On one of the hottest days this year so far, I attended The Royal Albert Hall for the first time ever to watch one of my all time favourite bands, Paramore. The last time I actually saw Paramore was at Reading Festival 2010, so the excitement and expectation levels were high. The Royal Albert Hall is an insane building and our seats were right at the top, but I managed to have a fantastic time amidst the rising heat and sweat.
After releasing their fifth studio album ‘After Laughter’, it has been confirmed that the Nashville three-piece can do anything. They’ve managed to follow on from their 2013 self titled record with a record bursting at the seams with pop bangers. It is clear from the beginning that the band weren’t there to feed our nostalgia, but to showcase their newest material. The set is dominated by songs from their self-titled album and ‘After Laughter’ but due to their dramatic change in sound, a necessary step in moving forward as a band. Front Woman Hayley Williams, makes a number of references to the 10 year anniversary of ‘RIOT’, her appreciation of her long-standing fans and is surprisingly humbled.
Amongst the outstanding new material, they treat the crowd to some huge classics including ‘That’s What You Get’, ‘Decode’ & ‘Brick By Boring Brick’. Not forgetting their biggest track ‘Misery Business’ where she shows her love and appreciation of her fans by inviting a few on stage to sing with her. The atmosphere throughout was so positive and to have 5000 people singing along to every word in such an acoustically and aesthetically pleasing venue was something I’m glad I got to experience.
With recent events such as the Manchester attack hanging over all of us, Hayley Williams touched on how important music is for the unity of everyone. Her stage presence is exceptional and she has the whole audience captivated by both her songs and her spoken words. What began as a rock band all those years ago, has gracefully transformed and matured into this inspiring pop outfit.
Paramore are back with a bang and I am so excited for what their new direction is going to bring us. Ending on ‘Hard Times’ which is possibly the best pop release of the year, they have left us all in awe of their triumphant return.
WE ARE PARAMORE.
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