Pop Punk is “all the rage” as WSTR kick off their tour in Manchester on the spookiest day of the year.

I get there as the support band Misplaced, a chaotic punk intertwined with melodic pop, band all the way from Glasgow come on stage. Dressed in full Skeleton costumes they give the patiently waiting fans a glimpse into the growing Glaswegian pop punk scene and warm the crowd up perfectly with a mix of their own songs and Good Charlotte's “Wondering”, the choice to intertwine such a pop punk classic into their set was, in my opinion, a great one as it allowed us as fans of the genre to connect with their set even if we were unfamiliar with their own work. Although only having their first release in 2020 the band is clearly quite comfortable on stage and served as an excellent support for WSTR as they demonstrate perfectly the pop punk that would be familiar to WSTR’s fans whilst also providing a more “easy-listening” more pop sounding aspect to the show. I do however think that they could contribute better crowd interaction as between songs, it fell silent and they would talk over each other in attempts to keep everyone engaged which created a disconnect and made it feel like the band wasn't completely in harmony harmonious throughout their set.

Although slightly late to the stage, WSTR open with one of their latest singles “JOBBO” and the crowd erupts into a pit just big enough for the venue to hold. Dressed in costumes from various popular horror films the band ,who released their first EP “SKRWD” in 2015, played an array of their most streamed songs the band continue to keep pitters and crowd surfers not only entertained but dancing and moshing from the start of the set to the very end despite the venue’s air conditioning issues. It is clear not only do the band have a cult-like following but those in the crowd such as myself who are passive fans or bar staff who may never have heard of them are won over by the easily digestible classic pop punk chords and the high pitched vocals of Sammy Clifford. The slightly Americanised nature of the bands music and performance on stage shows how the world of pop punk in particular is creating a new wave in the UK power-housed by bands such as Neck Deep , Mallory Knox and As It Is who all started in 2009 when the scene was originally kicking off. Therefore demonstrating how the pop punk look and sound has circled back into popularity in the past 10 years.

Overall, WSTR put on a very classic but perfectly executed pop punk gig with an added Halloween twist which did not go amiss with the hundreds of fans dressed in their best Halloween costumes for the night (honourable mentions are a nun, Fred and Daphne from Scooby-Doo and a couple of Gerard Way’s in different iterations.) Although slightly under-ventilated, Night and Day Cafe will continue to be a flawless choice of venue for smaller acts to put on their shows in Manchester.