Paramore, Astoria, London
Paramore plus Anberlin & This Providence
Thursday 6th September 2007
London Astoria
Having impressed more than just a few critics at the Carling Weekend this year, Paramore have headed straight back on the road to do a short headline tour, and tonight is the first of a two-night stint in London.
Before the headliners though, This Providence hit the stage to try and wow an overly packed Astoria auditorium. Unfortunately, they’re lacking in both style and substance tonight, and ultimately they end up sounding dull and unnecessary. (1/5)
Following on from them are Florida quintet Anberlin, who sadly don’t manage to build on the foundation that This Providence created. While opener ‘Never Take Friendship Personal’ ignites the crowd, their set decays as it progresses, and it becomes increasingly more evident with each song that frontman Stephen Christian struggles to pull off his vocals in a live setting as accurately as he does on record. (2/5)
Fortunately, Paramore manage to salvage the evening with an absolutely storming set. While their festival appearances were impressive, tonight’s performance just feels a whole lot more natural, and it’s evident that the Tennessee fivesome are more suited to clubs of this size than filling festival fields.
Hayley leads the band through a set that borrows heavily from their recent Fuelled By Ramen Release, ‘Riot!’. However much you may want to argue whether this is Hayley’s band or not, she does little to dispel the impression that she is in control, commanding not only her rhythm section, but a 2,000 strong choir for just over an hour through ten tracks and an encore. A short set, yes, but one of quality that satisfies the crowd beyond expectations.
Andy R
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