All Time Low

On Sunday, I had the privilege of going to see American pop-punk band 'All Time Low' at Brixton Academy (not to be confused with The Wanted who had a hit of the same name. I lost count of the number of times people were disgusted I was going to see The Wanted). After waiting in a queue the length of the Nile- honestly, it went all the way round the venue...and then back on itself. Insane- we finally got inside, to be greeted by first support band Young Guns. I personally haven't heard much by them, but their energy on stage was exhausting, which is in no way a bad thing, and I enjoyed the part of their set I managed to catch. The same however could not be said for second support band Yellowcard. Credit where credit's due, their live energy was also really good, and it was interesting to see how they incorporated violin into their music. Unfortunately, I didn't really get a chance to properly enjoy this, as I spent the first few songs battling to keep my shoes on and not end up on the floor, something which is surprisingly hard. The second half was spent being frustrated. We'd worked out way to a brilliant space right in the middle, but due to some inconsiderate fans, were forced to leave. I'm normally extremely tolerant of violent gig-goers, spending most of my gig time either at the front or in the bustle of the crowd, but this was something else. Whilst most fans normally look after each other, making sure noone falls down or hurts themselves, the fans here didn't give a monkeys. We had people laughing as we wriggled our way to the edges, for example. Our problem definitely wasn't unique, as we witnessed pretty much every girl standing by us escaping the chaos song by song, many even fainting. I know this Yellowcard gig was a rare occasion, being only their second London show in 5 years, and it's apparent they are well loved. However, thanks to the actions of some twats, I wasn’t lucky enough to appreciate it fully.

All Time Low saved the night. I may not have known all the words, but I didn’t care. Their live set was pretty much faultless, and their banter and interaction with not only the crowd but with themselves was hilarious. It can be a rare occasion to see a band interact so well with their crowd, having only witnessed it a few times myself, most famously with We Are Scientists. Playing through all the hits, including crowd favourites ‘Weightless’ ‘Remembering Sunday’- sung beautifully acoustically- and ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In,’ and a special cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream,’ ATL didn’t disappoint. Something that really struck me during the evening is how much music can really bring a crowd together. Aside from the Yellowcard incident, the crowd were united in their singing, perhaps re-iterating the idea that music can bring people together. Excluding the meet and great afterwards, where some fans got pushy, no one got aggressive, and everyone was just there to enjoy ATL playing in the UK. A much shorted review than the support bands, there’s no other way to describe the gig other than truly special.