Durry takes the stage at Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on “This is Your Friend From the Real World” tour.

By Tilsen Mulalley

Durry’s “This is Your Friend from the Real World” tour brought the indie rock band to Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on October 14th. Synced stage visuals complemented a setlist of their latest material, anchored by their biggest hits. The night brought Durry’s punk rock, D

IY spirit to the stage. 

Following grunge-punk opener Gully Boys and a brief break, the room went dark. Cheers erupted as a wall of screens on stage flickered to life, cycling through clips of vintage television and movies. Durry filed out in silhouette. The stage then came to sudden life as they plunged into “Bully,” the first track off of their latest album, This Movie Sucks. The song is fast, frenetic, and rife with criticism of modern internet discourse. The track whipped the crowd into a frenzy that took several minutes to abate. Looking out onto the excited crowd, the sibling-led four-piece expressed their amazement at the turnout.

“This is probably the biggest room we have ever played in,” guitarist Taryn Durry said from the stage.

“And it’s not half-empty,” frontman Austin Durry added.

The rest of the evening’s set was just as electrifying. Raw, loud, garage rock tracks like “Start a Band” celebrated Durry’s spirit of putting in the hard work yourself.

“I tried to start my first band when I was 15,” Austin Durry said to the crowd. “... I rode my bike to my very first gig with a guitar in a bag on my back and my amp in my hand.”

 “Start a Band” and its simple, driving message of “do the thing, who cares if you suck?” keyed up the energy in the room. Odes to the mundanity of 21st-century survival like “I’m Fine (No Really)” and “idk i just work here” started sing-alongs that nearly drowned out the band themselves. “Porcupine” had the entire crowd hollering animal noises on the chorus. Durry even performed “More Dumb,” despite skipping it at previous shows due to the demand it puts on Austin Durry’s voice.

“We’ve skipped this one at the last few shows just because my voice hasn’t been great,” he said, diving into the song.  “But I’m feeling pretty good tonight.”

“The Long Goodbye” shifted the concert to a more somber tone. An acoustic ballad filled with folk influences, the song is a dedication to lost loved ones. Austin Durry performed it on stage solo. 

Durry ratcheted the energy back up with “Dead Media,” a hidden track on This Movie Sucks criticizing the instantaneous dopamine fix that is social media. 

Their first viral hit, “Who’s Laughing Now,” from their 2023 release Suburban Legend, finished out Durry’s set. The screens behind the band became a live feed attached to a camcorder on stage during their finale, and the band members passed it around as they performed before turning it loose in the crowd, putting the full energy of the room on direct display behind them.

As the band filed off stage, an immediate cry for an encore brought them back.

“You guys were quick on that encore,” Austin Durry said over the roar of the audience.

Durry sent the crowd packing with their truly final song, “Suburban Legend,” also from their 2023 album of the same name.

The “This is Your Friend from the Real World” tour will see the band touring across the United States until mid-November.