MAYDAY PARADE & THE WONDER YEARS // O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW
MAYDAY PARADE & THE WONDER YEARS KICK OFF THEIR CO-HEADLINE UK TOUR AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
MAYDAY PARADE PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY - 16.02.2019
PICTURE BY: PAUL STORR PHOTOGRAPHY
★★★★☆
Opening the night we have Pronoun. Frontwoman Alyse is joined by guitarist Sam, bassist Ben and drummer Chris (who also happens to be her room mate).
Coming all the way over from Brooklyn, their laid back indie-esque sound goes down well with the growing Glasgow crowd.
Highlight of their set comes in new single "Stay" which is taken from the forthcoming album "I'll Show You Stronger", due for release on 24th May.
Up next are California's pop punkers Movements. They come onstage to the usual Glasgow chant of "here we, here we, here we f**king go" and it is evident that a good chunk of the crowd are here to see them.
They have a decent pop punk sound to them with a slightly heavier tinge to it at times, which makes them stand out.
Set closer "Daylily" is a highlight which gives us our first proper taste of crowd participation as the lyrics are sung back to the band by the now packing venue.
The first of the nights headliners, The Wonder Years, take to the stage and you immediately feel like things have been ramped up a level.
Frontman Dan 'Soupy' Campbell is a blur of energy throughout the duration of their set. Whether it be his constant spins with arms extended like he's playing at being an aeroplane, or his running and jumping around the stage, he doesn't let up for a second.
They play a good mix of new and old, opening with the title track of newest record "Sister Cities" and then kicking into old fan favourite "Local Man Ruins Everything".
Soupy urges the crowd to hold onto someone they love and use their other hand to put a light up for a touching rendition of "Flowers Where Your Face Should Be" before we get a brilliant run through of "Don't Let Me Cave In".
It's hard to pick out a single highlight of the set, as we're hit with a closing salvo of "I Don't Like Who I Was Then", "Passing Through A Screen Door", "Cardinals", "Cigarettes And Saints" and then an intense "Came Out Swinging" which sees the whole venue in full voice, screaming back every word with the sheer raw emotion the song deserves.
The Wonder Years always put on an amazing set, and tonight is no exception.
It appears a good chunk of the crowd were here for The Wonder Years and decided to leave after their set, as when Mayday Parade come on it is evident that the room has thinned out a fair bit. Still, this doesn't stop them from putting on a great show.
Frontman Derek Sanders bounces about the stage as they start their set with "Never Sure" from newest release "Sunnyland". It's not long though before things are thrown way back with "Jersey" from 2007's "A Lesson In Romantics" making a welcome appearance.
We're then back onto new tunes with the superbly titled "It's Hard To Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated By Bolts Of Lightning".
Highlights of the set though come in the appearance of more older tunes in "Black Cat" and "Jamie All Over", the latter which sees the crowd go wild.
Set closer "I'd Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About" is another welcome throwback and a perfect way to end the evening.
This awesome tour has only just begun, so make sure you check it out if it's coming near you!
SETLIST: | MAYDAY PARADE : O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW - 16.02.2019
Never Sure
Jersey
It’s Hard to Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated by Bolts of Lightning
Black Cat
Piece of Your Heart
My Friends Over You / I’m Not Okay (I Promise) / Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team)
Jamie All Over
Somebody That I Used to Known - (Gotye cover)
Anywhere But Here
Sunnyland
Stay
Three Cheers for Five Years
Oh Well, Oh Well
ENCORE:
I’d Hate to Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About