The Wonder Years and Mayday Parade, O2 Academy 2, Birmingham - review with pictures
It may have been a cold Monday evening but last night emo heavyweights Mayday Parade and The Wonder Years brought their eagerly-anticipated co-headline tour to an electric sold-out crowd in Birmingham.
Bodies piled into the O2 Academy 2 from the moment the doors were opened to rush to the front ready for the packed line-up ahead.
First to warm up the crowd were synth/indie outfit Pronoun with an energetic set that kick-started the night.
Fronted by charismatic vocalist Alyse Vellturo, the New York group stunned the audience with up-beat singles that had toes tapping and heads nodding.
Turning the evenings proceedings up a notch were California quartet Movements.
The post-hardcore mob spent little to no time introducing themselves and dived straight into a furious set laden with heavy guitar riffs and soaring choruses.
I've seen The Wonder Years around 20 times, yet they always manage to surprise me with the sheer levels of passion they weave into each and every performance.
Silhouetted in smoke and blue lights, the Philadelphia sextet stormed onto the stage to the sound of hit single Sister Cities.
From this moment on the band took the audience on an energetic and emotional journey through their poignant lyrics and spell-binding instrumentals that grabbed us by the heartstrings.
From Local Man Ruins Everything through to Dismantling Summer, Cardinals, Cigarettes and Saints, Don't Let Me Cave In, There There and more the group sounded perfect.
Vocalist Dan 'Soupy' Campbell's voice switched from a sweet harmony to a bellowing shout in a matter of seconds, showcasing an impressive range and tone.
Each song saw the band move across the stage like whirlwinds on a path of destruction, and the crowd followed suit with hands rising into the air and bodies clamouring to the front to get just a little piece of the action.
Ending on hit single Came Out Swinging, The Wonder Years left the stage - and the audience - on a palpable high.
They were a hard act to follow, but Mayday Parade certainly rose to the challenge with an upbeat and dynamic performance that had the whole room moving.
The Tallahassee quintet kicked off the night with single Never Sure, and the hits kept coming with renditions of Black Cat, Jersey, Oh Well Oh Well, Stay, A Piece Of Your Heart, Three Cheers For Five Years and a roaring cover of Gotye's Somebody I Used To Know.
Each song was executed with expert precision, carried by vocalist Derek Sanders' exquisite voice that never faltered.
For many members of the crowd, these songs packed a nostalgic punch that required a whole lot of dancing, singing along, and jumping aplenty to appreciate them fully.
This lively atmosphere was encouraged by the band, with Derek and co dancing across the stage with a groove in their step and giving ample opportunity for the audience to take the reins and sing the songs they know and love.
The group delighted the crowd with an acoustic medley of classic emo songs from the likes of New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday before diving into their own smash hit Jamie All Over.
To screams of 'encore' from the audience, Mayday Parade treated the room to one last dance with a vibrant rendition of I'd Hate to Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About that left the audience breathless.
It's hard to hate Mondays when you have The Wonder Years and Mayday Parade in town. Both bands treated fans to hair-raising sets that reinforced why they are still at the top of their game.
