LIVE REVIEW – PARAMORE, Perth – 16 Jan 2014

PARAMORE, Perth – 16 Jan 2014
PARAMORE with You Me At Six and 21 Pilots
Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia – Thursday, 16th January 2014
Reviewed by Star Wiggam

After probably one of the biggest crowds I have seen outside waiting at Perth Arena took us no less than an hour to get through the doors, I only hoped the show wouldn’t be as boring and arduous as the wait to get in.

All the waiting made me feel like I was having a bad bad dream… oooh… snooore! Zzzzzzzzzzzzz… I was nearly fast asleep in between what looked and felt like a cattle yard muster.

Twenty One Pilots

2 guys enter the stage and of course all the teeny boppers and lesbians (I soon wondered when I saw how hot these 2 were whether some of them would be rethinking their lesbian inclinations) scream their little hearts out and alas the girl next to me said, “Damn! Wish I wasn’t gay!”

I was astounded by the amount of enthusiasm for Twenty One Pilots – a large majority of people don’t seem to know who they are as it is their first tour in Australia.

There goes logic when you are dealing with screaming teens. Oh wait, more screams… You just can’t ditch the sincerity of a band getting this much scream! Then again, Justin Beiber gets a lot of scream and I think he is far from sincere.

So these two guys are on stage and the drummer is wearing a green balaclava and it was akin to an alien or super hero costume… and that he was… an alien super hero muso that was about to change my opinion on the ability to amaze when you are band made up of nothing more than a 2 men and a couple of instruments.

Awesomeness on a stage, in a bottle, on a stick. The best thing since sliced bread. Two people, but so much more like 21 people! In fact the Schizoid Pop 2 piece band from Columbus, Ohio, blew my mind, like a cycloptic (I refer to my narrow-minded ideal of the ability to astonish with so few present) dream of heaven in a bed. The liveliness and enthusiasm was astounding and not something I have witnessed for some time, since last seeing “Limp Bizkit”.

Of course, they’re nothing alike musically BUT equally captivating in the area of zest.

Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun were taking entertaining to a new level. And for that without a doubt these guys were the highlight for me and several others in my vicinity. These guys knew how to get a crowd worked up… Guaranteed they could have been playing classical on cloud nine and they would wake you up into a world of pure boppy but eye-restful joy. People were jumping, bouncing, smiling, laughing and working themselves into a teenybopper Beiber-type induced frenzy when the singer makes a point of letting us know that the drummer is wearing a shirt with a pic of Hayley from Paramore on it (which means nothing to me… like, who isn’t right now…) – 2 guys, a drumkit, a piano, a ukulele and a Hayley t-shirt. Throw in a couple of balaclavas and it’s a match made in dreamers heaven!

Honestly… quite honestly, one of the most kick arse energetic bands I have witnessed. And I don’t know whether I was more drawn to them knowing they were capable of so much but were so few and it didn’t matter what was going on in the background musically, they rocked us in our little cradles of sleepy delusions of what is pre-drilled expectation but alas they won our need to want them to rock us their little lullabys.

Great catchy tunes, with a little rap here and a little rap there, his voice sometimes reminding me of Coldplays Chris Martin, I knew I was an instant fan. The highlight song, was the one the singer proudly announces he wrote for his mum, the heart warming House Of Gold. Car Radio and Guns For Hands were also very stunning, intriguing and enticing to the elements of awakeness.

The live performance really drove it home for all of us. Musicianship, confidence and the passion to please is something to aspire to – there’s nothing bad to say about these guys… they slayed the stage dragons, and we all enjoyed their small costume changes (hats & balaclavas mostly) & stage stunts, such as the drummer amusing the crowd with a somersault off the piano and the singer wasn’t afraid to get out on top of the people in the crowd and leap boundlessly off the piano every now and then.

With limited speech and time on stage, it is without a doubt these guys took many a new fan with them and their respected stage antics and ability to entice a crowd to jump almost non stop through out the entire set. Very enjoyable and entertaining.

If you were a silly git and missed these guys, do yourself a favour and check their music out – most definitely worth the experience… a dream to watch… pretty cute too! If their job was indeed to get the audience pumped as they themselves mentioned “We have the most important job as the first band”, they certainly achieved it plus so much more. We all could easily have stood through another 5 songs and hoped to god the dream wasn’t going to end with an anti-climax. 10 out of 5 stars! Brilliant stuff.

You Me At Six

There is nothing more annoying than listening to someone say “G’day mate” or “Perth” as many times as they can in one sentence or song. Or “I get the feeling Perth doesn’t get many tours come here”.

Well, I get the feeling you’ve never been here before or don’t know when you should shut the fuck up… But apparently they have been here before – with Soundwave 2012 – so really should know better. I did go to the 2012 Soundwave and their name was familiar to me but not memorable.
Would the first impression be a lasting impression of chaos and annoyance to my dream thus far. Would my ever so fantasy type dream be but a nightmare?

You Me At Six were very self assured, “seasoned/lived/experienced” (a bit of salt n’ pepper, mate) performers. UK soft rock lads Josh, Matt, Max, Chris and Dan performed eloquently but I did find it ever so slightly amusing that not so many people knew the lyrics when the mic or suggestion to sing some lines was presented.

And whilst I did not know any of their songs to begin with I left feeling the need to give these guys a chance and hear them out.

Singer Joshua Franchesci was too right-side-of-stage happy for my liking and needs to be aware of the need to work the entire stage consistently for audience members wanting to get a closer look or interaction.

Overall though they did put on a good show and whilst I did find something slightly clichéd about some of the things that were being said and sung, they did have a quality about them that made you keep looking and wanting to keep the dream alive.

The other band members certainly made the most of their stage area and interaction toward crowd was notably plausible. The guitarists stage participation and vigour was a wake up but I wasn’t entirely buying it.

The set was full of “Let’s bounce. You can sing louder. Make some noise. If you don’t know it, that’s ok, dance with us” and the guitarist joined in singing at the crowd which did ensure a strong crowd reaction/interaction.

Franchesci did enjoy a good spit into the air every now and again which is always pleasing to my nightmarish black heart fetish requirements. Liquid Confidence. I hear the title and roll my eyes, thinking it sounds a little tacky, but am quickly swept up in the “nothing to lose” sector of the song.
There’s something very familiar and 80’s-pop rock about these guys – the preconceived notion of an 80’s bore-whore rhythm BUT I still like ‘em.

Whilst they were quick to remind everyone they were at a rock show and to behave accordingly “You’re at a rock show. Dance if you are seated. Find someone to make out with and make sure they actually want to make out with you. ”, at first I found it a little off beat considering the kind of music on display (more like pop rock) because for the most part, yes it’s rock but it’s not the kind of rock that’s going to get you head banging or stage diving. It’s not bad ass, rebellious rock that’s going to make you jump in your seats. Maybe swing a little, side to side, but not straight to lezzy, lezzy to straight kinda dancing.

We had intimate crowd moments, after being asked to hold our phones up with torches on, altogether… Oh! My little black heart. Crash ensured. Frankly, he could have asked us to jump on our heads with our phones up our asses and we probably would have done it, but I didn’t feel these guys had much to offer me that would make me feel like I was less in a nightmare and it was starting to feel like an anti-climax after the first band.

They made mention of their new album Cavalier Youth and the want to come back to Australia in the near future. Stay With Me was a believable dreamy attraction and the singer tells us he will see us in September.

And again, a little drawn in by Bite My Tongue – “You keep me on the edge of my seat” we all sing along. He lets out a roar (for the film crew in tow) and I realise there is a heavier edge to this band which I am drawn to. You Me At Six put on a pretty good show but not outstandingly original. 7 outta 10. I didn’t feel greatly inspired but they were okay. My tranquil knight in shining armour had left with the first band and hoped would reinstate with the last…
After plenty of big ol’ false alarm moshpit scream, because, oh wait… a roadie walked out of stage, the stage’s black curtain promptly drops to accommodate the bands entrance.

Of course for the next 90 minutes raw spark, Fiery haired stunner Hayley stole the show with her pocket rocket energiser bunny impersonation… which seemed for the most part consistent throughout and completely relentless of anyone’s wants or needs… however, in all honesty, halfway through the show, several of us felt the need to whinge a little and want to leave a little.

Whilst we appreciate the need to perform songs old and new, hard and fast, slow… there were too many ups and downs, highs and lows, left me feeling like a manic depressive on a Sunday drive to my off-the-cliff death… all the while so hard to rip your eyes off of her… casually attired in a leather jacket which read “grow up” on the back, black leather look leggings, dancing, kicking and leapy with vigor that states the persistently obviousness of her own refusal to “grow up” and gave me the need to feel like a reckless teen fighting to get up front wanting more.

A fan said, “I don’t know these songs or remember them? I thought they were heavier than this? I must have been going through a bad break up! I didn’t realise they were this. Emotional!”

Overall though I have to say I did enjoy all the highs and whilst I hand my respect for an astounding performance on all fronts (even through the slow lows) a better song setlist layout would have gone a long way… but for the teenybopper and large lesbian fan base visibly present, it did not deter or fail to impress.

I found myself sitting on the floor in between songs bored shitless (and not alone), waiting for a more exciting song to come and sweep me off my feet, like a dreamy knight in shining armour… that red headed little lassy, well she came, she delivered but the amount of times she “ran out on me” left me feeling flat and low and just looking forward to hearing Still Into You… and yes, I’m a child at heart, I really just wanted to see what carnal light-hearted fun I could tender once they released the balloons from the ceiling…

Each time I experienced a glimmer of hope for a harder, rockier song, like a love struck insecure teen I’d bounce eagerly from the ground ready to chew it up and not want to count sheep. For the most part, I felt there was far too much talking in between songs, and it did leave several people just wanting her to shut up and sing the next song.

Parts of the show were truly magical and everyone seemed to be having so much light hearted good fun. We learnt many a thing about Paramore such as when they wrote the song Last Hope they were having a band writers block… she laughingly referred to this as “word song vomit” she spoke several times openly about not giving up on things that you want to achieve in life – which got a little repetitive and long winded.

She didn’t fail to work the entire stage left to right, front to back… she also took the time to make all people stand in the seats with the house lights on them for what she promised would be just a few minutes but by the time she stopped talking was more like 15.

Williams also asked people to slap their friends, if they saw them sitting down at all during the song. “Dance hard and ugly. Dance all over everybody”.
An incredible light laser show and 3 panel screen in the background was very captivating and whilst I found myself bored through some of the songs, just enjoyed the show of lights or watching the roadies enlist the company of groupies.

“That’s what you get” she pounded the mic into the air, knowing everyone would sing the song.
“If there’s a future we want it”… I was overcome with deafening screams. Hayley spoke about how many double platinum and gold albums they had in Australia and thanked everyone. She sung, spinning, spitting like a little girl lost. Twirling and dancing in spit, I can’t say I have ever seen a singer spit on themselves so much before – Into the air, direct downward missile. Even the male singers from the previous two bands could not compare to her saliva bravery in this way.

Williams took to the keyboard for When It Rains and whilst some would say that some areas of the show were showing variety (including the use of a ukulele), or were cute or intimate, I found them failing to an expectation of high energy substance – we got lifted up and then let down. Sure she probably needed the rest but we didn’t want to see it, it’s unnecessary. We know she’s a flawless singer: proof in between awesome uplifting songs is not needed. Leave the slow and sloppy crap for bed time stories.

Ain’t It Fun featured a church choir, cloaked in appropriate robes, which may have been a feel good moment for some but, blerh! Next! The feel good moment came for fan Alison, who was asked to join Hayley on stage, the singer saying that whilst she could see people were singing along, she questioned the audience, how would they be with the mic in their hand, up on stage singing one of their songs.

Of course every man, his dog and teenybopper daughter, the lesbian beside her and little Alison put their hand up and pleaded to be allowed on stage. She asked Alison if this was her last show or would she continue following them. Williams went on to explain that Alison had pleaded at every other Australian show to come up on stage for this particular component. That she had said no to Alison every other time but said she could not deny her this moment now because she had faithfully followed them across Australia.

How did Alison go? Well she couldn’t much sing to save herself for the most part (though I believe it could have been nerves & I’ve definitely heard worse) BUT it smoothed over and improved in the short space of time – not that it mattered as the girl jumped around like a complete giggly goose neck and was a true delight to watch. The interaction between her and the other guys on stage encouraging her to give it her best shot was also commendable.

I got the song I wanted at the very end – Still Into You – yes, I was still into you Paramore, with the omitting of all the sloppy reminiscence. I got the glitter, lasers, blue/green and yellow coloured balloons, red confetti. I got my wish and my dream came to a blessed calming end. 10 outta 10.

 

 

 

Category: Live Reviews