Gig Review: Waterparks At O2 Forum Kentish Town

31 Mar

Waterparks wear their heart on their sleeve for an adoring fanbase that has stuck with them for 3 years without an album – in pop terms; an age - at 02 Forum Kentish Town, giving spotlight to the next great pop punk band Greywind in the process.

The Waterparks crowd is very young. That is abundantly clear from the fact that there’s queuing from the morning and we have queue spots, campers and numbers on hands. Yet that means one thing and one thing only: everybody is here because they want to be, there’s no half-assed measures from any of the crowd and the pit is absolutely fucking mental from the off: the band claim they love London and UK crowds, and it’s easy to believe that they actually do – the energy is unparalleled. Pits are safe, welcoming, it’s a real sense of community built amongst the shoving and the crowd-surfers, of which, they start and they start early.

Support Greywind is first up who have an early Billie Joe Armstrong style to them. The natural chemistry of siblings is reflective in their presence and the cocky, confident Gerard Way-esque showboating is reflected by the brilliant Steph O’Sullivan, who with her brother Paul on guitars, prove they’re ready for stages like this instantly with the self-assurance that few bands of their stature can muster. Already slated to Slam Dunk you can see why they’re the perfect fit for festivals like this and 2,000 Trees – they have the unmatched energy across the room. The songs are catchy (it be pop punk, of course it’s catchy): You’re My Medicine, I.K.A.M.F. gets deployed and Here’s Your Deathwish takes us into full emo territory. The queuing system at 02 Kentish Town Forum is poorly managed – it always is – meaning many fans don’t get in until a delayed Waterparks; who turn up fifteen minutes late to accommodate. But the energy from those who did make it inside is palpable.

You feel the encouragement in the room – Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy are both cited as sources of inspiration; and Sam Guiana; who worked with the likes of Neck Deep, Holding Absence and Silverstein, is the producer, engineer and mixer for their latest release, Severed Heart City. They’re in good company and they act the part – it’s a setlist that allows them to embrace what happens when you’re on the way to big dreams with everything ripped apart from them in the most heartbreaking of circumstances before success is reached – the tragic suicide of their Uncle marks their formation of a band; built around one goal: making sure none of these things that make it feel like the whole world is against you will stop you from chasing your dreams. The influence and the soundtrack to one film is there, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill; and it allows for a bit of live therapy in the audience, surviving trauma and getting revenge on the way to doing that. Movie producers take note: I.K.A.M.F is the perfect fight scene-ready needle drop.

Waterparks waste no time in getting started once they belatedly do come out. They have a clear set structure, and it pays dividends here – HAPPINESS // SADNESS before the dovetail into a series of acoustic numbers and then we get the one-two-punch of ANTICIPATION and ANGER, each introduced to the crowd by videos. It feels structurally similar to a film – the wave of emotions overcoming the audience who have stayed with them after 3 years of not making any new material and they are acknowledging that not many bands get this opportunity. Within minutes you can see why they have garnered such a loyal following – the opener Blonde is followed by SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN and FUCK ABOUT IT. It’s short, it’s snappy, it’s Waterparks at their brilliant best, winning the hearts of the old fans who have followed them since their 2018 days of Entertainment and not letting up. Awsten Knight’s lyrics are confident; “haven’t been home in some months / I haven’t loved myself / just watching friends online”, laying his heart bear about the struggles of depression and anxiety. It’s a cheer-y set-starter; that takes note of his blonde hair and jokes that all blondes are too cool for fun. The drum-laden hooks aid Knight’s voice which feels appropriately unhinged given the tone; and the crowd goes crazy mad for it. They are after all, in their own-words, God’s Favourite Boyband. Whatever this band puts out the fans will eat up and it’s easy to see why. Their structured approach pays dividends here with “The Waterparks Show” and the pre-filmed transitions give fans a breather and a chance to catch their breath. It’s quiet; and early on, they’re not afraid to embrace interaction with the crowd: Telephone is the audience’s decision between that and Lobotomy, and then they go into Dream Boy and FUNERAL GREY. It’s a bait: “Am I the boy you dreamed of? Oh / Living in Your subconscious, oh,” and a promise of a fantasy – “custom-made, your beloved / getaway, I’m your favourite,” Knight cries, pure pop excess that embraces the cheese head on, with FUNERAL GREY, despite its title, feeling more upbeat and optimistic than their work leading into the era that it’s pulled from. It is a little earnest, a little selfish – but then Knight is aware of this and he has the confidence to embrace the self-indulgence as much as he wants.

Waterparks are fantastic and the fan-picked sections of the set allow them to cater to their crowd; chaos of phones being held in the air and pointed at the band by multiple members to grab their attention. The moshes are safe, friendly, well organised and never in any danger – I’m pretty sure multiple audience members in the pit went up for the first time and had a fantastic experience. The choose-your-own-adventure acoustic portion of the set isn’t a Waterparks invention but it feels novel, intimate, and allows the crowd to get the opportunity to influence their heroes head on. By the time Sadness comes it’s Not Warriors’ turn over Gloom Boys, with the audience making 10/10 choices – and for the third outing, 21 Questions gets the nod over Lucky People. With a setlist as extensive as Waterparks the acoustic set allows fans to get to experience partial renditions of the deep cuts – You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out to Get You), Dizzy, BRAINWASHED and 11:11 are among the songs featured. Midway through the set; there’s one minor incident of crowd trouble; but Waterparks stop the gig and call in an over-worked security, who are excellent and on friendly form throughout the night; complimenting crowd-surfers and those loyal to the barricade. Take note Sombr 02 Academy Brixton security, this is how it should be done. They thank them for their efforts of course – always a key, undervalued part of shows like these.

Fans of Waterparks know the Prowler drill by now: IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL and RED GUITAR allow the stylish, million-dollar guitar to be held aloft into the crowd, and the partial tour-headliner PROWLER gets a run-out. By the time we get Anger and the barnstorming TANTRUM we reach the part where moshes and crowd-surfing is openly encouraged, but it’s a testament to the London fans that they are already moshing and crowd-surfing LONG before this. The energy is a near-constant in the room, which descended into a sweatbox long before Waterparks come on stage. Massive praise to the energy of the crowd for being consistent and welcoming throughout the night: never once does the pit turn ugly, never once in any danger at all. It rivals safe pits like Lambrini Girls – welcoming and inclusive, with a good, healthy gender split.

Waterparks earn their loyal fandom and take the time to allow them to let out their anger and frustration at the world: a five second booing segment allows the crowd to let out their adoration through jeers; in the same way that Big Special did at the Roundhouse earlier this year by leading their manager on to taunts. Here the band dip into Twenty-One Pilots territory; Timothee Chalamet gets a namedrop and it’s the perfect timing for it to get a run-out given his recent prominence in film news circles for outwardly decrying the importance of Opera and leading Marty Supreme to a grand total of absolutely zero wins at the Oscars. All in all; a ridiculously fun night and I’d happily see them again. At the end of the day – that’s all you need, a satisfied fanbase, a good crowd, and a banging band in top form promising a return and a new album on the way. The boys are on of the most hardworking bands in the music industry and you can cut themselves some slack for taking three years off on an album as they figured out what direction to take their next chapter in – and where to go from here. Whatever direction they head next, we’ll be there, and surely their return will only be at a bigger venue.