Firstly, I would like to mention that I think Scala is a
fantastic venue and I hope to see more bands play there in the future. It is
easy to get to (just outside Kings Cross station), is surrounded by shops and restaurants
and is a perfect size inside. I arrived at the venue during Blitz Kids set and
was a little bit disappointed with this band, I felt they struggled to get the
crowd pumped and their music was not memorable for me. However the second band,
Natives (whom I saw with Mayday Parade in October 2012) was the complete
opposite. Immediately, they had the audience dancing and captivated. I am
already a fan of their songs 'Big Plans' and 'This Island' and so I was excited
to see these songs performed once again. Natives have a few unique quirks when
they perform such as getting the whole crowd to get down on the floor then jump
up and start dancing which is great because, when you are an opening act, crowd
participation is a good way to get everyone involved and enjoying themselves
even if they have never heard of you before. Natives have brilliant rock songs,
talented musicians and awesome stage presence and if they continue opening for
popular rock bands hopefully they will obtain the recognition they deserve.
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| With the lead singer of Natives after the show! |
Scala has a dance floor and also a balcony for the audience
but I held a firm position at the front in the centre surrounded by fellow
buzzing teenagers with a restless desire for We The Kings to enter. Before long
the lights when down, 'N****s In Paris' started playing, and the familiar ginger
locks of Travis Clark were right in front of me. Their first song, 'She Takes
Me High' initiated complete madness in a mosh pit as the excitement that had
been brewing suddenly erupted into a frenzy of dancing, jumping and singing as
the drums pulsated through the audience. We The Kings played all of their crowd
pleasers including 'What You Do To Me', 'Friday Is Forever', 'Party, Fun, Love
and Radio' and 'Secret Valentine'. There was no faulting Travis' vocals or the
band's playing and I genuinely could not see anyone around me that did not look
like they were having an amazing time. They played a cover of 'Im Yours' by
Jason Mraz, which is one of my all-time favourite songs, that then escalated
into one of their most well-known singles 'Heaven Can Wait'. The band also
covered 'Don’t You Worry Child' by Swedish House Mafia and 'The Middle' by
Jimmy Eat World. The highlight of the show for me was when Travis announced
they were about to play a 'new song' that the crowd might not know, he then
proceeded to play the first few chords of 'Say You Like Me' and the whole
audience in unison sung the first verse of the song, this amazed the whole band
and showed the power and emotion a whole crowd of people singing at the top of
their voices in sync can have. The whole set was so much fun to watch as the
energy onstage was imitated by the sweaty dancing on the dance floor. We The
Kings ended their set with their hit 'Check Yes Juliet' and even though this
was an encore, everybody still wanted more! It was an unforgettable night and
We The Kings and Natives are two bands that I highly recommend you see perform.
