After spending the vast majority of 2013 in courtrooms, there were many doubts whether A Day To Remember would make it to English soil again as a band. When tickets went on sale for this show back in June, it sold out in hours. Needless to say, there would huge expectations for the night. Kicking off the show was The Story So Far [8] with their unique brand of pop punk. With a short set, the band blasted through all of their best songs. Songs like ‘Mt. Diablo’ and ‘Empty Space’ went down incredibly well considering they were a support band. Next up were hardcore legends Every Time I Die [7] with their endless energy and solid back catalogue of songs. Sadly the crowd didn’t know the bands songs as well as some would hope, that didn’t stop chaos ensuing during songs like ‘The New Black’ and ‘Ex-Lives’. With it being Valentine’s Day, it felt suitable that the band played ‘Bored Stiff’ with the line “Hey girls, Im a c**t” causing mayhem in the pit.
The last band to be announced, Mallory Knox [4], came on as the main supports. The band performed their bland rock songs to no great fanfare really. The band has had one real hit single, in the form of ‘Lighthouse’, which went down well, however not many people knew any of the other songs and caused their set to be flat.
What really warmed the crowd up though was when ‘Chop Suey’ by System of a Down was played over the PA causing one of the biggest sing-a-longs of the night. After the cancelation of their Cardiff show a few days earlier, there were worries over whether this gig would go ahead. A Day To Remember [9] put all those worries to rest within seconds. Kicking the set off with ‘All I Want’ and ‘Im Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made of?’ went down a storm. The band, playing their smallest show of their UK tour, sadly couldn’t fit their whole stage show into the Academy, but still brought out the Tshirt Cannons, Confetti and the now infamous Zorb ball, which Jeremy McKinnon climbs in and runs around on top of the crowd in, helped put on one of the best shows ever to grace the Academy. One of the highlights of the set was the acoustic part that included fan favourites such as ‘You Had Me At Hello’ and a truly beautiful rendition of ‘If It Means A Lot To You’. In a set that featured that featured 6 tracks off the 2013 release Common Courtesy the standout track was ‘Sometimes You’re The Hammer, Sometimes You’re The Nail’ but the majority of the tracks fitted into the live set seamlessly. Closing the night with ‘All Signs Point To Lauderdale’ and ‘Downfall of Us All’, there was a feeling in the air that the next time A Day To Remember comes to town, they will be playing far larger rooms. While their brand of Pop Punk with beatdowns may not be everyone’s cup of tea, tonight was testament that lots of people love it. Very few bands deserve the amount of success they get, A Day To Remember deserve every single fan in the crowd tonight and in the future when they headline festivals, it will be a victory for everyone who loves this band and what they stand for.
Words by Sam Taylor and Pictures by Jimmie Daly
