Plus: Mayday Parade,
Kids In Glass Houses
Brixton Academy, London 03.04.12
Words: Jenny Chu
The best thing to come out of Florida since Disney Land; Mayday Parade are the perfect start to the night. When You See My Friends is a great and stunning opening to their set which is shortly followed by a series of favourites from 2007 album A Lesson In Romantics; Jamie All Over and Jersey set the stage a light with a compelling energy that showcases the rare moment that a support act can successfully sound so tremendous in front of 5000 faces. Many bands have tried and failed but Mayday Parade’s perfectly defined vocals, eye-catching stage presence and flawless songs pull it off well, it draws the question “Why aren’t they headlining?” With cheers this loud they are disguised as the big band of the night and any hurdle they may face they seem to be able to not only jump it but you’d be a fool to think they weren’t able to go further and higher.
Welsh boys Kids In Glass Houses surround their equipment in splats of neon paint but tonight they not only light up the stage but they prove themselves more than just a pop-punk-indie band with a vision similar to that of Ke$ha’s. Filling the room left to right with Saturday, the bands oldest of songs and Young Blood (Let It Out) receiving a positive reception and a sheer volume of screams it’s difficult to resist joining in the fun. Give Me What I Want shows Kids In Glass Houses at their very best- raw, an almighty pop-rock mixture and overly catchy. Diamond Days is introduced as their new single and is welcomed with an endless amount of bounce, vibrancy and passionate vibe from those on the stage and those watching. Ending with Matters At All drawing to a close a fantastic set for a band that are sure to have more to come.
Five silhouettes posing for mug shots form a line at the front of the stage, the introduction from When We Were Younger is played and five flashlights appear under each members face, these members form the band You Me At Six. With an average age of 21, this band is tonight conquering a sold out Brixton Academy. You Me At Six dive straight into Loverboy and it’s hard not to notice frontman Josh Franceshi’s mixture of emotions tonight that he acts out very well during each song entitling the topics of heartbreak, loyalty and friendship. During Little Death Josh is a powerful monument for fronting such a successful and hardworking band as his, you’d be easily fooled that he was the statue of liberty. Each song’s lyrics tell a story, each member perform like there’s no tomorrow and each time Josh puts out his microphone their well-built fan base are able to be relied upon to carry on the song without him. The cobwebs are blown off Hold Me Down and Take Off Your Colours and taken off the shelves with Safer To Hate Her, Trophy Eyes and Take Off Your Colours acting as evidence that the members who were only teenagers a couple of years ago have come a long way from playing The Peel, Kingston half a decade ago. “Is this the place where the Olympics are being held?” asks Josh, reassuring the crowd that after tonight the city is going to have the bands future in mind instead. No One Does It Better and Crash shows off YM@6’s best assets, one being that even though they have rock band roots, they can also produce ballads and perform them with justice to the undeniably talented and admirable impact they have. The frontman goes onto to say “Out with the old, in with the new” before introducing the new single (which was written for their rollercoaster in Thorpe Park) The Swarm and it doesn’t question how right he is. Closing with Bite My Tongue the Weybridge boys in YM@6 are clearly keeping the music world on its toes.
