Laughing About Nothing & WAAX Live at Swan Dive Portland (4.3.25) – Concert Review

Opening for WAAX on April 3rd, Portland’s own Laughing About Nothing stepped onto the stage at Swan Dive with the kind of quiet confidence that makes you lean in before you even realize it.

This was my third time seeing them, and somehow, each set just keeps getting better. There’s a clear evolution happening-not just in their sound, but in how they carry a room.

Tucked into the dim, intimate space of Swan Dive, their set felt less like an opening act and more like an invitation into Portland’s underground pulse.

Their sound moves fluidly between lo-fi indie textures and high-energy punk bursts. One moment they’ve got you fully amped-distortion swelling, energy building-and the next, they pull everything back into something softer, more melodic, almost hypnotic. Those quieter moments hit just as hard, giving the set a push-and-pull dynamic that keeps you completely locked in.

The crowd, still filtering in at first, quickly shifted from casual chatter to full attention. By mid-set, heads were nodding, bodies swaying-drawn into the band’s rhythm of rise and release. I overheard first-time listeners buzzing with excitement, already amped on discovering them in real time-it’s always a good sign when a band can win over a room that quickly.

What stood out most was how effortless it all felt. No overproduction, no forced stage presence-just a band fully in their element, letting the music speak in waves.

By the time WAAX took the stage, the tone had already been set.

It was my first time seeing WAAX, the Australian-born band now based in Los Angeles, and they absolutely delivered. Their set leaned into punchy punk-pop energy that had the crowd instantly amped and fully dialed in. At one point, the lead singer jumped into the crowd, blurring the line between stage and audience, while longtime fans shouted every lyric back at them with full force.

What a fun Friday night filled with loud music, energy, and the kind of moments that remind you why discovering new sounds in a small venue hits so hard.

With an upcoming album release on April 10, 2026, Laughing About Nothing feels like a band on the edge of something bigger and I’m genuinely excited to see where they go next.

CATCH WAAX ON TOUR