Live Review – Avril Lavigne, Castlefield Bowl, Manchester
Sounds of the City is a multi day festival slap bang in the middle of Manchester City centre in the beautiful surroundings of Castlefield Bowl in Deansgate. The festival has seen many name appear over the years, however this year sees the return of pop punk royalty – Avril Lavigne as she headlines a sold out Castlefield as part of her ‘Greatest Hits Tour’ and fresh of the back of a record breaking Glastonbury set.
The headline slot alone ranks insanely high for any lineup but with the support of Simple Plan & Phem, tonight was set to be something special. With the weather as temperamental as ever, we grab our ponchos and shades to prepare for all the elements as we take ourselves back to 2002 for one night.
Up first to kick start the night is LA indie/alt artist Phem – I feel it’s no coincidence the sun came out as they went on stage. Performing for the first time as a duo with her guitarist who also doubles up as a drummer on occasional tracks wasted no time getting the party started.
The interesting part about this set was the constant changing of instruments between songs as the setup differed depending on the song. Phem even took her place behind the kit to blast out a cover of Teenage Dirtbag bringing the whole crowd alive for an almighty singalong. With a lengthy catalogue stretching as far back as 2017, her set provided the best mix of what Phem is all about. Her high energy on stage never stopped, showing exactly why she was the perfect fit for this slot.
Between sets the PA was slapping out banger after banger, getting the place warmed up even more before tonight’s main support – with probably one of the most amazing walk out tracks in with the Star Wars theme tune, it’s Simple Plan.
Having only been in the U.K. at the start of the year, it was pleasing to see them back so soon and judging by the sea of Simple Plan shirts throughout the crowd, I think Manchester was pleased too. ‘I’d Do Anything’ sets things off and the crowd are already as up for this as you’d imagine with instant high energy & screaming every word back. The next song the band would hope wouldn’t be taken literal as they jump straight to ‘Shut Up’. As always the Canadians are on peak form, Pierre Bouvier is his usual charming and happy self on stage engaging with the Mancunian crowd at every chance he got.
With a very active start, it was time to slow things down a little with the introduction of the emotional ‘Welcome to my Life’ into the set – a song that is personal to many and by looking around was sung with pure passion. The next song was a little chance to forget about the grim summer weather we’ve been having and picture yourself on a beach – ‘Summer Paradise’ is the perfect feel good song that just makes you want to lay on a beach or poolside with one of the many inflatable beach balls being thrown around the crowd.
We all love Scooby Doo – when they play this cover it’s always such a fun experience and the several Scooby-Doos on stage just add to that even more, seeing the fun both them and the band are having fills you with so much happiness you want the song to last forever. Adding ‘Where I Belong’ to the set has a special feeling post Covid – events like these mean even more to fans and bands alike and this song is perfect for the live experience. ‘I’m Just a Kid’, the national anthem for all ‘it was never a phase’ alt’s then followed by the emotional ‘Perfect’ rounds off a pretty perfect set warming the crowd up for what lay ahead.
While the stage is set, the pre show entertainment is provided by passing trains stopping on the line above the bowl as fans wave to the driver and he waves back sparking a sea of cheers from everyone involved – one of those you had to be there moments. With that burst of excitement over, it was time for the Queen of pop punk to take to the stage. Her band enter first and play in the intro with a backdrop of each era on the big screen before Avril enter the stage to the sound of deafening screams & cheers – ‘Girlfriend’ gets things going sending the crowd into rapture. Labeled as the ‘greatest hits’ tour, the start of the set was nothing but back to back hits as ‘What the Hell’ & ‘Complicated’ receive some seriously loud reactions to the extent where the crowd volume was above the speakers at times. Looking around the bowl seeing so many happy and content faces seeing an icon like Avril was a special moment, even beyond the event walls, crowds gathered on flat balconies and ever a beer garden to get a glimpse of what was happening.
The crowd were in incredible voice no matter the song played, every single person knowing word for word and screaming back with such passion as Avril dances around the stage with the smiles bright enough to light up Manchester – you can see just how happy she is with each moment that passes. These type of shows remind me so much of childhood and hearing ‘Here’s to Never Growing Up’ set me back to the early 2000’s and to think now that it really was never a phase. A short snippet of ‘Hot’ followed before a throwback to the ‘Let It Go’ era was played across the big screen which then lead into a very wholesome moment for ‘My Happy Ending’
Another interlude appears, this time sees Avril FaceTime Simple Plan as they discuss doing a song – moments later they join her on stage to perform an iconic version of ‘Addicted’ that was earlier dropped from their set to allow this moment to happen – later see’s fans invited on stage to help conclude the song. ‘Bite Me’ & more recent banger ‘Love It When You Hate Me’ lead up to the one song so many elder emo’s can relate to when we discuss how we got into Avril as the intro to Sk8er Boi kicks in, the reaction it received was as expected and more. A national anthem for many and a sing-a-long that brought tears and goose bumps closed out with a stunning burst of confetti rain.
Another video interlude appears before the final part of the set. A sea of phone lights and lighters brighten up Castlefield for the spine tingling ‘When You’re Gone’, despite being shortened without the bridge, it was sung at maximum effort by the crowd. An emotionally sung ‘I’m With You’ closes off the night beautifully with the whole place in unison singing their heart out.
Filled with the very best Avril had to offer, this set was played to perfection and it was a great way to celebrate an incredible 22 years of iconic music that’s helped shape so many lives from every day fans to musicians who look up to what she does. The happiness shown across the bowl highlights how important Avril Lavigne still is – the venue was filled with fans who had seen her many times before and fans fulfilling a dream of seeing her for the very first time.
Words by Craig McInnes