Live Review

All Time Low – Shepherds Bush Empire, London

• 18th Feb 2013

All Time Low have an absolutely massive following – there is no denying this. Any band that can sell out 3 nights at a venue as big as Shepherd’s need to be recognized, applauded and respected. The current pop-punk titans made their way over from the US to embark on their first UK tour since the release of their current record, Don’t Panic, and everyone wanted a piece of them.

But, before they could come on, their supports made their way onto the stage. First up was another US outfit, The Summer Set. Having toured with All Time Low before back on their home soil, the band seem to be quite friendly with the main act. Yet, while not quite so well known over this side of the water, they couldn’t quite get the crowd going as much as they could’ve wanted. While their musical displays were really great and emotive – see tracks such as Legendary and Young, they lacked the energy that All Time Low are known to have.

Following them was the main support of the evening, Lower Than Atlantis. The UK gentlemen made their way onstage and blitzed through their set. Opening with Love Someone Else from their current record, Changing Tune, the band showed a maturity in their show they’ve previously failed to display. Other tracks from their current effort which made an appearance included PMA, If The World Has To End and Something Better Cam Along, while older hits featured the sombre Another Sad Song and their set closer Beech Like The Tree. The set had the crowd dancing, moshing and, most importantly, singing along – it must be noted that the Lower Than Atlantis boys will be headlining this same venue in little over 2 months. Suffice to say that the UK rock scene is in safe hands.

After LTA put on such a monumental show, All Time Low had a lot to live up to. And they did. The band ran onto the stage and dove right into the song Somewhere In Neverland. Jumping around the stage like terriers, reminiscent of their influences Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy, the boys are more than capable of holding their own on stage. The banter between frontman Alex and fellow guitarist Jack is almost a show in itself, everyone on stage obviously just delighted to be there. The slow down segment of the set consisted of Remembering Sunday and Therapy, proving that Alex can sing very well, even on a stage such as this. These were followed by some of their more up-tempo songs Lost In Stereo and Time-Bomb, which had the crowd go crazy in a fashion I haven’t seen before.

Following their brief step off stage to the encore, the gig took a sombre turn again – the band’s on stage guitar hand, Matt Colussy, was about to finish his last ever show after working with All Time Low for nearly three years. In a truly romantic turn, he was given a podium, the spotlight and the eyes of everyone in the crowd as the band kicked their encore into gear with The Reckless And The Brave. After this track, the show ended with a rendition of Weightless and finally Dear Maria, Count Me In – which saw both Alex and Jack toss their guitars and throw themselves into their beloved crowd.

A night to remember for all the right reasons, we won’t be seeing All Time Low until Slam Dunk in May. But after a night such as this, you can tell it will be worth the wait.

Venue: Shepherds Bush Empire, London
Support Band: Lower Than Atlantis, The Summer Set