Deputy Editor Hannah Gadd attends The Driver Era’s X GIRLFRIEND Tour, praising the band’s musicianship and dynamic performance
The Driver Era returned to Birmingham this week after almost two years with their ‘X GIRLFRIEND’ UK & Europe tour. Whilst named after their debut and sophomore albums (X and Girlfriend), Ross and Rocky Lynch treated us to a night of songs old, new and unreleased in a fantastically dynamic show.
Support acts Your Favourite Colour and Almost Monday opened the night brilliantly and the energy levels in the O2 Academy were high by the time The Driver Era entered the stage. The curtains opened to reveal a hazy stage as the band took their places and began with an unreleased track, ‘Touch’. This was the first of three unreleased songs of the night, all of which went down a treat, further adding to the excitement surrounding their upcoming album.
The punchy pop-rock track ‘Get Off My Phone’ was an incredibly fun track to experience, its chant-like chorus translated perfectly in a live environment.
The band went straight into their latest song ‘You Keep Me Up at Night’ which, despite being released just a few weeks ago, the audience sang along to every word. Bathed in orange lights, bassist Riker Lynch played the groovy bassline of ‘Feel You Now’, receiving a huge cheer from the crowd. The punchy pop-rock track ‘Get Off My Phone’ was an incredibly fun track to experience, its chant-like chorus translated perfectly in a live environment.
After ‘Rumors’, the band returned to their debut album with ‘Low’ which saw Rocky Lynch nail the lead vocal. Off the back of the song they effortlessly went into a cover of Destiny’s Child track ‘Say My Name’. Ross and Riker Lynch must be applauded for their captivating stage presence, it is clear from the way they command the stage that they are self-assured and charismatic performers.
‘Nobody Knows’ was a noticeable fan favourite and it seemed like the band enjoyed playing it just as much as we enjoyed listening. Once again the band transitioned seamlessly into a cover, this time it was the Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Got a Feeling’. ‘I love when that happens…’ Ross stated after the spontaneous mash-up, ‘…nobody knew!’.
From start to finish the band demonstrated they are powerhouse musicians and did a stellar job in bringing the songs to life.
After a breathless rush of hits, the band slowed down the pace with an acoustic version of ‘Heart of Mine’. The band gathered around the piano to sing into one microphone, their voices harmonising beautifully. Everyone returned to their instruments before heading into the ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Malibu’. These songs are more stripped back than their others but created such a slick, summer vibe- despite the flooding outside the venue! Towards the end of the song Riker’s wife, Savannah Lynch joined the band on stage to perform a salsa with her husband. During this, the band jammed out before heading into a cover of ‘Need You Tonight’ by INXS. From start to finish the band demonstrated they are powerhouse musicians and did a stellar job in bringing the songs to life.
‘Heaven Angel’ followed by ‘Afterglow’ and ‘Preacher Man’ was an electric run of tracks and the venue was alive with fans dancing and singing along to these anthems. Ross sported many different cowboy hats that were thrown on to the stage and did an excellent job engaging with the audience from start to finish. The band left the stage following ‘Preacher Man’ and the crowd were left chanting for more.
With big synths, rhythmic drums and catchy guitars, the track was a great closer and everyone was on a massive high.
Ross re-appeared by himself to sing ‘On My Own’ from Teen Beach 2, a nostalgic moment for myself and other fans that have been following the singer since his Disney Channel days. The rest of the band returned to finish the night with their huge tune ‘A Kiss’. With big synths, rhythmic drums and catchy guitars, the track was a great closer and everyone was on a massive high.
The night ended with the band taking their bow and Ross jumping down from the stage to high-five everyone on the barrier (yes, we were freaking out). I’ve seen the band many times now and each show has been different but equally as amazing. The Driver Era possess a star-quality and level of musicianship that has fans understandably coming back to more; I look forward to seeing them when they take their new album on the road!
You might also like:
Comments