Live Review: Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Born Lion

A confusing start to the night as Born Lion take to the stage in complete darkness; it seems somebody forgot to switch on the lighting and only during the final beats of Rest In Pieces does the band actually become at all visible. Malfunctions mean nothing to the Sydney four-piece on this night as they tear up the stage ferociously a day after launching their debut record. Despite a brilliant showing of D For Danger, Weight Of The World and Good Times Jimmy, the group is met with a lacklustre response criminally underwhelming for a performance that good. 

Most of the crowd appear to be waiting for Florida pop-punkers Mayday Parade. The moment that vocalist Derek Sanders is visible for opener, Jersey, a chorus of screaming women shoot to the stage. Mayday divide the room quickly into people adoring every moment of Hold Onto Me and Girls, and people who use the time to go to the bar. The latter likely made the correct call as barrier-pressers energy is the only atmosphere being created, the band uninspired in a generic performance that’s made all the more obvious having to follow the previous act. 

Under a swirling blue light, violinist Sean Mackin leads Convocation into the erupting percussive thumps of Transmission Home, signalling the arrival of Yellowcard in fantastic form. Jumping off a 30-odd hour flight, the group lay down track after track with complete dedication to an ever-appreciative room, Lights And Sounds, Rough Landing, Holly and Only One all delivered with perfection. Frontman Ryan Key relentlessly attempts to create a happy mayhem in the room as he bounds around the stage, but his ability to strike notes with production quality is remarkable, even more so when coupled with the fact that in his own words, “It’s fucking hot in here tonight.” Unsurprisingly, Ocean Avenue still decimates a room with a mixture of nostalgia, excitement and cheer, though it’s impossible not to get swept up in a band that hit notes this strong. If this is the showing that Yellowcard give with thumping jetlag, the rest of the country are in for a hell of a treat.