PARAMORE (OR LESS) - SWINDON, THE VICTORIA 14/04/18
Paramore have long been hailed as ‘one of the best live acts’ in many years. It was a tall order for Paramore (Or Less) to live up to, but at The Victoria in Swindon, they did just that!
Opening with ‘Still Into You’ and ‘Misery Business’ the set never fell down flat. Working through various tracks from Riot!, Brand New Eyes and the self-titled Paramore from 2013, lead singer Kelly Hampson, with her peach red hair, gave her all, mixed with some awesome rock-dancing on a very small stage.
As the set moved on Kelly, accompanied by Aidan Hampson, Boyd Hayward, Glenn Thrower and Andy Crane, performed tracks for the old and new fans alike, including ‘Daydreaming’ and ‘Let The Flames Begin’. It was a well-constructed and good-paced set that suited fans of either Paramore era and made sure neither were never left behind.
Taking a breather, both Crane and Hampson performed the romantic and reflective, ‘The Only Exception’ sat on the front of the stage. This particular track is a contrast from the pop-punk songs, but sits nicely in the set.
Paramore (Or Less) clearly love all the material they are playing and the audience simply lapped up each song. They were ready to sing, whatever the band threw at them. After just sixty minutes, they finished with ‘Aint It Fun’, digging into a reserve of energy and band members mingling with the crowds. It really
had been a fun hour!
Paramore themselves, may have lost their founder members in a high level media storm, but the alternatives from Southampton showed they were here to stay. Any doubters in the audience surely had their doubts squashed. The emo-boppers, those alternative rockers and we ‘older-looking men’ had witnessed something brilliant. And to be honest, we loved every second of it!
