All Time Low

A queue as long as the eye can see, consisting mostly of young, swooning girls, is the scene outside the HMV Forum in Kentish Town on a snowy 4th February. Freezing, soaking wet, but completely undeterred, All Time Low fans slowly filter into the venue for a fun-filled night.


The first support act, Poughkeepsie-based We Are The In Crowd, have a pretty tough job on their hands, as the majority of the crowd are shivering through their snow-coated clothes and not quite in the mood for moshing just yet. However, the energy and enthusiasm that bursts from the band, particularly from the thrashing, head-banging pint-sized Taylor Jardine, is enough to put anyone in a good mood, and they definitely set a light-hearted, enjoyable tone to begin the night.


The next support act are The Maine, from across the pond Arizona. They have a slightly more mature, subtle sound than the previous act, but absolutely to do fail to entertain. They play a sophisticated, sexy setlist and allow the audience to combine ruthless rocking-out with soft, swaying arms in the air to give everyone a little taster of the music they've got to offer, and to ensure a decent preparation for the main act.


The lights go down, and the piercing screams of thousands of girls dying with excitement and anticipation fills the venue. The band enter the stage one by one, with Alex Gaskarth strolling on last with his guitar, and the crowd hit the roof. The tick-tock of a timer clicks away, building the tension and sending heart-rates into oblivion, until the beginning riff of Time-Bomb, a favourite from their new album Dirty Work, bursts out and gets everyone jumping. Lead guitarist Jack Barakat is certainly in the mood for a party tonight, and spends most of the evening hopping on and off of the amps, encouraging the crowd to go nuts (not that they need any encouragement!) and ends the night by throwing himself into the first few rows of the crowd. Other tracks from Dirty Work seem to be relatively well-received, considering that it wasn't met with the best critical reception. However, the album, including songs such as I Feel Like Dancin' and Forget About It, became their highest-selling album overseas to date, so they never really had much to worry about in the first place. Old classics, such as Six Feet Under the Stars, Coffee Shop Soundtrack and Poppin' Champagne prove the perfect way to open up the pits and get some fast-paced moshing underway, as do classic favourites, such as Lost in Stereo and Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't). Remembering Sunday, played beautifully by Alex on an acoustic guitar, brings out the melodic singalong that the evening has been craving, and really brings the crowd together. Being the last date of the tour, every single person, even the roadies and backstage crew, are dragged onstage together to toast the end of the tour together, and it's a perfect way to end the night. Well, almost. A band can never leave without an encore, so the tour is definitively put to rest with the excellently selected final songs, Do You Want Me (Dead)?, Weightless and Dear Maria, Count Me In.

All Time Low may not be a ground-breaking band, nor is anyone claiming that they are the new musical geniuses of the 21st Century. However, they are talented, engaging, and, overall, good at what they do. It is clear from the dedication of their health-risking crowd- most of whom have now probably caught pneumonia- that they are well and truly loved, and everyone leaves the gig feeling that they have had a great time, which is what All Time Low are all about- fun!