Mayday Parade at the Academy, Dublin, 2 February 2016

Mayday Parade‘s triumphant return to Dublin proves that not only is the band still as relevant as ever, but they have also come along in leaps and bounds in the last two years.

After a pretty generic and cheesy performance from Have Mercy – featuring all the “you are the best crowd ever“s and “buy our merch“s that you have (unfortunately) come to expect – The Maine take to the stage.

Their performance is one worthy of a headline slot, so to have the Maine as support is a bit of an extra treat. Each of the members has their own personal highlights (such as Garrett Nickelsen’s dancing) and they all work together with visible ease. Moreover, lead singer John O’Callaghan is great at getting the crowd into it whilst still avoiding any pitchiness.

With tempos ranging from the more dance-y and upbeat to slower numbers like Another Night On Mars where the harmonies stand out particularly, there’s scarcely a single moment of monotony. It’s clear to see that The Maine already have a devoted fan base in Dublin with one fan even giving drummer Patrick Kirch a birthday card. We could assume that it’s not the last time we’ll be seeing them on this side of the world.

Such is the power of the Maine’s set, in fact, that it’s easy to forget that there’s still another band to come. But as Mayday Parade work through their 10-year catalogue of pop-punk gems, they make it clear why they’re in the headline slot tonight.

Throughout the set each of the band member’s talents are shown – with their harmonies working together flawlessly. Songs like Terrible Things are particularly moving as Derek Sanders takes to the stage solo. Similarly, Miserable at Best has just the crowd singing the last verse as the band leave the stage for their encore – a moment that is undeniably touching. That being said, the set isn’t a completely mellow and melancholic affair – with songs like Oh Well, Oh Well and Jersey bringing the energy way back up.

The last time Mayday Parade was in Dublin, there was definitely some tidying up to be done and it seems that they have well and truly done that. With five full length albums to date, the band now have a varied and interesting sound. A band who have still not really seen the recognition they deserve, despite always seeming to be on the edge of it. Yet tonight shows that they are not giving up and they still have so much more to show.