On November 15th, Real Friends stopped by Orlando’s Beacham for the Real Friends Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever tour. The pop-punk band recently released their first record, Blue Hour, featuring Cody Muraro on lead vocals. The band recently spent 8 weeks in Orlando, Florida, writing the album with friend and producer Andrew Wade. Concertgoers showed up early to support the openers, Slow Joy, Carly Cosgrove, and Can’t Swim.
Slow Joy, Esteban Flores's solo project, fired up the audience's enthusiasm for a night of pop-punk. Accompanied by friends on bass and drums, Slow Joy was able to get the crowd off their feet and generate a lively atmosphere. They displayed emotional and familiar lyrics with an optimistic and energetic tempo, making the audience come to life. You can tell by their liveliness on stage that they are thrilled to be performing, constantly smiling, shredding, and bouncing into each other as they hyped the crowd for the next act.
Carly Cosgrove was next up to take the stage, and I could tell by the audience singing along that they are a fan-favorite in their emo genre. The name alone has them capturing your heart with their humor and playful reminder of our childhood. Lead singer and guitarist Lucas Naylor excels in the Midwest emo and fifth-wave emo revival sound, reminiscent of scrolling through Tumblr while American Football plays on my iPod. Bassist Helen Barsz had everyone's attention while she moved around the stage, flipping her long hair without missing a note. The Cleanest of Houses Are Empty is the newest album by the three-piece, which came out on June 14th of this year.
Can’t Swim started in the air with guitarist Greg McDevitt captivating the audience by lunging across the stage with boundless energy. It did not take long for a mosh pit to form in the middle of the venue and for the crowd to be pushed as close to the barricade as possible. Lead singer Chris LoPorto began the song “Set the Room Ablaze” by telling the onlookers to “pick a side." The intro started with, “This town ain't big enough for the both of us.” They pause, and the audience screamed with the band, “Pack your bags!” LoPorto then shouted, “Move!” and then the moshing ensued.
Before the Real Friends performance began, the stagehands set the ambiance by adding illuminating clouds to the foreground and set the lights to a blue tone, potentially referencing the latest album, Blue Hour. Growing up with Real Friends blasting on my car speakers, I wondered how Cody Muraro's vocals on my favorite past song would be perceived. Starting with their new album, they played "Our Love Was Like a Sad Song," proving that the audience had indeed checked the new record out before arriving. It was a total shock when I saw my first crowd-surfer of the set take-off during the first song, wearing a past Real Friends tour t-shirt and belting out the words. Muraro’s vocals stood out strong, delivering powerful pop-punk excellence and relating to the crowd. Performing new songs like “Cold Blooded” and “Waiting Room,” alongside old favorites like “I Don’t Love You Anymore” and “Late Nights in My Car,” reassured the audience that Real Friends are here to stay.
The highlight of the band's performance was how much Muraro connected with the audience and disregarded the barricades between the fans. During the third song, “Late Nights in My Car,” he jumped off stage directly, singing to the fans, passing the mic, and grasping hands. He pushed the barrier even more when he leapt into the audience, crowd surfing to the back of the Beacham. Another moment was when Muraro immersed themselves in the crowd and performed the highly-praised pop-punk hit "I've Given Up on You." Surrounded by cell phone lights and adoring fans screaming out every line. The surprise song of the night was an American Football cover of “Never Meant,” which had the concertgoers erupting in celebration. The band had a wholesome reminder to the crowd that “music saves lives.”
