Tennessee band Paramore are proof that there is something to get excited about in today’s music scene.
They write nearly all their own songs and provide a welcome antidote to a world dominated by X-Factor finalists.
Their crowd’s excitement began with the first glimpse of a roadie on the red and cream velvet-draped stage.
By the time a set of sweeping blue lights heralded the opening bars of the band’s first song Ignorance, it had become something nearing hysteria.
Three guitars, working together like a well-oiled machine, then led singer Hayley Williams into I Caught Myself. The song allowed her to showcase her distinctively rocky vocal style, which is a cross between Avril Lavigne and Suzi Quatro.
Sassy and confident, the diminutive 22-year-old had the crowd calling out her name.
Meanwhile Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Zac Farro (drums), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar) and Taylor York (rhythm guitar) combined to lend subtlety to loud numbers like Crushcrushcrush and tenderness to acoustic-led songs like The Only Exception.
It was impossible not to be buoyed along by the enthusiastic audience, all of whom knew every lyric and weren’t afraid to sing along with tears in their eyes.
If you’ve questioned the need to see a band’s live show, Paramore have the answer.
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