It was a rainy Tuesday in Bristol, but that did not stop the queue – and the hundreds of people in it – from getting to the venue for the 6pm doors. There is a nice crowd for the first act of the night, who to many including myself, was a pleasant surprise. AIR YEL’s performance was brief and largely acoustic, with a couple of well-known covers, but made sure those who were already in the room had a chance to warm up their voices for the exciting line-up to come.
After a quick changeover, New York self-proclaimed State Champs enter the stage on the tunes of ‘We Are The Champions’ and kicked off their high energy performance with ‘Just Sound’ from their 2022 album ‘Kings of the New Age’ – with vocalist Derek DiScanio parading around the stage like a true champion. This is not the first time State Champs have played a larger room in the city, the pop punk band headlined the Marble Factory in 2022 and Bristol’s O2 Academy on two separate occasions. Coming out of the photo pit having been able to watch the first few songs from up close, making sure I am not accidentally hit in the face by bassist Ryan Scott Graham jumping, dancing, and spinning around on stage using the available space to its fullest extent, I was surprised to see a lack of energy in the audience. Whether State Champs fans just couldn’t get their hands onto the limited number of tickets, or were still recovering from the downpour outside, it was disappointing to see only a few hands up in the air. The energy slowly started picking up towards the end of their set and peaked with wider-known songs ‘Secrets’ and ‘Elevated’.
Mayday Parade’s frontman Derek Sanders walks onto the stage as final support act, singing the intro to ‘Oh Well, Oh Well’ standing bare feet on the edge of the stage. Alongside some voices coming from the audience, the rest of the band join in shortly after and their emotional but upbeat set is off to a good start. Whilst I can barely hold in the excitement myself, it seemed like once again only a few people in the audience were as excited as myself to see the band currently on stage. Similarly to State Champs, Mayday Parade headlined the O2 Academy three times before, as well as the Marble Factory on their last UK tour – where the energy and excitement was much more present than this time around. The setlist, however, is not the issue in their case; the five-piece know how to pack a short set full of absolute hits from across their musical career. The opening track from their self-titled album was followed by ‘More like a Crash’ from their 2023 EP, the lead single from their 2018 album ‘Sunnyland’, two tracks off their 2009 album ‘Anywhere But Here’, as well as multiple tracks off their ever popular debut album ‘A Lesson In Romantics’.
I may be slightly biased, as this is my 40th time seeing Mayday Parade live, but I feel like the true charm of Mayday Parade lies within the full spectrum of emotions their discography offers, which isn’t necessarily covered in the short set of singles and popular songs. Considering the five-piece have headlined this stage plenty of times, the magic of their live performance seems rushed through and overlooked as a support act. Whilst the crowd claps along during ‘Piece of Your Heart’ and engages in the sing-along, the band especially thrives playing songs like ‘I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About’. It has a perfect mix of intriguing instrumentals and lyrics that feel so good to scream along to, but particularly hits when lead guitarist Alex Garcia starts his spellbinding guitar solo. It is not a secret that Garcia is an unbelievably talented and passionate guitarist, but this specific solo continues to give me goosebumps after hearing live dozens of times. The song is a perfect summary of what Mayday Parade can do, especially live, and their performance deserved more than the 40 minutes of allocated stage time, as their countless headline tours prove time after time.
It has now been three hours since the first fans eagerly made their way to the barricade, and the Academy is packed wall to wall in anticipation for the Canadian pop-punkers. Simple Plan kick off their 90-minute set with the opening track of their debut album, including red and white confetti being shot in the air, shortly followed by ‘Shut Up’ and ‘Jump’ which ensured that everyone who just arrived, was still getting a drink at the bar or queuing up for the loos, are now part of the sea of jumping people with drinks being spilled and countless hands in the air. Not long after, more zero’s and early 10s hits such as ‘Addicted’ and ‘Welcome to My Life’ are being played. Growing up listening to pop punk and emo, these songs are considered classics; and they are everywhere. From pre-gig playlists, to recommended songs on shuffle, to an alternative club-night like Thekla Thursday – even if you are completely unaware of Simple Plan’s discography, there are plenty of songs you just happen to know, and Simple Plan’s setlist is simply packed with classics and charting hits.
Something the four-piece from Montreal do incredibly well is crowd engagement. Not only could you win access to a post-show pizza party meet and great throughout the evening, but they were also able to get every single person in the room to wave their hands in the air during ‘Welcome to My Life’, and even get the crowd deafening at times and independently singing entire choruses. Streamers go off during ‘Iconic’, but not quite as planned. The large, long coloured tails were shot right over the audience, and instantly got stuck on the balconies, missing the desired dreamy effect streamers normally have. Lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier makes a comment on the disappointing execution of the streamers, before moving on to the next hit song on the setlist marking the halfway point of the show. The tropical fun of ‘Summer Paradise’, originally released featuring Sean Paul, becomes an even more immersive experience with two large beach balls bouncing around the crowd. At this stage of the show, I am actively regretting locating myself on one of the balconies rather than the pit, as I am completely missing out on the fun. I am not alone in this experience, as the young girl and her mum next to me are eagerly reaching over the balcony in attempt to give the massive beachball a little bounce every time it comes near, without any luck. As the end of the set is slowly nearing, the band successfully attempt get some energy back into the room with a party mashup of All Star, Sk8ter Boi and Mr Brightside. More classics are played, including the opening theme of the animated series with the same name ‘What’s up Scooby Doo’. Simple Plan cover all bases when it comes to audience demographics, with largely young adults at the barricade, and many of their millennial fans brought their own children having a party in the back until it is time to go home, proving pop-punk really is nowhere near dead yet.
Simple Plan didn’t hold back on their crowd engagement and production value, but as the cherry on top they also had an impressive amount of guest artists. Derek DiScanio from State Champs is invited back on the stage for ‘Where I Belong’, which is a collaboration between Simple Plan, State Champs and We The Kings. DiScanio being invited onto the stage for this song is not surprising, but Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders also makes a guest appearance halfway through the song. The two Derek’s and Pierre take a bow and it’s an upsetting reminder that the show is nearly over. Simple Plan come back on stage for their encore, starting with 2011 hit ‘Jet Lag’ with AIR YEL, the first performer of the night, joining the Canadian group on stage for Natasha Bedingfield’s share of the vocals. After a quick mash-up of a few more songs and a group photo with the crowd and a handful of lucky fans that were asked to join, the moment we have all been waiting for arrived and the first notes of ‘I’m Just A Kid’ blasts through the room.
However, this hit song is performed in a different format than most would expect, with Ryan Scott Graham from State Champs as lead vocalist, Pierre Bouvier on drums, and drummer Chuck crowd surfing. Once the show is over and the masses start heading towards the exit, I feel like I am 16 again listening to these bands as if pop punk is the only music genre out there – and that was revitalising. For a few hours I no longer had my ‘adult’ worries, and could be a teenager again, proving that pop-punk and emo music isn’t just for all ages, but that it is never just a phase. Bands like Simple Plan bring some energetic, positive fun to the every-day life and Bristol’s audience showed up ready to have fun and forget about their worries for a few hours. No wonder Bouvier awarded Bristol his favourite UK city!
Words and photos by Willemjin Denneman, no use without permission.
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