All Time Low are a band who have had continual success and popularity despite being together for over 14 years. Before the release of their 7th studio album, Last Young Renegade, in June 2017, the band returned to the UK for a nationwide tour.
The Sheffield date of the tour was the first to sell out and despite there being so many people queuing outside the venue, there was a surprising air of calm, the excitement having not quite set in yet. Everyone was so chilled out in fact that frequent trips to McDonald’s and Costa were undertaken as everyone just sat and hung out before doors opened.
The show was very quick to start with opening act Waterparks starting minutes after people began to file in. The upbeat vibe of their set, supported by several fans of the band in the crowd, started the show off well and the members had brilliant stage presence which got everyone excited for the rest of the night.
Second support, SWMRS were possibly not the perfect fit for fans of All Time Low with their more grungy sound and they were generally less well received than Waterparks, with the exception of a few fans.
After a long half an hour wait, the crowd were beginning to get restless, eager for All Time Low to begin. As the backlights of the stage lit up, it was almost a rushed start to the set with the band walking on stage and going straight into first song of the night ‘Kicking and Screaming’.
Right from the get go this concert was full of energy with All Time Low’s fast paced, pop-punk melodies filling the room with adrenaline, getting everyone jumping, dancing and singing along to their heart’s content. During ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, told everyone to ask a friend to jump on their shoulders and the crowd were then thrown beach balls to bounce around the room which was a very fun idea to get everyone excited.
Not only did the band play newer songs, including debut of brand new song ‘Dirty Laundry’, but also classics such as ‘Weightless’ and ‘Six Feet Under the Stars’ which Alex remarked was due to turn 10 years old. Having been a band for such a long time, All Time Low have built up a dedicated fan base who knew lyrics to both new and old songs, singing each with equal amounts of enthusiasm. In this time the Baltimore born band have garnered fantastic chemistry together during live performances, especially Alex and lead guitarist and backup vocalist, Jack Barakat. In the space between songs the two threw witty and often crude lines to each other, making for a light and comedic atmosphere throughout.
Towards the end, ‘Therapy’ and ‘Missing You’ were a chance for everyone to slow down as Alex soothed the room with melodic vocals and acoustic guitar, a contrast to the fast-paced nature of the rest of the show. This speed picked back up with next song ‘A Love Like War’ and initial final song ‘Take Cover’, which was another song having its live debut on this tour.
The band left the stage shortly after but Sheffield were not ready to let them leave just yet. Chants of “All Time Low” and “We want more” mixed with stamping feet filled the room and inevitably the band ran back on stage to finish up with lively ‘Lost in Stereo’ and finally ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’.
All Time Low put on a show full of laughs and energy that both dedicated and new fan alike would enjoy and I would highly recommend seeing them if you want a gig where you can just simply have a whole lot of fun.
Words by Anna Gregory