THE WONDER YEARS
LIVE EDITORIAL REVIEW
TORONTO
By: Anthony Dell’Orso
Walking into a sweltering venue usually isn’t a problem for me, but I forgot I was going to a show filled with rabid kids going nuts over every act that’s on a bill. My choice of wearing a sweater was poor tactic indeed. Wednesday March 14th The Wonder Years took the Annex Wreckroom’s stage by storm! Singalongs and chants were heard often from the crowd as they screamed the bands lyrics back at them, which I do have a weak spot for. It really shows you how well a band interacts with their fans and how they take the relationship to a personal level.
These Lansdale, Pennsylvania natives have been working hard since 2005 building a name for themselves from the ashes of former bands in their area to finally get a group together that is making waves in the Pop-Punk scene. The Wonder Years were headlining the “Glamour Kills Tour” to a sold out crowd on seasonably warm March evening, I cannot say I was too impressed with the whole set. I was once in the audience’s shoes, a post puberty mess of emotions who latched onto bands with an emotional connection like “The Used”, “Story Of The Year”, and “Brand New” to name a few. I just don’t think The Wonder Years had as much substance as the aforementioned musicians. Power-Pop acts seem to blend themselves together; they all end up being on the same level music wise but I so wish some bands took a different approach to their craft and made it a little more unique.
Kicking off their set with “Local Man Ruins Everything” and then
playing thirteen plus songs really made their die-hards go bonkers. A few of the crowd favourites that I noticed are “Don’t Let Me Cave In” and “Melrose Diner” they were going over well, the fans undoubtedly loved every moment. Vocalist Dan Campbell had great crowd control, making sure he interacted with the band throughout the set commenting on how he was “getting too old for this shit”. That was funny coming from a man who preaches to young people, yet his receding hairline made it slightly comical. The guitar work was done well with Casey, Nick and Matt trading off a few lines but Casey was the guitar hero of the night, ripping through the set with ease! The backend kept a low profile minus bassists Josh Martin’s large stature and grizzly look, which stood out on stage. Drummer Mike Kennedy kept a steady rhythm that the band followed, well…Him and Josh kept the thud thumping going as the crowd followed along. Highlight of the set was a male patron of the event who hung upside down from the rafters of the Wreckroom. The only thing that he didn’t take into account was that the foam was sprayed for fire protection and he must of taken off a bunch of it because singer Dan was complaining he was breathing in some bad air and having troubles singing…The fan was promptly escorted out to applause.
All in all, I believe this is a scene with great ability to support their fellow peers and the night seemed to be a success to the max. The Wonder Years are not leaders of a movement and I don’t think they’re trying to be, they are the hot band of the moment and hopefully these lads can lead a new slew of bands into the foray and usher in a new conglomerate of bands to keep the push going. I give the Wonder Years 3 Bear Paws out of 5.
COPYRIGHT © 2012 ANTHONY DELL’ORSO for FridaeTV. All Rights Reserved
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