Billboards The Venue, Melbourne
Monday September 2, 2013 :
US pop punk band, All Time Low, are no strangers to the Land of Oz having played several gigs on this side of the world over the past few years including this year’s Soundwave Festival as well as their own Sidewave in NSW and QLD, and with the reception they received it’s really no surprise that they organised yet another headline tour down under. With so many die-hard fans all over Australia, expectations were that tickets would sell out fast – and they did – with both the under-age and overage Melbourne shows sold out the very day tickets were released. Luckily, a third show came up for all those who missed out, but that’s just the way it goes with a band of this calibre; their roaring energy simply captivates audiences and leaves them constantly wanting more and more.
Outside Billboards, the line of people waiting to get inside started growing well before the 7:30 pm door opening, a sign of the fans’ enthusiasm, especially since the first band, Built on Secrets, wasn’t due to jump on stage until 8:15! The eager crowd continued to grow as they prepared themselves for the awesome chaos that lay ahead.
As the doors swung open, excited fans stormed onto the mosh pit floor and pushed up against the barriers, inching as close as they could to the stage, all ready and waiting for Built on Secrets to jump on and kick the night off. The Melbourne rock group played all of their songs from their album, The Disconnect, throughout their 45 minute set with most of their songs banging out their trademark catchy riffs in an all-round upbeat set. Having said that, I found that their singer was either off key, or his voice didn’t suit the band’s aggressive style. Their songs needed far more intense vocals to match their hardcore rhythm. They were a great band to kick the night off with as their enthusiasm got the crowd pumped and their style made sure that people were on their feet.
After what felt like the longest waiting time between sets, All Time Low finally launched their killer performance with ‘Lost in Stereo’ from their album Nothing Personal. As always, they constantly interacted with their audience through eye contact and hand gestures while performing, as well as general conversations in between songs. Their discussion points are not what you’d call normal – casually chatting about sex and everything relating to it is always part of their show, but it’s not seen as rude or inappropriate, instead it’s hilarious and really refreshing. This is reflected by the fans, where girls bring bras covered with written messages with the sole purpose to throw them at the stage for the band (especially the guitarist – Jack Barakat) to read. Their humour is aimed at both sexes and because of how respected they are as a band, no one takes any offence to their comments.
Their stage presence is powerful and the band members are always full of energy – they simply don’t stop jumping all over the stage! They also slowed the tempo down with an acoustic performance of ‘Remembering Sunday’. What is truly amazing about this band and the way they perform is that even though they have millions of fans around the world, you don’t feel like you’re seeing a band play in front of faceless fans, but rather a band playing to a group of their very own, personal friends. All Time Low finished their set off with a classic, ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’, which gave everyone one last chance to jump around to this much loved track.
If you haven’t seen them live yet, put them on your bucket list as this is definitely a band everyone needs to personally experience.
Reviewer and Photographer: Monica Winczura
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