk bands today.
Setlist: Silver Cloud – Losing Myself – Mine is Gold – Outta My Head – Light Blue – Criminal – Clueless – Perfect Score/Frozen/Fake It Medley – Hell Of It – All You Are Is History – The Constant – Hard to Please – Tight Grip – Just Sound – Act Like That – Remedy – Elevated – Dead and Gone – Save Face Story – Everybody but You – Secrets