If you like pop-punk, this was the tour of the decade; You Me At Six and All Time Low, together, under one roof, for one week only.
Having wooed fans old and new at smaller UK shows over the last 10 years – they joined forces to deliver the ultimate show.
I was lucky enough to get along to the Glasgow show of this mighty tour and test the water myself. On reflection, it was fitting that the show was held in the gigantic multi-coloured SSE Hydro. Looking like something from ‘Flight of the Navigator’, it set the scene for an out-of-this-world performance.
Due to a mix up at the gate, we sadly missed opening act Walk the Moon. I’ve been listening to their tracks non stop for the last week and, despite there being 2 sets of glass doors and several burly security staff between us, I could still hear the US pop-punkers delivering an awesome opener full of toe-tapping favourites.
Keep an eye out for their next single ‘Shut Up and Dance’ (out soon in UK) from upcoming album ‘Talking is Hard’ – it’s pop-punk gold and I’ve not been able to stop singing it.
Finally in and at our seat, the SSE Hydro opened up in front of us – a sea of bodies, all ages and walks of life. I’m not usually a fan of seating at a gig, I think they get in the way and stop you having fun. But this time around it was ideal. Plonked right in the middle, slightly above stage height, we could see everything. Despite the 13000 capacity venue being nearly full, I didn’t feel crushed and the seat rows left us plenty of room to jump around.
Exploding onto the stage with ‘A Love like War’, All Time Low were here! Any fears I had about a bigger show diminishing their signature intimacy with the fans was completely blown away, busting out classics like ‘Stella’, ‘Lost in Stereo’ and ‘Weightless’, mixed seamlessly with newer favourites like ‘The Reckless and the Brave’ and current single ‘ Something’s Gotta give’, the guys were on top form.
Highlights include the stripped-back acoustic rendition of ‘Therapy’ and ‘Time Bomb’, seeing ATL pluck unwitting, but very eager victims out the crowd to help sing the popular single. ‘Mountains of Wayne’ – my really very clever nickname for the ma-hoosive chap (called Wayne) that was one of 5 that joined ATL on stage – was a definite crowd favourite. After dwarfing Alex (and everyone else) and videoing his entire time on stage, he delicately carried Jack offstage. Or in Glaswegian terms ‘chucked him aboot like an empty tracksuit.’
Rounding off an energetic and near-flawless performance – no matter how ‘rusty’ frontman Alex Gasgarth thought they were – with ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’ they got the crowd into it one last time before Jack closed the set with a semi-naked ‘yomp’ across the stage. Classic Barakat.
There was a bit of a lull between acts while the stage was changed over and set up complete, but it gave us a chance to catch our breath and gather refreshments from the surprisingly well stocked, not-over priced and ably managed bars/grills at the SSE Hydro.
Before we knew it, You Me At Six were on and I thought the roof was coming off.
Delivering a dramatic set filled with bouncing beach balls, gold confetti and many, many…MANY fireworks, set against some beautiful backdrop video footage, YMAS were untouchable.
Despite breaking his ankle two weeks ahead of tour, Josh Franceschi chucked himself about the stage to classics like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘Loverboy’ and ‘Underdog’.
Instrumentally and vocally YMAS were razor-sharp. While their set wasn’t as involving as ATL, their performance was polished perfection. Highlights for me were ‘Crash’ for Franceschi’s vocals and ‘Fresh Start Fever’ for getting the audience bouncing.
Both bands more than deserve their place in the arena – and what a way to announce it! They lost none of the detail and intimacy that I love about their past shows, but playing such a big crowd as successfully as their finely tuned instruments, added a whole new flavour that super-sized the experience.
I think this might be the start of something beautiful.
Don’t worry if you missed this tour – just keep an eye on our news feed for fresh tour info. These are bands you do not want to miss twice!