Concert Review: The Cameras & Coastlines Tour at Terminal West

The "Cameras & Coastlines" tour, appropriately named after Smallpools new single, "Cameras & Coastlines", sees the band team up with DREAMERS for a not-quite-coheadline tour that very much felt like a co-headline tour. Pairing together two of the hottest underground indie pop/rock artists in America and cramming them into one of Atlanta's premier music clubs was a recipe for success. 

Both Smallpools and DREAMERS are touring in support of new singles. The bands have both been silent this year on any upcoming projects, but have been pumping out some catchy new songs to tour on the back of. 

New Jersey's Young Rising Sons kicked off the night with an electrified performance, complete with power pop choruses and rocker antics. Eager to blend Jersey's rock iconnicsm (i.e. Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi) with elements of catchy pop music (i.e. Harry Styles, 5 Seconds of Summer), Young Rising Sons bring an absolutely infectious opening performance. 

Indie-rock with a punk attitude, DREAMERS bring a stage energy not many bands can match. Massive moments of swelling rock brought a crushing live set. Power chords and backing synths brought a high with their set, capturing the fun appeal of the band's L.A. roots with an energy that could get anyone moving. 

Scuzzy and distorted, DREAMERS came out swinging with their set. Two of their rowdiest tracks, "SCREWS" and "Misfits T-Shirt" were among the first three played, and the band rarely let off the gas. The continued near full speed, taking a small pause mid-set for an unreleased tune, "Bleed Through", which was done stripped down. This song is a live exclusive which follows the story of regret after attempting to take your life, a heavy topic for what sonically was a very energetic and uplifting show, a common through line in DREAMERS' music.

Full of energy, the band closed out their set on an explosive 3-song run with "Heat Seeker", "Painkiller", and their first radio hit, "Sweet Disaster". DREAMERS' full setlist is below.

      1. SCREWS

      2. Vampire in the Sun

      3. Misfits T-Shirt

      4. Desensitize

      5. Wolves (You Got Me)

      6. Someway, Somehow

      7. Bleed Through

      8. Black Confetti

      9. Internet Junkie

      10. Robbery

      11. Heat Seeker

      12. Painkiller

      13. Sweet Disaster

Smallpools came into the show eager to please. The band's last time in Atlanta, back in November 2021, marked the band's touring return from the pandemic hiatus. This time around, Smallpools are fully back in the swing of things. The band delivered an energetic and outright fun show, with audience members struggling to contain their joy throughout the night. 

The night began with the grandiose "Over & Over", an offering from the band's 2015 project LOVETAP!. This was followed up with "Stumblin' Home", a lighter and more upbeat track, and "Passenger Side", one of the best songs of the night. The band had hit full stride by this point, and delivered their most spot-on performance of the whole concert.

Production was top notch. Smallpools is a band that is very liberal with their tour budget, bringing in a ton of lights and an incredible team to back it. Every song had an equally as bombastic light show with it, perfectly synchronized with the music itself. Similarly, the audio was perfect in every way, with a great dynamic range and no slip ups. The only thing really missing was the band's inflatable orca whale, which was blocked by the venue.

In addition to their stellar beginning, Smallpools continued to deliver track after track. The band closed out the night with their hit song "Dreaming", as well as sprinkling in a handful of covers from Radiohead to Tears For Fears.

      1. Over & Over

      2. Stumblin' Home

      3. Passenger Side

      4. Street Fight

      5. Social

      6. Cameras & Coastlines

      7. Mother -> Creep (Radiohead cover)

      8. Life of the Party

      9. Simulation -> Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears For Fears cover)

      10. Lovetap!

      11. Killers Whales

      12. Million Bucks

      13. Dreaming

      -

      14. You Get What You Give (New Radicals cover) -> Karaoke

With just shy of a dozen dates left on the "Cameras & Coastlines" tour, Smallpools and DREAMERS have a lot of driving ahead of them. A drive up the east coast, through the rust belt, and down through the midwest lands the tour in Nashville, TN for their final stop on November 22nd. The remaining dates are below.

      11/08 Charlotte, NC — Amo's Southbend*

      11/10 Washington D.C. — The Fillmore*

      11/11 New York, NY — Gramercy Theatre*

      11/12 Boston, MA — Big Night*

      11/13 Philadelphia, PA — Brooklyn Bowl*

      11/15 Chicago, IL — House of Blues*

      11/16 Grand Rapids, MI — Elevation*

      11/18 St. Paul, MN — Amsterdam Bar & Hall*

      11/19 Omaha, NE — The Waiting Room*

      11/20 Des Moines, IA — Wooly's*

      11/22 Nashville, TN — Basement East*

      * with Young Rising Sons

Incredible. From start to finish, every last bit of this show was in incredible. Pair together Smallpools and DREAMERS and you're already set as an alt-rock fan. Through in a new name with Young rising Sons and you're in for a stellar night. There was never a dull moment, and certainly a show you don't want to miss.