The HMV Ritz has performed quite the turnaround
in recent years, from sticky floored, bizarre
club night venue, to one of Manchester’s
finest live music venues. Steeped in history and
revamped ready for the future, tonight it plays
host to two of pop-punks finest exports, Floridian
new kids on the block, We The Kings and Canadian
veterans Simple Plan.
Openers We The Kings are yet to prove that they
have the staying power of tonight’s headliners,
but what they lack in experience, they certainly
make up for in unabashed enthusiasm. Entering
the stage to palpable excitement, they seem to
thrive off the hoards screaming back every lyric
and bouncing along to every beat. It may be paint-by-numbers
pop punk, but it sure is fun. Frontman Travis
Clark pulls off a flawless performance, boasting
an astounding vocal range, ducking and diving
between registers as if it were the easiest thing
in the world. Older tracks ‘Check Yes Juliet’
and ‘Secret Valentine’ unsurprisingly
get the biggest reactions of the evening, and
along with a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s
‘The Middle’ they leave the stage
ensuring that they have gained a few new followers
tonight, whilst keeping their old ones sweet.
Almost a decade and a half as a band is quite
some achievement. By their own admittance tonight’s
headliners should be over as a band given today’s
standards. Front men taking on solo-projects,
high profile feuds, or simply their time passing,
you name it, we’ve seen it all. So what
is it about Simple Plan that keeps them going?
The ‘Get Your Heart On!’ tour may
be named after their 2011 release, but this particular
European stint isn’t really promoting any
album at all. Yet, night after night, Simple Plan
manage to sell out to fifteen hundred adoring
fans, all wanting their slice of pop-punk pie.
And tonight they are not disappointed. Offering
a huge back catalogue of songs, Simple Plan are
able to put on a show where there is something
for everyone, regardless of whether you have been
there since the beginning or not.
From the off Pierre (Bouvier, vocals) parades
the stage while the crowd takes the opportunity
to put the building’s foundations through
their paces. Many years as a touring band certainly
shows, Simple Plan are slick, tight and highly
entertaining. Songs from their first release No
Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls certainly resonate
with the crowd, nostalgia takes over and everyone
is thirteen again, bounding around like excitable,
pubescent teenagers.
Tonight Simple Plan are pretty much faultless.
They were there to put on a show, and no-one seemed
to be having more fun than themselves. A combination
of a party-like atmosphere and summery songs ensures
that everyone is left grinning from ear to ear
as they pour onto the streets at the end of the
evening. Standing the test of time doesn’t
seem to be an issue to the band, but there’s
one thing that is guaranteed - they’ll be
around as long as you are.
We The Kings 3/5
Simple Plan 4/5
Review By Ben Connell
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