Opening with a sombre, piano-led instrumental, the group erupted into recent single Emergency and chaos ensued. Anyone coming into the show expecting a bubbly pop show from the admittedly youthful band should have left all pretences at the door. Injecting every ounce of passion and energy in their bodies into their show, Paramore whipped the already excitable crowd into an even more audible frenzy. With debut album All We Know Is Falling bursting at the seams with songs guaranteed to get a crowd dancing, the band didn’t disappoint once and track after track had the foundations shaking, from the irresistible beat of Here We Go Again to bassist Jeremy Davis’ impressively agile shape throwing on Pressure. With the addition of a keyboard in the stage set up, a darker, more powerful edge was given to a handful of songs. For all the heart and intensity Paramore put into their show, you couldn’t help but feel for them as they struggled with the unfortunately poor sound in the new Club Academy venue. At one point, an exasperated Williams threw down her mic after several attempts at trying to get the volume turned up, and took to conducting a mass chorus, with joyous results. Whilst the band excel at up-tempo, hook-laden pop, Williams and lead guitarist Josh Farro proved Paramore have so much more to offer, with the pair performing the simply gorgeous ode to their hometown, Franklin. Now mandatory set-closer My Heart showcased the band’s more intense sound, Farro’s caustic screams set against Williams’ angelic tones. With most of the band not legal to drink here, let alone the US, it is a wonder and an absolute delight that they are able to craft such incredible music. And the fact that they serve it up live, with everything the disc promises and more, is enough to restore faith in the youth in even the most jaded cynic’s eyes. | 
