LIVE REVIEW: The Wonder Years @ The O2 Institute Birmingham

Five stars for Philadelphia's pop punk six-piece on their return to the UK

I don't imagine people visit this blog with much regularity; about as frequently, I assume, as they would a distant, racist elderly relative. On the off-chance that you consider yourself a 'reader' you will know that I am a devout follower of pop punk. I have waxed lyrical about the genre over the last couple of years so I won't explain its ins and outs (may I instead direct you to this post), nor will I recycle the same jokes or pop punk tropes. Two weeks ago The Wonder Years, a working class group from South Philadelphia, continued a seemingly endless world tour at Birmingham's The Institute in support of their 2015 record: No Closer To Heaven. 

Taken from the set of The Walking Dead

The crowd, comprised of the usual band of incredibly sweaty teenagers who give pop punk gigs that distinctive smell and alarmingly sticky floor. Their energy was unquenchable, with a central moshpit which lasted the full hour and a half. Accompanying them was a not so usual band of bearded forty-somethings, one of whom resembled a hipster Karl Marx.

Nearly a year and a half on from its release, it's evident that they really have grown into performing the songs, with confidence in a well-rehearsed setlist. Throughout this period, their fans have clearly not just familiarised themselves, but have grown to love the group's new material, British fans in particular eagerly anticipating a tour. This works to everyone's benefit. The crowd belted out pretty much every song down to the word which in turn energised the band's performance further. And what a performance it was...

Several elements came together to make it a great show. Above all was the amount of energy they put in to the performance, keeping the crowd in constant frenzy throughout. Having six members really comes into fruition on stage, with two lead guitarists giving each song that extra depth and three backing vocalists to make every harmony more powerful. Furthermore, Dan Campbell, the lead vocalist, is given the additional freedom to roam about the stage and engage the baying crowd which he did excellently. I don't know if pop punk bands practise throwing their heads towards the ground in perfect unison but they nailed it every time. I don't even know why it gets the crowd going but it certainly does.
     
Their setlist was very different to what I had expected, opting for several lesser-known, quieter tracks like The Devil In My Bloodstream, Madelyn and Cigarettes & Saints. However, each of these more delicate songs acted as a buildup to anthems like Cardinals and Passing Through a Screen Door which followed them. Featuring songs from every one of their major releases, it offered something for fans, new and old. I'd have liked to see a bit more material from The Greatest Generation but that's personal preference more than anything else. Mirroring Sum 41 who I'd seen at the institute last year, The Wonder Years left their fan favourites: Passing Through A Screen Door and Came Out Swinging until the end of the performance and encore respectively. Campbell, finding new levels of intensity, stood perched on an amp directing the crowd like a sweaty, bearded conductor whilst trying to dodge enormous inflatable balls as they were batted towards him from all directions. He provided that final burst of energy to cap off a fantastic performance and as audience members trickled out, caked in stale beer and sweat under half-lit florescents, very very few would have been left dissatisfied.




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