Chase Atlantic: Their PHASES and Successes
Written by Natalie Melendez
Photography + Graphic by Rebekah Witt
The first time I experienced a Chase Atlantic set was back in 2017 at the Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA. They were the openers for Sleeping with Sirens on one of their two intimate shows to commemorate the upcoming release of their studio album, Gossip (2017). At the time, I had no idea who Chase Atlantic were. Never had I heard their name, and never had I heard their music. Needless to say, I was surprised when the three-piece spoke with a heavy Australian accent. A greater surprise came later when I found myself hooked within the first song, and proceeded to listen to them on Spotify nonstop for a month.
I saw Chase Atlantic a second time soon after that, once again opening for Sleeping with Sirens, but this time on their Gossip North American Tour. Soon after that, Chase Atlantic had graduated to playing their own headlining shows in the states, and I saw them play at The Parish, a small 400 capacity room within the House of Blues of Anaheim. However, this time around it was the three-piece’s turn to celebrate. They’d just released their self titled debut album and were on a 4-show promotional run. Though not widely known at the time, the show had an immense amount of energy and a significant amount of loyal fans, a great indicator for what lay in store for Chase Atlantic’s career.
Flashforward to the fall of 2018, Chase Atlantic embarked on their very first world tour, playing not only all across the US, but also all across Europe. And instead of playing in a small room, this time Chase took over the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, their largest show in California until just a few days ago.
In just under 2 years, Chase Atlantic have demonstrated an outstanding amount of artistic growth. From increased Spotify streams to jaw dropping tour visuals to increasingly larger venues, this aussie band is on its way to taking over the alternative world. And their sold out show at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles, CA this past June 28th in celebration of the release of their second full length album, PHASES, served as yet another step on their promising road to success.
The night began with the very beloved “ANGELS” from the band’s just released album PHASES. Immediately, the room began to vibrate as the audience released pink and purple colored balloons, a present to the band on behalf of hundreds of supportive fans in celebration of the new album. To my surprise, over half of the room already knew the lyrics by heart and did not hesitate to sing along with lead singer Mitchel Cave as he, along with band members Clinton Cave and Christian Anthony, fed on the energy in the room to deliver a stunning performance.
The rest of the night proceeded in a similar manner. Balloons and feet jumped up and down as Chase made their way into yet another new song, “HER.” Though the setlist primarily featured songs from PHASES, a couple of old time favorites were included in the mix, such as “Friends” from the band’s 2015 EP Nostalgia and “The Walls” from 2017’s Chase Atlantic. Again, the energy was vibrant and I found myself in a state of bliss as I jumped around to some of my all time favorite Chase Atlantic songs.
However, what made the night even more special was the array of visuals up on stage. Each song was represented by an assortment of flashing white lights and bright blue, red, and violet hues. The lights dictated the mood for each song and the audience followed through, from the hectic flashing and jumping of “The Walls” down to the soft-lighted atmosphere of “STUCKINMYBRAIN,” during which the audience held up their own phone flashlights as they swayed from side to side in unison.
Out of the overall dream-like state of the night, this moment felt the most special. Singer Mitchel Cave used this opportunity to speak up about the stigma encapsulating the topic of mental health and the importance of talking about it instead of letting it consume us. The message was powerful, but the audience’s response was what tied the entire moment together.
Next followed a brief intermission. The stage once again filled itself with flashing lights and colors, and the speakers blared high beat tunes described as “BUMP TRACKS” on the setlist posted on the stage floor.
The energy picked up again shortly after as Chase Atlantic made their way back onto the stage. Kicking off the second half of their set with “Swim,” yet another 2017 favorite, the audience resumed their uncontrolled singing and fist shaking as the three piece matched the audience’s energy by jumping and moving around stage, switching positions every once in a while so as to continue to rile up the energy.
Having reintroduced the state of euphoria, Chase continued to perform new songs “LOVEISNOTEASY” and “LUST,” which, while not on PHASES, appears in the group’s 2019 EP DON’T TRY THIS. I once again was surprised by the number of people who, having had access to some of the songs for the first time only a few hours ago, already knew all the words and sang along as Clinton Cave played his saxophone, proving himself as a sax king and soothing the previously raging energy.
Now, I’m aware that at this point I’ve said that many of the previously mentioned songs were some of my favorites, and I wasn’t lying. But this next song places number 2 in my top 3 favorite Chase Atlantic songs, right after “Into It,” which, to my dismay, wasn’t on the setlist (we need to have a serious chat, boys). The song? None other than “Drugs & Money.”
As soon as the first few notes played, the crowd went wild. By far, this was the loudest sung song of the entire night. And as I jumped and sang along, I couldn’t help but recall the first time I heard that song live back in 2017 at The Parish in Anaheim. Back then, Chase Atlantic had been playing a small 400 capacity room within the larger House of Blues venue. Today, they were playing a sold out 700 capacity show at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles. The feeling I got in that moment was beyond anything I’d ever felt before, and the nostalgia lifted me off the ground in sudden bursts of excitement, in sync with the vibrations under my feet.
With the night soon coming to an end, Chase were sure to keep the energy pumping by playing “HEAVEN AND BACK,” “LIKE A ROCKSTAR,” and “Uncomfortable.” And sure enough, the crowd delivered. More fists were thrown, more balloons were thrown (and popped), and more stage position changes occurred. But this wasn’t the end of the night yet. The accumulation of energy from the last few songs wasn’t for nothing, because the three-piece were sure to leave the best for last.
As part of their encore, Chase Atlantic performed one final song: “Okay,” Chase’s signature end song. Now, when I say the room went wild, the room went WILD. I’m talking water thrown into the audience, fast flashing lights, the crowd pushing towards the stage. Adrenaline seeped from the walls and under our feet and created a beautiful chaos. Christian bounced around the stage as he sang his respective part, and opener Lauren Sanderson even joined the boys onstage. It was the perfect culmination of electric energy and celebratory cheer.
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the night was over. The show ended with a bang, and I had the time of my life. There’s no other band like Chase Atlantic to put on a hell of a sold out show and to make you feel so in touch with their performance. I’m excited to see where the future takes them, and I can’t wait to continue watching them grow.
If you haven’t already, make sure to listen to PHASES and catch the guys of Chase Atlantic on the remaining dates of their Phases North American tour. I promise it's worth the while.