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Sammy Roenfeldt

LIVE REVIEW – Paramore – The Self-Titled Tour

 

When it was announced that Paramore were returning to Australia with You Me At Six the fifteen year old me was ecstatic. This is the tour of my dreams. Fans braved the scorching forty five degrees heat lining up at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre to secure their positions at the barrier .If you’ve seen Paramore before you know that their shows are not to be missed.

Twenty One Pilots is a name I’ve been hearing a lot lately and I am furiously scolding myself for not checking them out earlier. The duo from Ohio brought a mixture of rap, hip hop and electro infused rock to the stage. With just drums, keys, a ukulele and pre-recorded synths they produced a surprisingly bold sound. Tyler Joseph’s vocals ranged from rapping and screams to spoken word poetry and he bounded across the stage even jumping off a piano.

You Me At Six’s return was long overdue. Since the British five piece were here two years ago they have released a third album and been on countless tours. And their live performance is proof of this. Kicking things off with “Reckless”and the dark, growling “Loverboy” it was clear that Josh Franceschi’s vocals have improved drastically and overall they are a much tighter band.

Playing songs mostly from ‘Hold Me Down’ and ‘Sinners Never Sleep’ power ballad “Crash” was a highlight. With the band’s fourth album ‘Cavalier Youth’ due for release in just over two weeks it was only natural to tease us with new songs. “Lived A Lie” ventures towards a stadium rock sound with marching drums while “Fresh Start Fever” is a catchy pop punk number. Their set ended with fan favourite “Underdog” and Franceschi’s promising the band’s return in September.

Paramore need no introduction. The curtain fell to reveal Jeremy Davis, Hayley Williams and Taylor York’s stunt double Brian J O’Connor lit up in front of the iconic three bars logo. They launched straight into “Grow Up” declaring loud and clear that they have moved on. Paramore are here.This was followed by the energetic “Fast in My Car”, “That’s What You Get” and “Decode”. Despite a sprained ankle guitarist York gave it his all and Davis happily slapped away on his bass.

After an interlude of “I’m Not Angry Anymore” on the ukulele, which provided a breather for the crowd, Paramore powered through “Now” and “Daydreaming” from their latest release ‘Paramore’. While they may have taken a more pop direction with their music there was still plenty of head banging to be done and Williams confidently strutted her way around stage.

Williams then took to the keyboard for “Last Hope” and “When It Rains” showing off her impressive vocal abilities. When she stumbled over the lyrics the crowd kept singing and all was forgiven. “Crush Crush Crush” got everyone out of their seats and dancing which was followed by the funky “Ain’t It Fun”. If a choir dressed in bright red robes can’t get you dancing then I don’t know what can.

“In The Mourning” was blended with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” to create a beautiful country ballad. The pace picked up with “Pressure” and a lucky fan was pulled on stage during “Misery Business” to sing the bridge with Williams. Paramore channelled the last of their energy into “Part ll” and the ‘uber’ cute “Still Into You” as balloons and orange confetti filled the room.

While I spent half the night staring at the back of people’s heads and through their phone cameras because ofmy shortness, when it was all over I felt ten feet tall. The trio deliver an uplifting, energetic and positive show. There are moments to sing, dance, head bang and cry. Paramore, I’m still into you. 

Journalist: Melina Scarfo

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