Photo Credit: Press

Showing their love for the UK has been one of The Wonder Years’ top priorities. The Philadelphia pop-punk heroes bring ‘No Closer to Heaven‘ across the pond to celebrate its 10th anniversary, for what could be their last UK tour for sometime.

Nashville emo 5-piece Free Throw served as main support on the evening, bringing their elegant and dreamy guitars alongside fast paced pop-punk ferocity. Kicking off their seven song set with ‘The Corner’s Dilemma‘, the Manchester crowd wasted no time in getting involved. With mosh pits quickly forming and crowd surfers making their way over the barrier, it was all out carnage right from the off. ‘Pallet Town‘ treated their fans of their debut record, but the surprise of ‘My High‘ served as their oldest track of the night before bringing it back to modern times with ‘So Yeah, So‘. The energy throughout the venue didn’t stop, as fan favourite ‘Randy, I Am the Liquor‘ and ‘Two Beers In‘ concluded Free Throw‘s swift return to the UK.

Now with a sold out Albert Hall awaited the arrival of The Wonder Years‘, people were well equipped ready to join in for the ‘No Closer to Heaven‘ in full. Opening their set with the album’s title track, which sits at the very bottom of the record track listing. The slower start is something that not many fans of the band are familiar with, but with what was to follow was a lot more up the Manchester crowds’ street. ‘Brothers &’ set up ‘Cardinals‘ perfectly, just as it does on the record. Mosh pits quickly returned to the floor at this point and a joint effort matched Campbell’s vocals all the way through the record. ‘A Song for Patsy Cline‘ was met with a roaring applause, followed by ‘I Don’t Like Who I Was Then‘, which has become a staple in previous performances from the Philly outfit.

The slower intro to ‘Cigarettes & Saints‘ builds up the powerful song perfectly, and in a live setting, it had that extra edge that raised hairs across the room. ‘Slow Dancing with San Andreas‘ was a rare feature considering it isn’t on the original albums’ track listing, but a welcomed surprise nonetheless. Soupy then detailed the story behind the next song, ‘A Song for Ernest Hemingway‘, which came from the demand of following up with the powerhouse that is ‘The Greatest Generation‘. Another regular soon came around in the form of ‘Thanks for the Ride‘, as the chorus raised the lights each time and with the capacity crowds arms filling the room.

Continuing as the album intended, ‘Stained Glass Ceilings‘, ‘You In January‘ and ‘Palm Reader‘ concluded the ‘No Closer to Heaven‘ portion of the night. Retiring from the stage for a brief moment to gather themselves, The Wonder Years made a swift return to the stage, with seven more bangers to unleash upon Manchester. Kicking the encore off with fan favourite ‘Passing Through A Screen Door‘, followed by ‘Dismantling Summer‘ picked up the paced in the room once again. As more recent material came around in the form of ‘Low Tide‘ and ‘Oldest Daughter‘, it was ‘Came Out Swinging‘ that concluded the Philly pop-punkers return to Manchester in spectacular fashion.

After continuous visits to the UK for almost twenty years, this could be the last from The Wonder Years for a long time, but what a way to go out.