Waterparks
Forum Theatre
Melbourne, Australia
Oct. 8th, 2023
By Olivia Burns
On October 8th, Melbourne’s iconic Forum venue opened its doors to the fans of electronic pop-punk trio Waterparks for their final show of their Intellectual Property Australian Tour. The band, consisting of lead singer Awsten Knight, lead guitarist Geoff Wigington and drummer Otto Wood, were a long way from their home of Houston, Texas. To add to the anticipation for this event was the addition of Canadian singer-songwriter, Lights, to be the opening act. She was making her debut appearance in Australia, creating a lineup that wasn’t to be missed.
Fans, who were mostly dressed up in the brightest colours, had now filled up the room from the barrier to the back doors. 8:15 pm came around and Lights took the stage, and the crowd’s thunderous welcome reflected their long-standing anticipation. Her infectious stage presence and impressive vocal range had the audience thoroughly engaged as she started off the night with her song “Salt & Vinegar”, to which the crowd were screaming along to the lyrics. Throughout her set, she exhibited her talent by going between playing her guitar and keyboard while jumping around effortlessly. Lights’ performance certainly set the tone for the rest of the night.
As the stage lights dimmed, the collective anticipation of the audience was palpable. Silhouettes moved about the stage, and the eruption of cheers and screams as the stage came alive demonstrated the pure joy of the crowd. The lights finally lit up the stage, revealing the three band members, Awsten standing front and centre wearing the notorious Bunnings hat and red paint around his eyes to match his bright red hair. They then kicked off their show with “ST*RFUCKER,” Their 90-minute set featured a perfect mix of newer and older tracks, delighting fans of their album Entertainment like “Royal” and “Stupid for You.” The band skillfully delivered all their hits, including the crowd-pleasing “Rare”, and my personal favourites which included “BRAINWASHED” and “RITUAL”. We were very lucky to have them even play their new single “Sneaking out of Heaven” days ahead of its official release, and we can confirm it is a hit live. In between songs, they made sure to make room for playfully making jokes towards the Australian accent, even taking a break to try out an Australian chips brand called Jumpies which a fan threw on stage to them. After two thirds of the show, Geoff and Otto swiftly exited the stage, leaving Awsten alone with his acoustic guitar, creating a more intimate atmosphere. He serenaded the audience with “21 Questions” and “Lucky People,” as the audience’s phone torches filled the venue, per the singer’s request. The rest of the band then returned on stage to play us the few remaining songs left on their setlist, finishing the night off with “Funeral Grey”, quite possibly the best song to finish off the night with. Surely, it ended up leaving the crowd on a high as they bid their farewells and sadly left the stage.
Waterparks definitely have a way of combining playful lyrics with their pop-punk sounds, making for such catchy tunes. There is no doubt that they will be keeping their promise and will be back after the warm reception they had just received, we certainly look forward to their hopefully prompt return down under.
