📷STATE CHAMPS AT O2 KENTISH TOWN FORUM – A POP-PUNK PARTY FOR THE AGES

If pop-punk had a health warning, last night at the O2 Kentish Town Forum would’ve come with a bold disclaimer: "WARNING: Excessive jumping, screaming, and spontaneous crowd surfing may result in extreme post-gig exhaustion."

State Champs delivered an absolute belter of a set, proving once again why they’re one of the tightest and most electric bands in the scene. With The Home Team and Boardlines setting the stage ablaze with pure energy and riffs hotter than a takeaway pizza straight from the oven, the night was destined for chaos.

Crowd surfers, confetti, and controlled chaos! From the first song, the venue was a human trampoline. Crowd surfers flying left, right, and centre, security working overtime to catch flailing limbs, and confetti cannons blasting like someone had given a toddler free rein at a party store.

Frontman Derek DiScanio commanded the stage with effortless charm, interacting with the crowd like we were all just hanging out in his living room—if his living room was a sold-out venue packed with sweaty pop-punk fanatics. His vocals? Chef’s kiss. The whole band? Locked in, dialed up to 11, and absolutely owning it.

The Setlist - A rollercoaster of bangers! They kicked things off with Silver Cloud, and from that moment, it was game over. There was no time to breathe—banger after banger, the pit was relentless. Mine Is Gold had everyone yelling like it was a group therapy session, while Outta My Head sent us all into an indie-pop-punk-induced trance.

A Perfect Score / Frozen / Fake It mashup? Unexpected. Absolutely brilliant. I’m still not sure if I was dancing, screaming, or malfunctioning like a Windows XP computer.

Then came the one-two knockout punch—Elevated and Dead and Gone back-to-back. If your feet were touching the floor at this point, were you even at the gig? The encore of Everybody But You and Secrets sealed the deal, sending the crowd home sweaty, euphoric, and immediately Googling “State Champs next UK tour dates.”

FINAL VERDICT: 10/10, WOULD LOSE MY VOICE AGAIN

State Champs took Kentish Town and turned it into a pop-punk paradise for the night. The energy, the chaos, the sheer volume of airborne humans—everything about this show was a masterclass in how to have an insanely good time. If you missed it… I’m sorry. Truly.

And speaking of tragic news—can we take a moment to mourn the fact that State Champs won’t be returning to Slam Dunk in 2025? An actual crime. Pop-punk court is in session, and I’d like to file an official complaint. Until they come back, we’ll just have to keep replaying Secrets at full volume and sobbing into our band tees.