Music
Guest review: Real Friends report from All Time Low at Wembley
Pop-punk conquered new ground in the capital this month, as All Time Low’s One Night In London saw them headline The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Illinois’ Real Friends joined them as support alongside Neck Deep, and even found time to guest review the whole thing for tmBlog. Drummer Brian Blake tells us what went down…
The last two weeks were nothing short of life changing. We will never be able to thank All Time Low enough for giving us a chance to play in places around Europe that we otherwise never would have been able to visit.
The shows were all massive. All Time Low were incredibly friendly, hilarious and down to earth guys. Not to mention incredible musicians. Plus, we got to tour with our good buds in Neck Deep.
Playing shows to a crowd who is primarily there to see the headlining band can be intimidating. But all of All Time Low’s fans were so receptive and open to us. Everyone at the shows was just there to have a good time. Maybe they didn’t know who we were, but it definitely didn’t stop them from getting rowdy and wild during our sets. We put ourselves out there in front of a new and different fan base and in the end it was a blast for both us and them.
I’d be lying if I said we weren’t nervous about Wembley. Not only was it Wembley Arena, but the tickets had sold out before our band had even been announced on the show. We knew we weren’t going to have a ton of fans there. The size of the stage and the arena itself were intimidating to say the least. Nevertheless, we went out there and did our thing and everyone had a great time.
All Time Low’s crowd welcomed us with open arms and ears. It wasn’t until we played I’ve Given Up On You that I realised just how many people were actually there. One by one, people started turning their cell phone lights on and I just kept seeing the lights appear further and further in the distance. That was definitely one of the most surreal and humbling feelings I’ve ever had during a set.
This tour marked a new chapter in the life of our band. To be able to travel to new countries and play music for such enthusiastic crowds is something I will never get used to. It truly leaves me speechless.
Before All Time Low even took the stage, their set began with audio of Carl Sagan’s famous Pale Blue Dot speech, a tribute to the Earth, space and the human race. Accompanying the audio was footage of epic historic and science-based events, all displayed on a giant LED backdrop. Immediately every single person in SSE Arena, Wembley was focused and ready for the next two and a half hours.
As they played, fireworks were going off on the stage and the sound was huge. Alex’s voice was absolutely flawless throughout the entire set. How someone can sing that well and for that long is beyond me. Jack kept the crowd’s attention by consistently moving to different spots all over the stage, while Zack and Rian just exerted pure vigorous energy.
Not only were they filming for a DVD, but there were camera people in the pit broadcasting the band and the crowd up on to the giant LED screens on either side of the stage. Just more added visual candy to an already incredible show.
At one point in the set, the lights went dark and no more than 30 seconds later, Alex reappeared in the middle of the arena on a small stage to play some softer songs by himself. All of these things just added up to this being a mind blowing performance.
The set flowed perfectly and was balanced by heartfelt messages, intense playing, and hilarious banter in between songs. Originally I went into the night thinking I would casually watch some songs here and there. Ultimately I ended up being afraid to leave my seat because I didn’t want to miss a second of it.
After storming Wembley, Real Friends went on to show us the importance of sweaty basement shows at London’s Underworld. Photo Blogmaster, Tim Easton, was there to catch all the action.
