It’s hard to believe Mayday Parade have only put on shows in Ireland twice and at this show almost exactly two years after their first visit, I’m confident we will get another in the near future.
I cannot comment on the first of the three support bands, Beautiful Bodies, because the queue to get in to the building even 30 minutes after doors had opened was too long to bother with and I favoured coffee. However, my sources inform me they were pretty good.
I’ve been to a lot of gigs in the Academy over the years and I’ve never seen it as jam-packed, especially considering this was a Tuesday night in term-time.
The second support band, Have Mercy, were your typical pop-punk affair (which I have absolutely no problem with) and had some catchy jams and a lot of enthusiasm. There was also a significant portion of the crowd who seemed to be big fans which is always good to see when a band first comes here – hopefully they’ll visit again and regenerate the currently dismal gig scene.
Arizona group The Maine played next and in my mind could be described as a co-headliner slot. I had been listening to The Maine since my pre-pubescent emo days and finally seeing them live swelled my lil emo heart.
The queue to get in to the building even 30 minutes after doors had opened was too long to bother with and I favoured coffee
They were electric, enthusiastic and oddly enough incredibly inspiring. John O’Callaghan’s motivational rants seemed to lift the room and offer something slightly different to the usual “let’s curse and talk about Guinness!” attitude that’s always so prevalent with American bands.
As for the music, the set list journeyed through the band’s discography and had something for everyone. There was plenty of catchier tunes which made me long for a real headliner soon where they could show off their entire range. A particular highlight was Everything I Ask For – a song from The Maine’s first studio album Can’t Stop Won’t Stop released in 2008.
Then came the main event.
When I saw Mayday Parade two years ago in the same venue I was up front and completely lost in the awe of having them finally standing on the stage. This time, I was able to appreciate the smaller things.
Mayday Parade came on stage to One Of Them Will Destroy The Other – the opener from their new album Black Lines. It was an ideal beginning that allowed the crowd to let loose and the band to take it all in.
The set list was dotted with new songs that were performed to a high degree even though the crowd may not have had the time to get to know the words as is typical when touring a new album.
I always believe the most magical moment of any gig is when the vocalist stands back and lets the crowd take control of the song
The guitars were smooth and I must always commend drummer and sometimes-vocalist Jake Bundrick’s talent for his effortless multi-tasking, even though his mic never appeared to be turned up quite enough.
The real star of the show, as is usually the case with bands like Mayday Parade, was lead vocalist Derek Sanders who truly shone when left on stage alone to perform Terrible Things, one of the band’s many slow tear-jerkers that had even the heaviest of eyeliners running.
I always believe the most magical moment of any gig is when the vocalist stands back and lets the crowd take control of the song. Sanders has this art down perfectly, allowing us to perform parts of some better-known songs like Three Cheers for Five Years and Oh Well, Oh Well.
But this method was most mesmerising during Miserable at Best, another slow piano-driven ballad. For the final chorus the band exited the stage, leaving the crowd to continue singing – and continue they did. Until the very last note the volume in the Academy could not be rivalled.
Of course they then came back.
Mayday Parade closed the night with the classic Jersey from 2007’s wildly popular A Lesson in Romantics and I’d like to think everyone left satisfied that the night was €20 well spent.
Now there’s only one question – where can I buy tickets to their next show?
Evie - Not The Pokémon 