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John Aizlewood's rating
Paramore's Hayley Williams hails her hordes
By
John Aizlewood
21 Dec 2009
As we know, pop music abhors a vacuum. And so the moment Avril Lavigne drifted off into whiney kidulthood and divorce, Paramore’s Hayley Williams bounced forth as the legitimate voice of frustrated 15-year-old girls and the
legitimate fantasy of frustrated 15-year-old boys.
As a result, the Franklin Tennessee quintet’s third album, Brand New Eyes found itself atop the British charts in October and their subsequent arena tour sold out as fast as their audience could borrow their parents’ credit cards.
Wembley was the finale of their all‑conquering jaunt and if the hordes of unbroken voices singing along to the soundtrack of their bedrooms were insufficient to provide an end-of-term feel, before the tautologically titled The Only Exception, a couple were invited on stage so the man could propose.
She said yes, the heartwarmed crowd cheered but, not wholly embracing the joyful moment, security bundled them off stage as they snogged.
The Lavigne similarities don’t end with Williams hijacking her audience and peddling appealing, if hardly boundary pushing, pop-punk. Williams is a sparrow-like waif who looks as if her next birthday will be her 11th and who needs to stand on a crate so the audience can get a better view.
But when, in a rare address to the crowd, she confessed, “I’ve no idea how this happened,” she sounded more cocksure than humbled. And like Lavigne, from the moment Williams delayed her entrance as her band began Ignorance, Paramore is a one-woman show.
With the exception of engagingly rubber-legged bassist Jeremy Davis, who at one point did a gymnastic backflip over guitarist Josh Farro (admittedly, it was so out of context I may have hallucinated this), the Paramore drones were sullen, statue-esque oiks, who, if they don’t buck up, may yet return to asking the good burghers of Franklin if they would like fries with their burgers.
Their stay with us was brief — just 75 minutes — but not without fist-clenching thrills. And when Williams takes the inevitable solo road, she may yet become the next generation’s Pink.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (8)
first off...PARAMORE IS A BAND!...and secondly really with the height comments? 5 2 is not that short for a girl so w/e....i only saw clips of this show, but i saw them in atlatna GA and the clips were just as amazing! sure hayley gets a lot of attention but what singer doesnt? it's gonna happen, and if journalist like you didnt point it out like this, it wouldnt be a big deal, so thanks for making it one.
- Anna, Alabama, US, 09/03/2010 05:01
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Shocking review, you seem to be more interested in drawing parallels between the band and some of the junk in the charts today (Pink? Please) - instead of properly analysing what's in front if you. First sentence you try to pass this off as pop music, as in Simon Cowell manufactured bull**** pop music - laughable. Oh and yeah, I'm sure all the other members will soon be back to working behind fast food counters, possibly the most stupid comment in a dreadful review that has failed in it's purpose of giving the public who weren't at the gig, an accurate impression of it. Great job! /sarcasm. Trash journalism at its finest.
- Eoin, Ireland, 07/01/2010 13:05
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I do not agree at all. I think the whole band, when i went to see them, were incredible to watch and worked well as a unit. Hayley Williams has made it clear she isn't going solo-and why would she?? Her and Josh Farro have formed, in my opinion, a brilliant songwriting partnership, and their well written music and lyrics are exactly what teenagers are looking for right now.
And, again, critisizing her height? I think that is unnecessary - she's not that small!
Paramore are a great band with one of the best live sound's i have heard. Hayley Williams is beautiful and a talented singer but the band all together is miles better than if she went solo. In my opinion the review is unfair.
- James, England, 01/01/2010 17:54
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Huh... you're probably not going to get the best response for this article... I don't think Williams will take the solo route, I doubt it's in her nature for a start, and people like Paramore for the whole band, not just her, no matter how lovely she is.
- Mister Valentine, London UK, 27/12/2009 02:29
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A very shallow and rubbish review. There is no mention of how amazing Hayley's voice is or anything. It isn't just about Hayley, the whole band is amazing! Josh, Jeremy, Zac and Taylor all contribute! The night was awesome and they have great stage presence; the performances are very energetic. And you definitely can't criticise Hayley about her height!
- Minni, London, UK, 23/12/2009 19:21
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Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but writing a music review should be about just that, Music! There is no mention of how good the vocals were, how much stage presence they had, the amazing guitar rifts and not so much as a hint about the support bands. Anybody that was at the concert will know what an amazing show it was and the amount of adults that were actually there.
- Louise, UK, 22/12/2009 22:50
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A Very shallow review _ I wonder, were you actually listening at Wembley _ OR did you base your review on quickly scanning old material. If you had been listening (and possessed a modicum of musical nous) you could not have failed to notice how good the band are (particularly the guitarists). Also, you fail to comment on how poor the sound was for the support acts - in fact you dont mention the rest of the show at all. Fantastic show - but a lousy review.
- Martin Coult, LONDON, 21/12/2009 18:21
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This article is based off of pure opinion. The only thing Avril Lavigne has in common with Hayley Williams is the color of their hair, which isnt going to be blond for much longer. Paramore has one of the most energetic performances today, and wouldnt you be tired if you were on tour for half of your life?!? To judge someone of their height is just plain stupid, nobody has control over how tall they are or how their body is. Finally, there is a reason they were atop the billboard charts, and sold out every show on their European arena tour. People that should be flipping burgers and asking if you want fries with that, dont sell out arenas!
- Alyssa, Toms River, United States, 21/12/2009 17:22
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