Live Review: Waterparks in Brussels

Before we start this review, we have to note that the writer/photographer is a not-so-secret Parxie that went to three different countries in the span of a month just to see Waterparks live. The third time was on Sunday, November 19th in Brussels, to finish the European leg of the tour, though they do have 4 more UK dates.

During the Property UK/EU tour, the Aussies from Stand Atlantic support Waterparks. The band gets the crowd going really well with crowd surfers, big pits and lots of head banging. The band has just released a new song called ‘Sex On The Beach’ which has been on repeat since hearing it live for the first time. The band fits really well with Waterparks, as both of them try to redefine what ‘pop-punk’ bands are supposed to sound like. No one wants to hear the same song twenty times in a row, so it is a good thing no song by either band sounds the same, showing that they transcend the genre they are usually put in. The band puts a lot of energy into their set, as they NEVER stop moving, and the crowd that came a little earlier to see them perform, rewards them by putting in the same effort.

After Stand Atlantic’s very energetic set, it is time for the headliners of tonight. If you think the support act moved a lot, you have not seen anything yet. The stage is set up spaciously and singer Awsten Knight cannot help but run around the entire stage multiple times. He even moves the microphone back behind drummer Otto Wood for a little bit, stating he wants to see what Otto sees all the time. Five seconds later he is standing on the left side of the stage and another five seconds after that he is, well… anywhere really.

There is a lot of banter between the band and the crowd during the show. At one point, he points out a woman that was dragged to the show by her friend who says she would rather see Muse. As accommodating as the singer is, he requests a light change and starts playing a Muse song through his photographer’s phone. Speaking of lights, the colorful lighting around really captures how important color is for them- the lights and colors fit perfectly with the mood of the songs.

The shenanigans aside, the band plays a lot of songs from their entire discography. There is a section in the show where Awsten plays a couple of different songs each show, similar to Taylor Swift’s surprise songs. Even people that watched multiple shows (we already know I am guilty) will get something different each time. Today’s acoustic songs were Greatest Hits songs ‘You’d Be Paranoid Too’ and ‘Lowkey As Hell.’ 

During this tour, Awsten painted stars on his face as part of his ‘st*rfucker’ persona, but the show in Brussels and the one before, found a starless Awsten. The encore was played without a break from the band at this night’s show, presumably because the band is a little tired/getting sick- but that does not stop them from giving the crowd all they got. 

As we mentioned earlier, the European leg of Waterparks’ Property EU/UK tour has (unfortunately) ended now. Fortunately, you can still check them out on the four stops in the UK in the upcoming days. Who knows, the “threats” of the band not returning to Europe in the next two years might be true. Do not risk missing out now!

Written by: Christine Mooijer

Photographed by: Christine Mooijer

Edited by: Naomi Krauthausen