"Pure Noise Records-signed bands Real Friends and Knuckle Puck know how to put on quite the show, and they exceeded expectations when they played Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, OR on April 30."
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Must See
Real Friends & Knuckle Puck with Between You & Me
Hawthorne Theatre // Portland, OR // April 30, 2023
Review by Bruna Cucolo
Imagine a night filled with boisterous singing, jumping, mosh pits, circle pits, crowd surfing and the most high energy filling up an entire room. Bring two headlining pop punk bands together for one night and that’s what you get.
Pure Noise Records-signed bands Real Friends and Knuckle Puck know how to put on quite the show, and they exceeded expectations when they played Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, OR on April 30. Not to mention it was a sold-out night. Bringing along the Australian independent band Between You & Me, there is no way a single person was able to leave even slightly disappointed.
Several people in the venue were already fans of the opener Between You & Me. With the first song, “Supervillain,” many from the crowd were already singing along. From the first of seven songs of this set, there was so much hype brought from the stage and into the crowd. There was no better opener than Between You & Me that fits with the co-headliners but also brings in their own charm.
The first of two co-headliners to perform was Real Friends, beginning their set with one of their most popular songs, “I’ve Given Up on You.” A guitar started the song and fans already knew what it was, and from then on, the singing from everyone was incredibly loud. The packed venue could even be heard above the band. They played a range of really old songs to newer tracks, but everyone seemed to know every single tune. At the end of the set, the band asked who had never crowd-surfed before, and those who raised their hands were encouraged to crowd-surf, and many participated. If you want to sing along, belt out lyrics all night long and possibly lose your voice, a Real Friends set is what you need.
This was not close to the end of the show by any means. Crowd participation and engagement, moshing, jumping and crowd surfing continued throughout Knuckle Puck’s set. Once the orange background lights lit up on stage, the crowd went crazy and already started bouncing up and down as they sang along to all the songs. With a 17-track setlist including “Disdain,” “True Contrite,” “No Good” and “Pretense,” the crowded room was nonstop rowdiness in the most wonderful way possible. It was happy singing voices that were heard among the fans, creating a thrilling and lively experience for all.
Together, Real Friends and Knuckle Puck put on a co-headlining show that had so much energy and positive vibes, there’s no way anyone walked away not feeling overjoyed from it. The atmosphere was unforgettable — it felt very welcoming, all the fans were there for their love of live music and the band members were not only entertaining but also excited to be there. Through mid-May you, too, can catch Real Friends and Knuckle Puck chilling and rocking across the U.S.
