ALL TIME LOW / SWMRS / WATERPARKS | LIVE REVIEW
Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Sat 11 Mar
I was met with an impressive queue of brightly-dyed hair and young girls as I arrived at the Great Hall. It was obvious that this gig was a sell-out already and it was still hours until doors were due to open. These fans were clearly dedicated – sat on the floor with blankets, energy drinks and empty food wrappers, prepared to wait in the cold for hours for the chance of getting near the front of the stage.
Openers, American pop-punk band Waterparks, were definitely more ‘pop’ than ‘punk’, and not just because they were hugely popular with the crowd. They had everything that a pop band has nowadays – an arrogant frontman, an extremely hyperactive bassist and a pretty drummer. That seemed to be a hit, however, as people that hadn’t heard of Waterparks before the gig still don’t know what the lead singer sounds like due to the crowd singing very loudly over him throughout their set.
Opening with their latest single, Palm Trees, SWMRS took the stage by storm. Powering through some of the best songs from their album, Drive North, their set definitely wasn’t long enough for my liking. Lead singer Cole Becker had the crowd under his control; even when he started talking about politics, the crowd, who were probably too young to know who Donald Trump is, were still screaming at the top of their lungs. Ending the set with powerhouse track Figuring It Out, SWMRS left Cardiff with an array of new fans.
Although the crowd was enthusiastic throughout both support acts, it was clear that they were there for All Time Low. Kicking off their set with Kicking & Screaming, the band were high-energy from the word go. Lead guitarist Jack Barakat couldn’t keep still as he ran around the stage, making use of the whole space, whilst frontman Alex Gaskarth got the crowd jumping and singing along; despite not needing much encouraging. The sexual innuendos and blatantly rude comments between songs made me uncomfortable as I stood in an audience of pre-teens, but the age range didn’t seem to bother the band.
Performing all of the fan-favourites – Weightless, Somewhere In Neverland, Backseat Serenade and Lost in Stereo – it was obvious that All Time Low knew exactly how to work a crowd. During tearjerker Therapy, there was a sea of the 21st Century version of lighters in the air (torches on people’s mobile phones.) The band had complete power over the crowd and whatever they did, their fans were in awe. Ending with Dear Maria, Count Me In, they finished on a high and leaving the venue, there were numerous crying girls, overwhelmed by seeing their idols in the flesh.
words CONNIE MATTHEWS photos TIM ALBAN