Project Description

MAYDAY PARADE

+ Bad Juju + Yours Truly

@ The Gov

12/12/18

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Michelle Keesmaat

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If you ask anyone that knows me what my favourite band is, 9 times out of 10 they will say Mayday Parade. When I heard Mayday were coming back to Adelaide I screamed so loud my neighbours knocked on my door to see if I was okay. So, you can tell how excited I was for tonight. Our Tallahassee sweethearts graced Adelaide’s The Gov almost exactly a year ago on October 17^th. Since last time we saw them they have released their new record Sunnyland and recently toured with This Wild Life and Oh, Weatherly on the North American leg of the Welcome to Sunnyland tour. Doors were due to open at 7:30 but by 6 the line had already extended around the building. Never mind that I had seen them 5 days prior at Good Things Festival, I was shaking as I got closer to the front of the line.

Opening up for our boys were Sydney pop-rock outfit Yours Truly. They’ve played with the likes of Tonight Alive, Stepson and Between You and Me. They pulled a great opening crowd, punters happily bopping and singing along to tunes they knew. After opening with popular Winter, we were treated to two new songs slated to come out early next year. Their high energy and lovely presence made for a great opening act. Vocalist Mikaila Delgado was the only female member to take to the stage but she was a standout. Her voice matched the pop punk tunes perfectly. Sweet higher tones cut down the harshness of usual punk grit. Combined with strong guitar riffs and crashing drum beats and cymbals make this group one to look out for. Ending on their most recent release High Hopes, the crowd cheerily danced and sang along, shouting back the lyrics to a smiling band.

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Bad Juju were up next but it was 20 minutes past their set start time and they had yet to appear. As it turns out, their plane to Adelaide was turned around with mechanical issues and had to catch another flight. Regardless, these guys rushed to the venue with just enough time to play two songs. I would have loved to hear more from them, after two songs I was left wanting more! These Melbourne Grunge-Rockers had a great sound and put in a lot of energy to their set, despite how short. I could totally see them on a heavier line-up with hardcore bands and I look forward to seeing them again.

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Exploding onto stage to a deafening crowd, the 5-piece opened up with Never Sure, the opening track to Sunnyland. It was a great opener but the real excitement began as they moved into Jersey, from A Lesson in Romantics. Everyone was off their feet, shouting along to this beloved high energy throwback track. Now, Mayday Parade are no strangers to long song titles, but It’s Hard to Be Religious When Certain People Are Not Incinerated by Bolts of Lightning certainly takes the cake. Another throwback song with Black Cat brought the energy and Alex Garcia pulled a cheer from the crowd with his jaw-dropping guitar solo at the end. It looked effortless. Vocalist Derek Sanders bounded around stage, barefoot I might add, seeming like he’d never stop moving. If you know anything about this band, you know Sanders NEVER wears shoes on stage. After having to wear shoes at their last Adelaide show he promptly tweeted, “I wish I never had to wear shoes again”, and tonight he looked at home and at ease, barefoot and all.

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Now, I love jumping along and screaming to Mayday as much as the next person. But what Mayday Parade are most known for are their heart-wrenching emotional slow songs. We got to catch our breaths with a trilogy of softer songs. Over the past 3 years I haven’t seen Hold onto Me or I Swear This Time I Mean It on a set list and I am secretly glad. Because I cried like a baby. The passion put into these songs, along with the soft strings from Brooks Betts, and bass notes and backing vocals from Jeremy Lenzo makes great songs to see live. Next was A Piece of Your Heart, and I gotta tell you, I LOVE this song. A piece of my heart? They’ve got the whole damn thing (See what I did there?).

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Then they did something that completely caught us by surprise. What I can only describe as a symphony of emo angst, they managed to create the ultimate emo kid’s anthem. A 3-minute acoustic mashup of 2000’s emo/pop-punk songs. From New Found Glory to My Chemical Romance to Taking Back Sunday. It was a beautiful medley that had everyone singing along to the nostalgic tunes. Derek also said something that resonated with not only me, but almost everybody in the room:

“No matter how old I get, I’ll always be an emo kid at heart.”

Nearing the end of the night we were transported back to our teen years with a very intimate version of Three Cheers for Five Years, the first song they had ever wrote. This, paired with Miserable at Best, took no survivors. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. With only Sanders on keyboard and drummer Jake Bundrick both singing, they captivated the audience. Soft piano keys and sweet strong vocals echoed through the room. And similarly echoed by the crowd. Word for word, both songs were sung back, both members stopping to hear the crowd sing back. It was magical. My favourite part of the night. Just those ten seconds where the crowd alone sings “I can live without you but without you I’ll be miserable at best” closing out the song. Literal chills. Ending the night with old favourites, Stay and Oh Well Oh Well they were sent off with a loud cheer. With a promise to come back to Adelaide they were off and the post-concert depression slowly set in.

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Mayday always put on amazing shows and tonight was no exception. If you have yet to see these Tallahassee natives in the flesh then I suggest you do. You won’t regret it. And if you missed out this year, don’t worry. They’ll always come back next year. A promise is a promise.

“We heard that when international bands tour Australia they always skip Adelaide?

Well that’s not us. We will never skip you guys, we will always come back.”

 

Check out Steven Cook‘s gallery of the night HERE!

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AMNplify – DT