After slowing down for a bit, West Coast pop punk staples The Story So Far came back in full force this past June with their first album in six years, I Want To Disappear, and they’re currently in the midst of a North American tour celebrating its release. They stopped at the gorgeous, recently-renovated Brooklyn Paramount on Friday (11/29), where they played nine of the new album’s 10 songs, and they had the crowd going just as nuts for all the new stuff as they did for longtime fan faves like “Empty Space,” “Roam,” “High Regard,” “Out of It,” “Things I Can’t Change,” and the one-song encore of “Quicksand.” They branched out from pop punk with moments like Proper Dose‘s dreamy “Upside Down” and new album cuts “Letterman” and “White Shores,” but mostly this show was about giving the people all the pop punk sugar they want, and TSSF remain remarkably consistent at doing exactly that.
Just as exciting as TSSF was that this is also one of the first full-length reunion tours for Superheaven, who have been gradually making a comeback these past few years. The “grungegaze” pioneers were fresh off releasing their great new single “Long Gone,” and they played that along with the not-yet-released “Numb to What Is Real” and told the crowd that they have a new album coming in 2025, which would be their first since 2015’s Ours Is Chrome. The new stuff sounded as great (and blaringly loud) as ever, as did all the older faves like “Life In A Jar,” “In On It,” “Sponge,” “Poor Aileen,” Leach,” and, of course, their TikTok-viral “Youngest Daughter,” which was met by very audible cheers as soon as they launched into it. It was The Story So Far’s show, but a lot of people came ready to go just as wild for Superheaven, and the band very much delivered.
Kicking things off before Superheaven was a newer band whose hardcore-informed emo/pop punk pairs very well with The Story So Far, their Pure Noise labelmates Koyo (introduced by Marc Anderson, who sung his viral rendition of Motorhead’s Triple H entrance song on stage), who were just as great as when we caught them headlining Brooklyn Monarch earlier this year. Pictures of all three bands by Rob Menzer continue below…
The Story So Far @ Brooklyn Paramount – 11/29/24 Setlist (via)
Big Blind
The Glass
Out of It
Nothing to Say
High Regard
All This Time
Watch You Go
Letterman
Things I Can’t Change
Proper Dose
Jump the Gun
Empty Space
Solo
Keep You Around
Upside Down
Keep This Up
You’re Still in My Way
Roam
White Shores
Nerve
Encore:
Quicksand
Superheaven @ Brooklyn Paramount – 11/29/24 Setlist (via)
Long Gone
Sponge
Sheltered
Youngest Daughter
Crawl
Numb to What Is Real
Life in a Jar
Around the Railing
Leach
In on It
Poor Aileen
Koyo @ Brooklyn Paramount – 11/29/24 Setlist (via)
I Might Not (Introduced by Marc Anderson on stage)
Moriches
Life’s a Pill
You’re On the List (minus one)
Anthem
Message Like a Bomb
Mile a Minute
Ten Digits Away