I still remember the first time I heard That’s What You Get by Paramore. It was 2007. I was approaching 10 years old and my older millennial siblings were in their rebellious teenage years fighting over the TV remote when my sister switched from The Box (remember that?) to MTV.
And with Hayley Williams’ flaming locks, her attitude, the soaring chorus - something just clicked. Paramore fast became the first band I ever really loved that wasn’t a part of the lyrical diet I’d grown up on through my parents. I burned Riot! to my MP3 player, significantly diversifying my playlist and so began a love story that continues to this very day.
Tickets to their UK tour have been like gold dust, and there’s no surprise as to why. This wasn’t a Spice Girls reunion (although they did get a mention from Hayley) - Paramore have 20 years of almost constant gigging under their belt, along with six studio albums, having picked up a flock of new fans in each of their eras - from All We Know is Falling, right the way through to This Is Why.
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At the AO Arena last night, it felt like an honour to witness the band at their very best as they promoted their new album, thrilled with the back catalogue of hits, and made wildest dreams come true for three lucky fans.
The Tennessee trio arrived in the UK earlier this month to continue their This Is Why Tour, this marking their first Manchester show in five years. The crowds were warmed up by London-based artist Rozi Plain and her band, who performed a series of groovy, folk rock tracks mostly from her latest album, Prize. Understated rhythm sections of snares and hi hats were met with relaxed vocals that gently awakened the soul. I’m convinced if I sat in a Northern Quarter coffee shop for long enough, one of her songs would eventually feed through the speakers.
Souls bright eyed and bushy tailed, it was up to British indie music veterans, Bloc Party, to amp up the energy levels, to which they dutifully obliged. Known for best loved tracks like Helicopter, Banquet and Hunting for Witches, you’d never believe the band has been kicking around since 1999, with Hayley Williams’ crediting them as a source of inspiration for the later-established Paramore during her set.
As lively in 2023 as they were in 2005, Kele Okereke delivers his lyrics with a playfulness, opening with In Situ from their latest record Alpha Games. With only enough time for seven tracks, you’ve got to pick the right ones, particularly as they’re heading out festivals like Tramlines this year.
Bloc Party did a stellar job of introducing newer releases with the fan favourites remembered from the mid-late noughties, with distinct pedal effects paired with impossibly fast riffs that have become synonymous with their sound.
Behind the drums sporting a messy bun and Nike sports bra is Louise Bartle, who is a spectacle to watch thrash out fills on the kit, before ceremoniously throwing her sticks into the crowd after ending on Ratchet. Her work is an air-drummer's dream - if only they could keep up.
Then comes Paramore, who’s tour has so far been incredibly well documented on TikTok, so some of their most well-researched followers may already have known what to expect. But nothing can prepare you for the momentous feeling of watching the band you grew up with on the top of their game. I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears on approximately four occasions throughout the powerful performance.
Introducing the set with a spoken word Note To Self while off-stage, Paramore burst onto the stage to perform singles You First and The News from the latest album, bringing out the confetti cannons extremely early. If Rozi Plain and Bloc Party had failed to wake anyone up, that certainly did.
I think it was always going to be hard to follow up the bright and poppy soundtrack of After Laughter, where the band bared their souls and for the first time, didn’t pretend everything was rose-coloured (boy).
But the new album has already been a raging success with fans old and new, who were dying to hear the latest creations just as much as the old material, with Playing God and That’s What You Get coming next.
Between each tracks, the lights would go completely black, almost as if to press a reset button. It made each and every song feel like a music video, complete with video projections, in its own right - one we were all a part of. As the audience recognised the introductions within a millisecond of Taylor York’s guitar, deafening screams filled the arena - not just for one or two universally popular numbers, but for every. single. one.
Their most technicolour release, Hard times - with a middle eight of Blondie’s Heart of Glass - followed Running Out of Time, which has received a wave of radio support since its release. Hayley seems revered at the support the band still receive from fans even 20 years on as she continues with Caught In The Middle, death-drops to conclude Ain’t It Fun, and slowing the pace with Liar.
On stage, Hayley comes alive as though having been hit by lightning. She wears her hair in a 60s style with Twiggy-esque eye makeup, a grey sleeveless vest dress belted with an oh-so-90s chunky belt. Standing at 5ft 1in, the powerhouse vocal that breaks from her body is breathtaking, with so much control, having earned the flexibility to have fun with their delivery.
She uses every inch of the stage to shimmy, stomp and high kick, and it’s clear that this is where she feels most at home, making references to the band being her family.
The last 20 years haven’t always been an easy ride for the alt rock band, having ‘nearly broke up like 50 times’, Hayley jokes on stage. But it’s true. Zac Farro was just 14 when he began gigging with Paramore, Hayley only 16. They were kids who have had to grow up very publicly, and like a lot of families, there have been fights - some pretty public ones too. The band took a hiatus in 2018 to try and nurture their relationship, and they’ve returned in 2023 so much stronger and healthier.
The band now consists of three of the original founding members: Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York, who were joined by four additional musicians to fill their sound.
Back in the early noughties Paramore found themselves as Fuelled By Ramen’s brightest new talents, and I think the reason they’re so loved is because it very much feels like they grew up with us. From the moody high-school angst of All We Know Is Falling and Riot! days all the way to the pastel-coloured art pop dream of After Laughter, and the more matured but equally as rock-ready This Is Why, maintaining their galvanising energy at all times.
The concert often felt like a catch up over coffee with an old friend, shining new light on the people they’ve become as Hayley sings her own song Crystal Clear, and Zac Farro introduces his other project HalfNoise as he is afforded the opportunity to sing Baby. A deep-rooted dedication from fans means that Paramore can have the chance to be more experimental, and the results are always incredibly well recieved.
Whether you first heard Paramore on MTV, or your first encounter was with The Twilight saga, Decode went down a storm, followed up with Still Into You and Rose Coloured Boy, before a really tender and emotional acoustic rendition of Misguided Ghosts making a rare live occurrence, with Last Hope never far behind.
Misery Business is really where it all began, but the story of the high school bully has caused much controversy in recent years. The band retired it from live sets for a number of years, but brought it back when Hayley sang with Billie Eilish at Coachella. The lyric in question is something Williams has addressed head on, now bleeping out a misogynistic slur in the track that offers one of the biggest choruses of the decade..
Hayley was absolutely electric on stage, and at 34-years-old, she may even need to wear a neck brace for the dramatic headbanging for this one.
Famously, Paramore has always invited a fan on stage to sing the bridge of Misery Business, and at the AO Arena, Hayley goes a bit rogue and picks out three. Jess, Iggy and Anna. They fulfil their wildest dreams before Jess - who happens to be in a band called Peaness - seized her moment to deliver the iconic line “Woah I never meant to brag, but I got him where I want him now” - Hayley’s jaw dropping at the growl in the young singers voice as she ticked off what is probably her biggest bucket list moment to date.
The tear-jerking All I Wanted came next, from their Brand New Eyes era, before ending on the vocal exhibition that is Crave.
A lockdown recording of the band played on screen before the band returned to finish what they started with The Only Exception - a cathartic and moving love song, the first Hayley ever wrote.
The concert concluded with the title track from the new album, This Is Why. A certified psych-rock grower, it’s a long way from where they started, but it’s an exciting marker of how far they’ve come, and where they’re yet to go.
For the fans, Paramore represent so much more than a band. They represent the passing of time, the coming of age and navigating adulthood and serve as a reminder of everything that has happened in the last 20 years. They’ve fought hard to be where they are today, battling a sexist music scene and navigating public fallouts, and despite their status being so clearly hard won, Paramore still remain humbly taken aback by the love and support.
Those heading to dates later on the tour in London and Birmingham are in for a real treat. This is Paramore at their very best.
Set list
You First
The News
Playing God
That’s What You Get
Running Out Of Time
Hard Times
Caught In The Middle
Ain’t It Fun
Liar
Crystal Clear
Decode
Still Into You
Rose Coloured Boy
Baby
Misguided Ghosts
Last Hope
Misery Business
All I Wanted
Crave
Encore
The Only Exception
This Is Why
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