State Champs • Knuckle Puck • Meet Me @ The Altar • Daisy Grenade • November 18, 2024 • The Depot
Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard
The Depot is a venue that makes a show’s production feel huge while still maintaining a very intimate experience between the audience and the performer. State Champs playing there was no different. With big sounds from the stage, an audience of roughly 650 people, and a pop-punk fan’s dream of an opening lineup, the State Champs’ show was definitely one that got the crowd’s hearts beating hard. The crowd grew more hyped with each opening act, all the while having a good mix of people attending to see each band and not just the headliner.
Daisy Grenade
Starting the night off, Daisy Grenade brought the sass and punch needed to get the show off the ground. This pop-punk duo made sure that there was something for everyone in their 8 song setlist. Daisy Grenade started off very strong with their very high-energy and angsty sound. Their stage presence really demanded the attention of the crowd, and they even got more personal, when one of them hopped to the front of the pit to sing with this little girl who had traveled just to see them perform.
Halfway through their set, the duo and their band performed a cover of “King For a Day” by Pierce the Veil, which really seemed to get the audience moving and singing lyrics back to the stage. This being the second time I have seen them live as an opener, Daisy Grenade has become more confident in their performance and sound, and could definitely rock venues such as Kilby Court or Soundwell as a headliner.
Meet Me @ The Altar
Moving to the second band of the night, Meet Me @ The Altar is a pop trio that just signed on and released their debut album with Fueled By Ramen last year, and has really taken the scene by storm. Starting off their set with their most streamed song, Say It (To My Face), Meet Me @ The Altar came out swinging with fast paced and hard hitting sounds that got the crowd jumping. The third song in their set was when we had the first mosh pit of the night, with it being a female only mosh pit at the request of the singer. As the band played on, the crowd got louder and louder.
About halfway through their 7 song set, the band played a medley of legendary pop-punk songs: Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World, My Friends Over You by New Found Glory, and My Own Worst Enemy by Lit. The audience was almost louder than the band singing these songs as they played, and really brought up the energy. The band closed their set with the crowd bouncing their heads to their second most streamed song, Kool. Having never seen this band before, I really look forward to what comes next with them, and would love to see them headline a show at Soundwell or even the Complex here in Utah.
Knuckle Puck
Ending the long and epic lineup of openers, Knuckle Puck brought the heat and the final missing ingredient of the night: crowd surfers. Something about Knuckle Puck’s heavy sound and hard-hitting stage presence really got the audience hyped and crazy enough to start crowd-surfing. With the band approaching their 10-year anniversary, it was apparent with their performance that they know what they are doing, and have no intention of slowing down. Out of the openers, Knuckle Puck had the longest set with a 12-song set, and it was a high-energy, heavy-punk performance.
Having seen this band 3 times, with the last time seeing them open for The Wonder Years at Soundwell only a couple of months prior, I can tell you that this band has a sound that can fill an ocean. Knuckle Puck is a band that loves their fans and rewards them with all their favorite tracks from the last 10 years. If I didn’t already know that State Champs was playing next, I would have thought that Knuckle Puck was the headliner. The crowd screaming all the lyrics back to the band mixed with the stage presence of Knuckle Puck made for one hell of an opening performance.
State Champs
Last up of the night was our headliner and the reason for everyone coming to The Depot on a Monday night, State Champs. State Champs headed out on this tour to promote their self-titled album, State Champs, which was out November 8 of this year. The band, however, talked about celebrating over 10 years of releasing their debut album, The Finer Things (released in October of 2013). Being a band for over 10 years, State Champs had a hefty repertoire to choose from for their setlist.
They played a mixture of songs from their newly released self-titled album, as well as songs for the old-school fans of the band. After just 3 songs of their set, the frontman, Derek DiScanio, addressed the audience, telling them how they made a Monday night feel like a weekend. Derek also went on to say that “We will never stop coming to Salt Lake City.” It was a really nice sentiment to our beloved Salt Lake music crowd. State Champs played throughout the night with an 18-song set and a 2-song encore.
During the entire set, there was a roaring mosh pit going on with people crowd surfing during every single song. From jumping, to moshing, to screaming fans, State Champs had the best crowd in the world at the depot. The performance was as loud and hectic as it was intimate. “Every single time we come out to Salt Lake City, it gets better and better.” Derek went on to say. This would be the second time I have seen this band, and the first time headlining, and from seeing them at Warped Tour in 2018 to seeing them headline The Depot 6 years later, I can still say that State Champs is a band that continues to impress with their sound, performance, and love for their fans.
The night ended with their 2 song encore, with their final song being the fan favorite, Secrets, from their 2015 album Around the World and Back. From the crowd on the stage floor to the fans from the balcony, The Depot was the perfect spot for State Champs to promote their self-titled album here in Utah