Thousands of fans made their way to Sydney’s Roundhouse on what looked like a miserable night. Florida’s A Day To Remember were playing their sold out Sidewave alongside of Utah’s The Used and UK’s You Me At Six. There was a diverse crowd with many veteran The Used fans and tonnes of teenage girls. This gig was designed to be a fun, energetic night.

It’s amazing to see how far You Me At Six have come since they formed in 2007; it’s shocking to realise that these five guys are still so young. The way they portray themselves on stage is amazing; as their sound improves on their CDs so does their stage presences. Vocalist Josh Franceschi manages to interact with the fans without missing a note, collecting gifts as well as kicking beach balls around with fellow bandmates.

Being the first time they have been in Australia since releasing Sinners Never Sleep back in September, fans got to enjoy hearing their favourite new songs like “Bite My Tongue” and “Loverboy” as well as favourites like “Liquid Confidence” and “Underdog”. Not only are the songs lyrically packed with emotion but when they are play you can feel it: happiness or sadness. You Me At Six never fail to please their energy, humour, and positive attitude make them a band not to reckon with.

In previous years The Used have sold out Sydney venues like the Hordern Pavilion so playing to crowds of this magnitude is nothing new. As The Used played crowd favourites, both new and old, the venue became intimate with friends holding hands and singing the songs to each other. A couple of fans even had banners expressing their love for the band.

Seeing The Used play took many fans back to the mid 2000s when they toured here multiple times as part of the Taste Of Chaos tour, listening to them play was nostalgic and took many fans back to the days were they wore bright coloured skinny jeans and ridiculous amounts of eyeliner. Not only did The Used take fans back to their teenage years but Bert also gave an inspiring speech telling fans to do what they love and to be themselves. A heart-warming touch and an inside on how The Used have gotten this far, they believed in themselves and were willing to try.

The Used have been around for 11 years and unfortunately it is beginning to show with McCracken’s voice being soft and not carrying as well as it used to, although this did not bother fans who were willing to help him out shouting the vocals back at their idols on stage. The highlight of The Used set was definitely during “Pretty Handsome Awkward” when McCracken encouraged the crowd to do not only one but two walls of death, it was an insane sight which was enjoyed by all.

Although You Me At Six and The Used both played amazing shows they were outshone by A Day To Remember. From the very beginning A Day To Remember had the crowd’s attention with smoke bellowing in upward burst from side stage, intense lighting and heaps of beach balls being thrown and kicked around the crowd. Every single person was off their feet and bouncing to the songs including those on the over 18s balcony.

There were many awesome moments during A Day To Remembers set. During “My Life For Hire” the lighting, smoke and the crazy moshpit formed by the crowd after the words “this is a battlefield” were sung made the Roundhouse actually resemble a battlefield.  As well as during “There’s A Danger In Starting A Fire” the lights, smoke, intensity of the drums and the crowd movement made the Roundhouse look like it was getting destroyed.

The intensity of both the crowd and the band was surreal throughout the set with both parties there to have fun. In one song rolls of toilet paper were thrown into the crowd producing streamers it was moments like this which encouraged the crowd to have fun and participate. During “Better Off This Way” girls were encouraged to get their boobs out which many did as well as being encouraged to get up on shoulders and crowd surf.

Their tightness as a band, the way they joke around with each other, and their presence onstage make them one of the most enjoyable bands to watch on this tour. They aim to please and they get it right every time. Originally ending with “Heartless” they were beckoned back out on stage with chants of “one more song”. Never failing to please they came back out to play “Have Faith In Me” which slowed the pace down and gave the crowd an opportunity to sing along with McKinnon. Finally ending with “The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle” which was just as intense as the rest of the show with confetti being fired into the crowd, smoke bellowing again and thousands of fans cheering.

Outside the weather was rainy and miserable but the crowds mood did not change as thousands of fans made their way home. You could feel the excitement in the air, hear it in the chatter and the confetti which had stuck to people in a mixture of sweat and rain was proof that this show was one to remember.

– Marissa Hanson

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