State Champs

Albany, NY punks State Champs were founded in 2010, taking their cues from emo punk royalty like All Time Low, Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory.

The initial line-up of Derek Discanio (vocals), guitarists Tyler Szalkowski and Dave Fogarty, William Goodermote (bass) and Matt Croteau (drums) recorded an initial demo which later became their debut EP, Apparently I'm Nothing. Soon after, Fogary and Croteau left the band and were replaced by Tony Diaz and Evan Embrosio.

The Overslept EP followed in 2012, after which the band set their sights on their debut album. The Finer Things was released in 2013 and was co-produced by New Found Glory guitarist Steve Klein. An acoustic reworking followed in 2014, after which Goodermote left, with Ryan Scott Graham taking his place on bass.

The band's 2015 follow-up Around The World And Back propelled them into the mainstream, peaking at No. 30 in the Billboard Top 200 and kicking off extensive touring through exponentially bigger venues. By the time their third album, Living Proof, arrived in 2018, the band had cemented their reputation as one of the bigger pop-punk crossovers of recent times. A second acoustic outing, 2020's Unplugged, highlighted the band's songwriting chops without the usual bombast.

State Champs confirmed a UK tour set for May 2022 with stops in Bristol, Southampton, London, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.