Written by Daniel Rourke
Whilst Mayday Parade have become one of many early 00s bands within the quote-unquote emo scene to be looked at by many as nothing more than the butt of a nostalgic joke, the band's seminal debut studio album 'A Lesson in Romantics' is often glossed over, and somewhat underappreciated.
The lack of appreciation that bands such as Mayday Parade often endure meant the announcement of the band's tenth-anniversary tour of 'A Lesson in Romantics' was met with more cynicism than positivity - it's nothing more than a shameless cash in on a record that defined a scene that isn't cool anymore, right? Wrong.
It doesn't take long after doors for the excitement within the room to become clear, as faces young and old come to terms with the fact that they'll be hearing an iconic - if not often forgotten - record in full. It's in this excitement in which show opener All Get Out get rather lost, as their Brand New-like sound aims to fill a space that can't be filled, despite the loudest shrieks and howls from frontman, Nathan Hussey.
Following All Get Out's flurry of aggression, it's left to Australian pop-rock quartet With Confidence to pick up the pieces and bring some life to an audience who just want to hear the opening chords of Jamie All Over. Thankfully for all involved, With Confidence's infectious hooks and impenetrable likeability see the crowd break out into occasional singalongs, as tracks from the band's debut record 'Better Weather' draw the crowd in perfectly.
As With Confidence wrap up their set to a raucous singalong of Keeper, the crowd are finally primed and ready for Mayday Parade and their evening of celebration. The opening chords of Jamie All Over hit and Sanders' voice cracks, predictably sending the room into a nonstop nostalgia trip, peaking with an eruption of movement for Jersey.
Of course, Miserable At Best is the track that many in the room have yearned to hear for months, and when the moment finally comes around it is somewhat spoilt by barbaric venue security deciding the best way to stop people getting on their friend's shoulders and singing their hearts out was to shine lasers directly into their eyes; unsurprisingly leading to members of the crowd reacting unfavourably, ensuing a series of pushing and shoving between both attendees and security in a bizarre turn of events.
Despite the sour moment, Mayday Parade play out the rest of 'A Lesson in Romantics' without a care in the world, and the crowd are more than happy to go along for the ride until the final moments of You Be The Anchor.... The Band aren't finished there though, as the surprises keep on coming, this time in the form of an acoustic rendition of Terrible Things from the 'Valdosta' EP, as well as a rousing performance of their first ever track, Three Cheers For Five Years before wrapping up proceedings with Oh Well, Oh Well.
Whilst anniversary shows are often looked upon as mere cash-ins, it's clear from this performance that this isn't the case with Mayday Parade and their 'A Lesson in Romantics' anniversary tour. Whether it's the band, the older members of the crowd, or the people in the crowd who would have been toddlers upon the album's release, there's a clear affinity to the record and the band which ultimately creates something extremely special.