Live Review: The Madden Brothers

California came to Adelaide last night when ‘adopted Aussies’ Joel and Benji Madden aka The Madden Brothers brought their new Greetings From California album to life on stage.

The former Good Charlotte rockers came out right on time to an excited crowd who immediately whipped out their phones and cheered as they belted out the latest single, Dear Jane. Armed with an all-Australian band including three back-up singers, they continued with songs from their new album. Joel had the audience’s hearts melting as he spoke about his young family and how he missed them; they’re clearly the inspiration for the song U R with the lyrics “You’re my inspiration, the one I’m singing for.”

Benji warned the crowd “Buckle up, we’re going to be talking a lot tonight,” and they did just that. The brothers took the audience on a journey of their musical lives, telling stories about heartbreak and their first time in California, and performing covers of the songs they listened to as kids, including Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ and The Eagles’ Hotel California. The place erupted as they transported the audience back to the early 2000s and rocked out some of their first hits such as Girls & Boys and Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous.

Slowing things down for a moment, Joel and Benji gave a shout-out to Aussie pop-punk lads 5 Seconds Of Summer and did a stripped-back version of the band’s song they helped to write, Amnesia. The younger generation in the crowd went crazy for it and sang along to every word.

Their two-hour set finished off with the songs Brother and Bad, both from the new album, and the brothers of course ended the night with their catchy-as-hell hit song, Done.

From their brotherly banter to their hilarious attempts at an Australian accent, the Maddens connected with the audience wonderfully and their performance was just as great. Their voices are still as good as they’ve always been and their songs were complemented perfectly by their band. They were so humble and appreciative of the support they’ve received and it truly reflected in the response from the crowd.