Tour One was a hard reset for Paramore. Carried with a sense of learning to walk again and asking questions about where, and if, they still fit into peoples lives against a backdrop of venues normally off-limits to rock bands, it took the discovery and doubt splayed across ‘After Laughter’, threw caution to the wind, and found out what would happen dancing in the spotlight.
After a North American jaunt for Tour Two, Tour Three sees the band returning to Europe and back on familiar ground. Gone is that trepidation. The expectation of others washed away in the storm, replaced by a free-for-all of glee and ugly crying. Sure, Paramore have been here, at London’s O2, before – but not like this.
From the opening crash of ‘Hard Times’ and a playful flourish of Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’, the band live by that belief. ‘Ignorance’ is delivered through a megaphone, distorted anger from the past, as the microphone stand is kicked away and Taylor and Hayley play catch with the electricity it creates. ‘Still Into You’ “goes out to Paramore,” all rekindled affection and eternal love while ‘Forgiveness’ tries both venom and tenderness on for size over a grainy, polaroid backdrop.
Elsewhere the art pop of ‘Fake Happy’ sees the band punching the sky, Hayley holding her microphone like a hacksaw as the whole room lets down their guard together, before ‘Hate To See Your Heart Break’ – “a sappy song that’s about friends helping friends get through shit” – sees the band quiver in the wind but stand firm in their defiance.
Paramore purge, pour and make peace with their demons before an agile and all-seeing backdrop. Flexing to the different faces of the band, it gives tonight a powerful sense of daydream like wonder. The real sparks fly at the front though, as Hayley and Taylor exchange ideas, converse, support and fall apart around one another, her scratched admissions finding a home within his soul-wrangling guitar. Both have a lot to say. Both make sure each other are heard.
‘After Laughter’ is a record about love. From the acceptance, uncertainty and confusion that comes with loving other people to trying to cherish the difficult parts of yourself, it’s complex and sprawling, delicate and intimate. ‘Caught In The Middle’ deals with the weight of dreams and reality’s toll, while ‘Pool’ thrashes and looks for a safe haven, kicking up grit and dust in the process.
These questions of love also stretch backwards, as the band come to terms with accepting who they used to be. ‘Misery Business’ gives space for the band to talk about the journey they’ve been on. “Not only have we grown up in front of you, we’ve grown up with you. The last time we were here [back in 2010], we weren’t exactly doing so hot. That’s life, you go through your ups and your downs, and we’re so incredibly humbled that we’re standing up here in front of you tonight,” starts Hayley. “In 2007 we put out an album called ‘Riot!’. We’ve changed a lot since then; there’s no denying that. Hopefully, you’ve changed too. I think you have. I don’t know if you’ve ever gone back and read your journal or your diary from 2007, but it’s probably a little embarrassing for sure. Mine is on the internet, so feel free to just check it out anytime you want. We’re about to play a song for you right now, and it’s probably the reason we met most of you in this room tonight. Credit should never be taken away from that but, disclaimer, we are not those people anymore and neither are you. So, let’s sing this one together and celebrate the fact we’ve done a lot of growing up,” comes the introduction.
Paramore are very much not that band anymore, but the inclusion of ‘Misery Business’ and its delivery – full of weight, sincerity and charged excitement – shows a band at peace with putting misguided ghosts to rest and letting their growth encourage others. As ever, they use the space to share the spotlight with a fan, tonight welcoming Lauren to the stage like an old friend. It’s not been an easy path to get here though.
It’s simple to describe what the band has gone through – line-up changes, fights and fall-outs under the bright lights – as soap opera drama, but really, it’s just reality played out on the big screen. ‘Idle Worship’ sees Hayley struggle with the weight of expectation, piled on by the very people in front of her but rather than complain, the admission of “rip me open, you’ll see you’re not the only one who’s hopeless” brings the room closer together. Distance shrinking, it creates care and hopeful whispers before the wild and unruly ‘No Friend’ comes out to play, mewithoutYou’s Aaron Weiss giving Taylor a chance to wring every inch of life from his guitar. Aaron’s not the only one screaming. “My mom told me today that we should be opening for mewithoutYou,” starts Hayley. “I think she’s right.”
Hours earlier, the Philadelphian gaggle take to the stage and for a flickering moment, blinded by the lights. As they set ‘Torches Together’ aflame, though, everything melts away. ‘Red Cow’ unravels and ties itself in knots before breaking loose. ‘All Circles’ is slanted, wrapping itself up and shying away, quickly turning into an intergalactic menace with a wink and a grin. Despite the crushing weight the band play with, there’s a surprising bounce in their performance. It’s something Paramore know a thing or two about.
“If I hadn’t been playing music and enjoying music with my friends, it would have been a much worse 2017,” reasons Hayley. “2017 kinda sucked for everyone. But the fact you’re here tonight, and we’re here, and you’re here with people you love and we love you, that’s something to celebrate. It’s really beautiful.” Turning the tide tonight’s encore, taking the lead from the now iconic bop of ‘Ain’t It Fun’, sees the band put their tissues away and tighten their dancing shoes.
‘Grow Up’ has the band shedding skin and growing wings under firecracker drums and sparkling adventure. A version of HalfNoise’s ‘French Class’ sees Zac Farro take centre stage with his party popping chase, teaming up with Hayley for a dance routine that was born in front of bedroom mirrors and hairbrush microphones, while the triumphant edge of ‘Rose-Coloured Boy’ does away with the silver-lining, asking “just let me cry a little bit longer” without apology. Urgent, glittering and carrying emotional baggage in the bundles of fun, it doesn’t so much as draw a line under the show, as set us up for what comes next.
This is what Paramore is right now. Whatever’s left to come, be it tears or the tango, they’re ready, hungry and facing forwards. “Tonight, you are London. You are Paramore. Thank you for keeping us alive for a really long time.”
Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett / Dork