Gig

All Time Low - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 13th May @ Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

May 16, 2017

7 min read

All Time Low
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW
May 13th 2017
Supported by: The Maine and Neck Deep

There are bands you’ve been a fan of for as long as you can remember, bands that have grown with you through significant moments in your life and if you’re Australian there are bands who seem to never include Australia in their ‘World Tour’. But today was not that day. All Time Low, after two years, a couple side-waves and a rained out festival set, finally made back and they certainly did it with a bang.

We were lucky enough to see their exhilarating performance at the Horden Pavilion and oh boy what a night!

People who had lined up for hours filed in, hurrying around the merch desk or clinging to the barricade. An exciting buzz ran through the venue as The Maine appeared on stage; well-know by some, at least somewhat known by all. Opening with 'Black Butterflies & Deja Vu', the frontman adorned in a colourful suit, presents an equally colourful set; begging those in the grandstands to stand and pulling a guy on stage so everyone can say hello to him. Needless to say the crowd were effectively warmed up by the closing number, 'Bad Behaviour' and left the stage with a skip in their step and a few new fans in tow.

Everyone knew who was next. Half of the room were equally as excited to see this support as they were the headliner. The one and only Neck Deep. It is unsurprising the amount of fans in the room; as it was this time last year they were headlining around the country, earning their own strong and committed following. Opening with fan-favourite 'Gold Steps' the boys played a solid hour, leaving no fan disappointed and judging by the response, of the set, successfully winning over the entire room. Playing through a mix of absolute bangers from both their most recent album 'Life’s Not Out To Get You' and their debut 'Wishful Thinking', frontman Ben Barlow and co, blew it out of the water.

It's in the intermission that everyone is made aware of the emos in the room, as 'Teenagers' by My Chem plays and everyone proceeds to lose their shit. Whoever said emo was dead?

And now! What you’ve all waited two years for! All Time Low; who clearly know how to get things started as they jump on stage, smashing out the first bars of 'Weightless', arguably their most well-known track and for good reason. The crowd goes wild, sweat flys and everyone sings their heart out. The energy held by everyone on stage is palpable and it’s immediately clear why they’re known as the party band.

'Somewhere In Neverland' and 'Cinderblock Garden' swiftly followed by some light-hearted banter between Frontman Alex Gaskarth and Lead guitarist Jack Barakat, set the tone for the evening. Everyone was just there for a good time and the boys were more than happy to oblige. 'A Love Like War' and 'Backseat Serenade', allowed for an upbeat mix of their entire discography; eliciting similar levels of insanity with an increased amount of sweat.

Then came some newer stuff. It's here I have a heartfelt recommendation; if you are not entirely sold on All Time Low's new singles, go see them live. The energy brought with the live rendition of these tracks sheds a new light on the potential for the new album. Both 'Life Of The Party' and 'Last Young Renegade' are performed phenomenally and obtain a sense of nostalgia filled magic that I can only imagine is a sign of instant classics. Broken up with 'Kid’s In The Dark' and 'Something’s Gotta Give', and making for a highlighted portion of the night.

Then came the tears; my younger sister, having read the setlist, started crying before the song even started… 'Therapy'. It’s impossible not to feel something during Alex’s performance. His voice is filled with such passion and truth that you couldn’t help but be sucked into the heartfelt moment. As if the two were a well fit pair, the heartfelt moment is elongated with newer track 'Missing You' and so caps of the acoustic portion of the show.

As fans rapidly wipe their tear stained cheeks and curse their not so waterproof mascara, The boys follow up with 'Green Light' a Lorde cover that almost made me like Lorde, a gorgeous performance of both 'Forget About It' and 'Dirty Laundry', broken up with a Drake song about penises and ‘finished’ off with an oddly chosen 'Take Cover'.

Obviously there was an encore… and boy was it good.

Any long time fan knows what’s missing in this set; three tracks they simply couldn’t not play. To which I’d say you’re completely right; Beginning with an energetic 'Time Bomb' followed by all time favourite 'Jasey Ray' and showing the power of a crowd, due to an off the cuff joke about playing a Journey cover, the crowd started singing Journey and they legitimately did about half of 'Don’t Stop Believin' including Jack’s solid attempt at the guitar solo.

But of course, the night ended with an energetic 'Dear Maria, Count Me In'. There was confetti, there were bras and there was screaming; the promise of a good time officially fulfilled.

It's clear to see why the Baltimore natives have had such a committed following for 14 years. They're all talented showman and musicians that are clearly passionate about what they do. I look forward to seeing them next time around and let's hope it's not as long of a wait this time!

Gig Review by Bree Vane. Find her on Facebook & Instagram
Photo Gallery courtesy of Renae Egan. Check out her work on Facebook and Instagram. Please credit Wall of Sound and Renae Egan if you repost pictures.

Don't forget to check out our chat with All Time Low's Zach and Jack here
We also spoke with Fil Thorpe-Evans from Neck Deep here and The Maine's Pat Kirch here

The Maine

Neck Deep

All Time Low