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Paramore are back in London to play an intimate 650 capacity show to lucky competition winners and die-hard fans. The anticipation from the crowd at the thought of seeing the band in such a tiny venue is pretty intense. It’s true that most of us have grown up with Paramore and they may have taken a more mainstream route from when they first landed on British soil, but their catchy hits and redheaded front woman keep us lusting after more.
You can easily spot the Hayley wannabes, with similarly dyed hair and lots of eyeliner. It’s actually quite comforting to know that this theme will continue generation after generation; you’ll know Paramore have lost their touch when girls stop trying to look like Hayley Williams.
Paramore bound on stage to a deafening roar; they’ve definitely been missed. ‘Kicking things off with ‘Now’, which is taken from their self-titled fourth studio album. It’s uplifting to hear the new material received so appreciatively, so much so that the crowd scramble forward in a mass attempt to get as near to the stage as possible. Every mobile phone in sight is in the air, it’s a rare occasion to see Paramore so close up and it looks like no one is going to miss this Instagram photo opp.
It’s nice to hear some oldies in the set too, where ‘Pressure’ reminds us this entire band have come so far from when they first started out.
‘Decode’ which was famously featured on the Twilight soundtrack is unexpectedly played, much to the crowds delight. If you were ever in any doubt of Hayley Williams singing capability and we have no idea why you would be, but if you were then this song will definitely silence any critic. Singing the chorus with her eyes passionately closed and backed up by such a tightly knit band the song triumphs as an anthemic surge of brilliance.
Witnessing such a mighty band in such a small venue really is remarkable; where there’s such energy you rarely catch anything but a glimpse of Hayley’s red hair, as she whirls enthusiastically across the stage. ‘That’s What You Get’ brings plenty of ‘whoa-oh-oh’s’, another head bobbing crowd pleaser that keeps the crowd participation rolling along nicely.
Returning onstage with an encore, Paramore surprise us with an acoustic cover of Alt-J’s ‘Matilda’, which allows Williams to flaunt her fantastic vocal range once more. Promptly followed by the new radio friendly hit, ‘Still Into You’ gets everybody bouncing up and down with their best fist pumping moves yet.
No surprises that ‘Misery Business’ is the finale, indeed it’s the pièce de résistance of the night. Glazing off that oh so yummy ice cream with the cherry on top that it needed. By now the crowd are lapping up every second, as they realise the night is drawing to a close; they’ve just witnessed the comeback of a band that are more technically enhanced and stronger than ever before. Welcome back Paramore, we salute you.