Live Review: Simple Plan - O2 Apollo, Manchester 02/10/2026
It would be an understatement to say Simple Plan was one of the biggest bands to come along in the 21st century. Coming up during the peak of pop-punk and never going back down, the Canadian group were the soundtrack to many lives; whether they were the school outcasts, the lone wolf runaways, or the standouts of the normie crowd, everyone found a piece of themselves in Simple Plan’s discography. However, as they return to the United Kingdom, they have solidified their permanent placement in popular culture for the rest of music history.
Cementing their still major alternative reputation in the mainstream, a sold-out night in Manchester kicks off the Bigger Than You Think tour in style.
Warming up the crowd is the scene’s newest and bluest offering in Charlotte Sands. A powerhouse voice, Sands commanded the stage accompanied only by her touring drummer and her ambition. Promoting her new record Satellite, released earlier in the year, she brought her art to life with energetic kicks, electrified guitar licks, and wind-fuelled hair flicks.
For someone who is still considered a newcomer in the alternative sphere, Sands came prepared to rock the Apollo from the get-to. Not missing a single note, she was able to win the room over with her powerhouse vocals and her star quality stage presence. It would be easy to mistake her for the headliner, if the audience turnout is anything to judge by; and this is why supporting the opening act is one of the simplest yet most important things music fans and frequent gig-goers can do. No one knows when the next rising star could become the brightest in the galaxy, but if this first night of the tour is anything to go by, keep an eye out in the sky for the continuous ascension of Charlotte Sands.
Following on to keep the mood up and keep the feet moving is Australian punk outfit Stand Atlantic. Gearing up for the upcoming release of their fifth full-length Godbreath, they gave the northwestern crowd a full rundown of their musical history as of recent and if that didn’t advertise their new release in the right way, then there is no right way about it.
Stand Atlantic have cemented themselves as a band of fun-loving music-playing pals, and that was what was broadcast on the Manchester stage: dancing, chanting, giggling, and just being all-around loveable characters putting on a show for the fans and non-fans alike. Playing classics such as Skinny Dipping’s smash hit ‘Lavender Bones’, Was Here hits ‘GIRL$’ and ‘ROCKSTAR’, and f.e.a.r. tracks ‘dumb’ and ‘deathwish’, this was the perfect opportunity for the Sydney four-piece to tell everyone who didn’t know them who they were, and everyone who did know them who they are right now. If this career showcase of their old and new material piques interest, then there’s no doubt Stand Atlantic will be seeing more and more faces on their own tour cycles in the future.
As it comes to the main event, everyone is ready and warmed up to the maximum for this career-defining concert. As the lights come up, the music begins, the photos flash on the screens behind the stage, and the Canadian quartet take their respective places, the night can truly begin. And there’s no better way to begin than to burst right into the bouncy bliss that is ‘I’d Do Anything’.
With a burst of confetti and a roar of cheers echoing from the back to the front, Simple Plan was in for a memorable night. As the first few songs play on, the variety of older and newer releases was an unexpected but welcome surprise. Playing their latest single ‘Nothing Changes’ between classic hits such as ‘I’d Do Anything’ and ‘Addicted’ was a fitting assortment, and the crowd were along for the right through time and back. With a band so synonymous with their heyday such as Simple Plan, this can be considered a risky role to play out. Many old-school fans - identified by the band themselves as being in attendance on the night - were probably unaware of the new stuff at best and a hater of it at worst, but if this was the case then these fans are fantastic actors. It was cheer after cheer, applause after applause, and it will be very rare to find such a happy and accepting crowd of a long-term music act again.
There is also a fascinating visual aspect of this show, as every performance had its own dedicated aesthetic shown on the screen and stage setup surrounding the band. This includes a beautifully illustrated comic strip accompaniment for the ever-so-relatable ‘Welcome To My Life’; the appropriately space-themed dreamscape for ‘Astronaut’; and the most hilariously memorable, the animated feature airing alongside the band’s rendition of their theme tune for ‘What’s New Scooby-Doo?’. However, it was not the on-stage animation that made this Scooby-tastic track go down a treat. It was the band’s insistence of having the stage stormed by an abundance of Scooby-Doo cosplayers. To a point that the musicians themselves were swarmed by row after row of tall brown dogs and they were difficult to spot even for the barrier-stood fans.
It’s what one must expect with pop-punk gigs: there are no adults, only overgrown kids.
Closing out the night are two of the most famous singles ever released from Simple Plan: the intergenerational hit ‘I’m Just a Kid’ and the heartbreaking ballad ‘Perfect’. Choosing these tracks to close the night out was a well thought-out and executed decision, as if any themes resonate the hardest with a pop-punk following, it really is feeling lost and alone and scared in the big wide world, and feeling like the black sheep of the family and growing up coming to terms that there sometimes is no happy ending. Yes, these are sad songs and it is a sad fact that they will speak to many people in that room and around the world on a greater scale; however, to be in a room with thousands of people singing alongside one another with the heart, soul, and emotion that those songs were born out of and performed with is one of the most heartwarming sights to ever witness.
In the end, Simple Plan may come across as just another band of brothers who will make silly jokes, pull stupid faces in photos, and act closer to their shoe sizes than their ages to those outside of that corner of the industry. But there is always something deeper, more meaningful, in how they act and the music they play night after night. They know that music means something to someone, no matter how many or how few people in that venue it may have needed to hear it at that moment. This is why no matter if someone is 10, 16, 25, or 55 years old, they are still just a kid.
As long as life is still a nightmare, Simple Plan will always be there to use their musical offerings to make it a little more dreamlike.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Lily Evans
