Music
Review
Review: Waterparks @ KOKO, London
The Texas pop-punks bring their Entertainment tour to UK shores.
With their sophomore record Entertainment just hot off the press, Awsten Knight and his band mates pack up their bags and head across the pond to play their new tracks and more on British soil.
On a Sunday night at Camden’s iconic KOKO, Waterparks play their biggest European headline show ever, and the room is packed with anxiously awaiting fans who sing their hearts out to the pre-headline-set playlist blasting through the speakers. It’s a small hint at what’s to come.
As the band take to the stage the room is lit up in a colourful light display that lasts throughout the night and truly brings the fun to every corner of the venue. Fun – it’s something Waterparks do well, exceptionally well, because one thing you will definitely never be at a Waterparks show is bored. Vocalist Awsten Knight makes sure of that with his sunny attitude, energetic demeanour and genuine happiness on stage.
Kicking off their set with 11:11 and Blonde, both singles off the band’s new record, really gets the crowd going from the first riff, sing-along included of course.
“This is a headline tour which means we can play our favourites! This next song, it belongs in every commercial, every car commercial”, Awsten proclaims of Take Her To The Moon, a track off the pop-punks’ 2016 debut album Double Dare. “From what I can tell you all have legs which means you can jump,” he adds before launching into the catchy track that does just that.
When the last notes of Royal echo through the walls of KOKO, Awsten admits with a big smile: “I always feel like Green Day when we do these big ass outros!”
And then things get a little more lowkey, but all the more beautiful at that as the frontman takes the stage along with just his acoustic guitar and a starry ceiling courtesy of the venue’s huge disco ball. Lucky People is an acoustic treasure that gives the animated crowd a bit of time to breathe and really dote on their idols on stage.
“So a while ago we put out the best music video that ever happened,” Knight shouts as the rest of the band return to stage for Not Warriors. Without a doubt this, their latest single off their new album Entertainment, is one of the catchiest of the night.
As they send us off into the night with Crybaby and TANTRUM, Waterparks leave their mark on this London crowd with their fun-filled shows that felt like a continuous rain of confetti.
The trio have just been announced for Reading and Leeds Festival this summer. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster.co.uk.
