Artist: The Wanted
Venue: BIC, Bournemouth
Date: 6th March 2012
Let’s get this straight from the off, I feel rather out of place at mainstream pop gigs. Several thousand teenage girls screaming and shouting isn’t really my idea of a fun night out. But let’s try get down with the kids here.
Unless you’ve been on planet mars for the last year or so it’s likely you’ll have heard of The Wanted in one form or another. In my case it was usually followed by a string of expletives and comparisons to everyone’s favourite musical blemish, Justin Bieber. At first it’s difficult to realise why girls of a certain age invest in these groups but then you realise. These guys actually know their way around a melody.
Introduced onstage by an accompanying video that seems further up the backside than Richard Gere‘s gerbil, the band blast into a set of songs sweeter than those videos of cats you find on YouTube (I assume that’s what teenage girls are into). Aided by pyrotechnics and numerous fans singing back every word, The Wanted’s showmanship is hard to beat.
Seemingly just to impress me more, the band launched into an acoustic set where, shock horror, they played their own instruments! The band later launched into a Coldplay medley that blew me off my feet before returning to their own songs for a fun filled finally.
All in all an admirable showing from a group I didn’t expect much from before the show.
Glad I came? Not in as many words! But don’t let me put you off, thousands of teenage girls can’t be wrong!
