Skip to main content

callum-lunn
13th April 2015

Live: Yellowcard

Yellowcard seem to settled into their groove a little too much, writes Callum Lunn
Categories:
TLDR

12th March

Manchester Academy

5.5/10

Yellowcard are no newcomers to the pop-punk scene. Touring with ska-punk giants and all-around fun guys Less Than Jake, it seemed like the perfect recipe for a great show.

I wanted to like it, I really did – but it felt like I was watching a Yellowcard tribute band. They were playing Yellowcard songs, and they were doing it well, but it just didn’t feel like a Yellowcard gig. They opened with a few songs from their newest album, Lift a Sail, and one could be mistaken for thinking they hadn’t rehearsed enough, because most of the lyrics were tuneful ‘oh’s. They seemed to have forgotten the punk in pop-punk; the general feeling in the crowd seemed to agree with me. Even on some of the songs from their older albums, the performance lacked the refinement one would expect of such a veteran band.

It wasn’t all bad, however. Frontman Ryan Key really brought ‘Only One’ to life, and the whole crowd were singing along by the end. Violinist Sean Mackin never missed a beat, and his parts on ‘Light up the Sky’ really brought the song together. One has to applaud them for not just reliving their glory days; only playing three songs from their hit album Ocean Avenue. The band eventually fostered a brilliant audience response with ‘Awakening’, and hearing the entire crowd singing it back to the band did capture some of that pop-punk magic I was hoping for.

The band closed with ‘Ocean Avenue’, and much like the theme of the song, I was left somewhat heartbroken. I really want to experience the Yellowcard of a decade ago; young and full of energy, but I feel that they are gone – and that saddens me.


More Coverage

Parklife 2023: What to expect from the dance, electronic, and drum and bass stages

The Mancunion gives a rundown on some of the drum and bass and dance stages for Parklife 2023

Live review: Arctic Monkeys @ Emirates Old Trafford 03/06/23

Arctic Monkeys cement their legendary status with back-to-back bangers on their stadium tour

Dope Lemon rides a Rose Pink Cadillac to Albert Hall

Dope Lemon, one of Australia’s most exciting indie artists, is stopping by Albert Hall as part of his European tour

Live Review: Caroline Polachek at Albert Hall

Caroline Polachek stuns a sold-out Albert in her rescheduled show, touring her second solo album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You.