It’s been a little while since the UK has had the pleasure of a full headlining Mayday Parade tour, so when it was announced in the summer we knew we had to be there. Half a year and a venue change later, there we were at The Troxy, in a sea of teenage girls, waiting for the show to start.
The Maine were up first, proving their worth by causing an immediate scream fest amongst the crowd. It was clear that the band had a fair few fans of their own in the room, who knew every word and danced along to every pop punk delight they through our way. One would be forgiven for thinking that they were the headliners, they whipped The Troxy into a euphoric frenzy which is notoriously difficult to do as a support act. Major props to them.
All of a sudden it was time for Mayday Parade. The five members stormed the stage with a fist pump inducing rendition of One Of Them Will Destroy The Other, from their newest album Black Lines. Jamie All Over was up next and, of course, one of the best sing a longs of the night, there’s something about perfect strangers with their arms around each other, screaming out lyrics that takes us right back to the emo glory days of 2007. The guys ripped through fan favourites such as Black Cat and Miserable At Best, before ending things with a sweaty, tear jerking rendition of Jersey.
Mayday Parade are always a joy to watch. Lead singer Derek Sanders radiates gratefulness in every performance. It’s so abundantly clear that he does not take one moment for granted, and the show at The Troxy was certainly no exception. Although the guys aren’t gasp worthy in their musical ability, the energy and atmosphere that they produce in a live setting makes a pretty good showcase of how to be a relevant emo band in 2016. We’d like you to be back in London ASAP please, guys.
7/10
Written by: Faye Ducker
Photos by: Elliot Vitzthum
