Mayday Parade

By Sian Clay

On May 19th Yeovil’s hottest music venue saw another visit from the well-loved US band Mayday Parade. After lots of singing, moving and waiting – the time had finally come as an array of teenage girls clutched to the barrier awaiting the on stage arrival of Tallahassee five-piece Mayday Parade.

As the Dj’s music drew to a close, the crowd quietened in anticipation for what was about to come, but the anticipation didn’t last long as the band finally emerged one by one. The crowd went crazy, screaming and cheering for each member, welcoming Jeremy Lenzo, Alex Garcia, Brooks Betts, Jake Bundrick and last, but most certainly not least, Derek Sanders onto the stage.

The band kick started the set with Jamie all over; an older track taken from the 2007 album ‘A Lesson In Romantics’, which was received by the crowd very well and was obviously a well-loved track from the crowd’s reactions. Up next was ‘Kids In Love’ with an up-beat style, the crowd were all singing and dancing along giving it there all, proving that they were a fantastic choice of songs to open up the show with which had everyone off their feet jumping and intrigued for what else the band had in stall for them.

Taking a small break after the first few songs the band took some time to interact with the Yeovil crowd, vocalist Derek Sanders said ‘hello’ and introduced the band, one member at a time, and cheers filled the venue after each name. The band spoke about how it was their 4th time here in the UK and from the reaction of the crowd you could feel that this was indefinitely appreciated.

‘Do you guys mind if we slow things down’ front-man Derek asked as a piano was moved into the centre of the stage. At this point Brooks, Alex and Jeremy depart from the stage leaving Drummer Jake and Vocalist Derek alone on stage. The atmosphere became instantly excitable, as the crowd began to realise what song was about to be performed. Derek introduced the song as ‘Miserable At Best’ and there was an immediate roar of screams and cheers. As the song started you could tell immediately that this was a favourite, with almost every person in the venue singing their hearts out. At times in the song the crowd were so loud they even over-powered the vocals of Derek. As you looked upon the crowd there was a vast amount of lighters and lights being held in the air, in true ballad like fashion. This is fantastic song which was proven to be even better live.

Mayday Parade played a whole host of classics which were amazingly received by the audience including ‘When I Get Home You’re So Dead’, ‘I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About’ and ‘If You Wanted A Song Written About You, All You Had To Do Was Ask’. The band played a fantastic range of songs for both older as well as the more recent fans, so everyone was guaranteed their favourites to sing along to.

In between songs Mayday Parade stopped to talk with the crowd, a handful of ‘I LOVE YOU’s were shouted excitedly. The band seemed very grateful that they were there, with lots of ‘thank you’ speeches throughout the show, showing their true appreciation to each and every person in the audience. Sanders even mentioned how being here was a ‘dream come true’. The band then carried on the set list with the first song Mayday Parade ever wrote as a band; ‘Three Cheers For 5 Years’ which was very much well received, as the crowd were seen to be singing along word for word with smiles on their faces.

Another song which seemed to go down very well was ‘Black Cat’ – an older track from the band. As Derek introduced the song the crowd went crazy, yet again singing along to every lyric and line then mid-song, to add to the excitement of the crowd, guitarist Brooks Betts decided to pour and then spit a whole bottles worth of water over the crowd which they seemed to love and despite being wet, each person still seemed to be having the time of their lives watching this band perform.

The band soon decided to take things a bit slower and performed ‘You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I’ll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds’ – another beautiful ballad that had the crowd singing and swaying their arms along too, but this slow pace didn’t last long, as a song named ‘Get Up’ was next. This catchy number had everybody jumping, even those who weren’t so familiar with the song were able to sing along with the catchy chorus with a number of ‘get up, get up’s’.

The last song of the night was ‘Jersey’ which was a fantastic way to end an amazing show. The crowd put all they had into this last song; singing, jumping and dancing along making the most of the moment. As the song ended, the crowd clapped the band until they had all left the stage and as the audience turned to leave the venue you could see from the expression on their faces how much they enjoyed the show and that it will be one they wont be forgetting anytime soon.

Overall, Mayday parade most certainly did not disappoint. The band performed a fantastic show with a whole host of different songs that you couldn’t not move along too. From the reaction of the crowd, you were able to tell how happy they were to be there, with smiles on their faces and sweat dripping from not only themselves but the venue’s ceiling – you could tell it was a successful show all around.