Think about the person you were in 2005. Cringed yet? It took you a long time to get to where you are now, a semi-respectable adult who's done more than a decade of maturing. Now, put yourself in Hayley Williams' shoes, as a woman who's matured both personally and musically drastic amounts since the release of their debut All We Know is Falling, and imagine hundreds of thousands of people still pining for you to be your 2005 emo-myspace self.
If you're headed to a Paramore concert in 2018 and are expecting orange hair and teenage angst, you're sorely mistaken. As Williams puts it so well herself, "We are not those people, and neither are you. So let’s hit this one together and celebrate that we’ve done a lot of growing up since then" before launching almost begrudgingly into an obligatory rendition of 'Misery Business'.
A far cry from the self-loathing tones of their early days, the now-trio burst onto the stage to the tropical beat of 'Hard Times', with a nod to Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' blended into the lyrics. As the lead single from their latest album After Laughter, 'Hard Times' cemented them last year as a reinvented glossy pop machine, still with cutting realist lyrics like "I feel so fake happy and I bet everybody here is just as insincere", just a bit smoother around the edges.
The production and lighting are understated, especially for a veteran band of arena tours. The heavy presence of tropical sounds and bright beats from the new album would lend itself well to equally bright stage aesthetics, but on this tour they've chosen to let the music talk for itself and leave the gimmicks at home. It does the job, but it leaves the evening with a slightly unfulfilled air.
It's easy to see why watching Paramore has been compared to watching a solo female artist time and time again, Hayley Williams is a captivating frontwoman propelled by genuine crowd interaction, untouchable energy and the presence to command the arena of twenty thousand with every hip shake and high kick. Playing nine songs from After Laughter, four from their self-titled and less than a handful from earlier albums, she manages to make them all sound punchier than the recorded version, but also seamlessly blend the different styles to create a journey for everyone present tonight.
They finish the set on crowd pleaser 'Ain't it Fun' before disappearing and reappearing for an encore of 'Grow Up', a cover of HalfNoise's French Class – an appreciative nod to drummer Zac Farro's side project, but perhaps better suited to a mid-set spot than the encore - and end on the childish fun of 'Rose Colored Boy', leaving fans old and new content, even if a little confused at the choice of encore songs.
They pause between songs to take time to express gratitude for longstanding fans in particular, "It’s been an honour to grow up in front of you", and I think I speak for everyone in the sold-out room when I say it's been an honour for us, too.
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Words: Anna Smith
Photos: Zac Mahrouche
