On approach to the O2 Academy, Birmingham, one would see a large group of people cueing miles down the street, brimming with anticipation for the events that the evening held. Anyone who took a second glance at the scene would realize that the crowd gathered, weren’t for Reel Big Fish at all, but in fact All Time Low. The Reel Big Fish gathering was alternatively much smaller in comparison. However, just because the Californian ska punks weren’t playing the largest room at the venue, didn’t mean that they weren’t going to put on a show.

The support helped to riel the crowd. What with an energetic performance from The JB Conspiracy (which we sincerely hoped had nothing to do with Jacob Black from Twilight) and the colourful Orange. Who, with the added help of props such as a horse mask, bras and big bow tie, set the party atmosphere as more and more people filtered into the room.

The packed out venue chanted frantically as the lights dropped and a trumpet played, introducing the main act on stage. Sprits were high and beer glasses even higher, as the band jumped into action, kicking off with ‘Everything Sucks’. There was no doubt that despite their aging and constant changing of members, ‘Reel Big Fish’ still had the same high energy and crowd presence they’d always had. Not to mention a loyal fan base.

‘Reel Big Fish’ played crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser. Including hits such as ‘I Want Your Girlfriend To Be My Girlfriend’, ‘She’s Got A Girlfriend Now’ and ‘Suburban Rhythm’, which was repeated in different styles of music as Aaron Barrett got the crowd to join in with different actions. Few included, creating a circle pit the size of the room and line dancing, as a country rendition was played.

It was a refreshing performance to see a band, bouncing around and enjoying the show as much as their fans. For those few hours the venue seemed to be transformed into a teen party from the nineties. Even with the little room to move, everywhere you turned there were people of all ages skanking to their favorite songs.

Original member Aaron Barrett, lead vocals and guitar, stole the show with his Hawaiian shirt and banter with long standing friend, Dan Regann, on trombone. The two of them made the crowd laugh with their adolescent jokes and slapstick approach to being in front of an audience.

Sweat was now pouring off both band and crowd as they finished the final few songs such as the almighty hit ‘Beer’ and ‘Trendy’ before going off stage to prepare for the encore. This is what many fans had been waiting for, the cover of ‘Take On Me.’ Camera phones could be seen all around as the hit from the film ‘Baseketball’ was preformed with as much energy as the band had when they had first approached the stage.

‘The End Of The World Celebrations Tour’ seemed like a fitting name for the show, as people danced vigorously from start to finish, keeping the party spirit and energy high throughout the whole of the gig. There was something extremely special about this gig - it stretched from a musical demonstration, to a whole hearted performance from both crowd and band. One thing’s for sure, with the current climate fans need more upbeat music and performances from bands like ‘Reel Big Fish’ to bring people together.

Words by Sophie Spareham
Photos by Rebecca Reilly