GalleryDitch This MagazineNovember 05, 2023gallery, live, melbourne, Louie Mosscrop, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Lauran Hibberd, Margaret Court, Destroy All Lines

All Time Low + Mayday Parade + Lauran Hibberd @ Margaret Court Arena 04-11-23

GalleryDitch This MagazineNovember 05, 2023gallery, live, melbourne, Louie Mosscrop, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Lauran Hibberd, Margaret Court, Destroy All Lines

photos: Louie Mosscrop @louiemosscropphotography

With MC Arena slowly filling with punters of all ages Lauran Hibberd, the English singer songwriter who’s music has been described as Slacker Pop on her debut tour of Australia opens up for what will be a night full of pop punk antics and anthems.

Lauran had with her fellow guitarist Jess Baker and Drummer James Porter, who together played an enticing, energising and engaging set to establish the scene for Mayday Parade and All Time Low. With the welcome Lauran received, I would be surprised if we didn’t see her on our shores more often.

With MCA now filled with a crowd numbering somewhere around the 5000 mark, Mayday Parade is set to come on stage. Derek Sanders walks on stage, barefoot and starts the set alone, singing Oh Well, Oh Well, however is quickly joined by the rest of the band to head straight into More like a Crash and Anywhere But Here.

Mayday Parade first toured Australia back in 2007 with Paramore, and have come back on several tours since and its not a surprise with the welcome they received from the crowd.

With an impressive lightshow and an incredible setlist full of tracks across their discography from albums A Lesson In Romantics, Sunnyland, their self titled album and more.

They gave the crowd a roller coaster of high energy tracks to slow acoustics like Miserable at Best, the room of alive and was singing along to every song. Finishing the set with Jamie All Over.

Its 09:05pm All Time Low are set to begin, the lights go off, MCA is shrouded in darkness and a mash up starts playing, the roar and cheer was near deafening in anticipation of what we were all about to see.

All Time Low started off with Lost in Stereo and Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t) to open the set up, quickly followed by Six Feet Under The Stars, before mentioning they’ll be playing some old tracks to start the night off.

The roar of excitement they received was exactly the confirmation they needed to play Poppin’ Champagne and then a mix of new and old with Modern Love, Stella and Tell Me Im Alive from albums Tell Me Im Alive and Nothing Personal.

With a break in the set Alex Gaskarth calls out their touring guitarist Dan Swank’s birthday, and with that a cake comes out, and Alex leads the 5000 strong crowd in singing happy birthday, which somehow flowed into Jack Barakat taking a shoe off for a shoey.

Next was their single Released in 2021, PMA (Post-Modern Anxiety) where they were joined on stage by Lauran Hibberd.

Playing tracks from all over their discography, and a mid-set change up with a banner drop to change the stage up.

The banter on stage was well suited to the crowd, with not so subtle Round the Twist quotes before having the iconic Round The Twist opening song play over the PA and Jack doing another shoey and another cake for Dan (which after being punched by Alex ended up being thrown at a willing punter in the mosh) followed by another rendition of Happy Birthday.

With a solid 21 song set All Time Low exit the stage.

Doubtful anyone believed their set was over. All Time Low don’t waste much time before coming back to play a 2 song encore of Sleepwalking and of course their most popular song, Dear Maria, Count Me In. which of course was sung by everyone still able to sing at this stage.

All Time Low still have 2 shows left of their tour, Wednesday the 8th at the Hordon Pavilion in Sydney and Thursday the 9th at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane.