Review: Waterparks Leaves Manchester Thirsty for More

Caitlin Gray | 26th March 2018

Waterparks at the 02 Ritz

Waterparks returned to Manchester for the first time since their last UK tour with pop-punk group All Time Low, for a show at the O2 Ritz. The pop-punk trio were promoting their new album ‘The Entertainment’ with their first headlining tour that stretches as far as Milan, Paris and Cologne.

 

The show was opened by 5-piece band Dead! Which left the crowd anything but deceased. Their lively, uplifting rock sound created just the right atmosphere for the night to come, and got the crowd jumping for the second act, New York rockers Patent Pending. Bouncing onstage to Vengaboys anthem ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom’, frontman Joe Ragosta conducted a 40-minute show of antics, undeniable charm and humbleness, making a playful jab at the technical difficulties of the ever-breaking mic, prompting the crowd into a frenzy of ‘F*** microphones!’. Their humour and personality most definitely outshone the musical performance- but there was no doubt that the men knew how to put on an engaging and entertaining show.

The headlining act emerged shortly after their second support, undeniably a hard performance to follow. With four mics between the two vocalists- it was established before they even walked onstage that Waterparks aren’t the kind of band to stand and sing idly.

After opening with single 11:11, the lavender headed vocalist Awsten Knight established an onstage presence that oozed confidence and belief in his own talents.

The crowd, in which proved that the band have succeeded in gaining a strong and united fanbase responded fantastically to the opening set of songs, with both lyrical knowledge and obvious adoration for the act.

Waterparks performing at the 02 Ritz

Waterparks are clearly a band that is extremely grateful for their success, and wanted to express that to their crowd.
“We not that big of d***s… yet!” Awsten laughs, upon explaining their gratitude for their first headlining tour that included their own tour bus. The band went on to express their tour shenanigans that got not only the crowd laughing and interacted, but additionally brought in the crew members who clearly have a close and humble relationship with the band.

Awsten continued between songs to entertain a barrage of banter between himself and the crowd, wrapping an LGBTQ flag around his shoulders momentarily, along with a elegant burp into the mic.

A short lived acoustic section with the one song ‘Lucky People’ allowed the crowd to settle down and relax in between the poppy and lively tracks. Granted, it would have been nice to hear Knight perform more than one acoustic song, but the chilled break was pleasant all the same and demonstrated his talents can stretch further than a frenzied pop-punk performance.

Awsten Knight’s acoustic performance of ‘Lucky People

Overall, Waterparks put on a show that was most definitely entertaining, energetic and charming.

Download Waterparks’ new album ‘The Entertainment’ on Spotify now!

Waterparks Instagram here
Waterparks Twitter here