By Kevin Lei
White Oak Music Hall became a haven for pop-punk enthusiasts as Knuckle Puck and Real Friends took the stage for a joint concert last Thursday night. The two bands are currently on a co-headlining tour across the United States. Despite the fact that it was mid-week, the two bands were able to garner an impressively sized audience.
Openers One Step Closer & Arm’s Length helped to set the tone for the rest of the night as they rocked out on stage. I was particularly impressed with the Arm’s Length set; they wore their emo influences on their sleeve, but their stage presence was infectious. I could see them being excellent successors to Real Friends and Knuckle Puck. One Step Closer’s sound was more hardcore, and their explosive performance energized the crowd ahead of Knuckle Puck’s set.
In order to make time for the other co-headlining band, Knuckle Puck had to keep their setlist relatively short. They played for just under an hour, but were able to play a breadth of songs from their catalog. This included classic tracks from their earlier albums like “No Good,” and “Want Me Around.” They also performed some songs from their latest studio album released a few weeks ago, Losing What We Love. Lead singer Joe Taylor acknowledged the fact that many fans might not have heard the new songs before, but from the energy of the crowd you would not have been able to tell. The band’s stage presence and the collective vigor within the room made it easy for anyone to enjoy themselves even if they weren’t familiar with much of the band’s recent releases. Before leaving the stage, Knuckle Puck finished off their set with a few fan-favorites like “Pretense,” “Gone,” and “Untitled,” which the rest of the fans and I greatly appreciated.
During the intermission before Real Friends, I noticed that many Knuckle Puck fans left the venue. However, those that stayed were rewarded with an exceptional second half to the show. I wasn’t a huge fan of Real Friends before attending this concert, but I was astounded by how engaging they were as performers. A lot of this was chalked up to the charismatic personalities of the band members. Real Friends played a wide range of songs from their discography, including a few singles from their latest album There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late, which was released in early 2023. The band even performed a rendition of “Happy Birthday” to celebrate bassist Kyle Fasel’s birthday (happy birthday Kyle!). Towards the end of the set, lead vocalist Cody Muraro came off the stage and stood in the middle of the crowd to sing “Teeth,” one of the band's most emotionally potent songs. This definitely tugged on my heartstrings and was by far my favorite moment of the concert. Real Friends also played a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness” and two fan-favorites, “Get By” and “Late Nights in My Car,” to finish off the show.
My Thursday night at the Knuckle Puck & Real Friends concert was full of fun surprises and unbridled energy; I was incredibly grateful to be in attendance. The two powerhouses of pop-punk put on an entertaining show that was mostly exciting and at times emotional. The show also felt very welcoming, and I think that anyone, regardless of their familiarity with pop-punk or emo, could have found something to enjoy. Afterwards, I was left exhilarated and exhausted, but also convinced that pop punk is very much alive and kicking.