Live Review: A Day To Remember @ Fortitude Music Hall

24 hours before tonight, Fortitude Valley and its surrounding inner-city suburbs were hearing and feeling the dying hours of Knotfest’s throb after a day of heavy hitters at RNA Showgrounds. Now, the Valley din is its usual Monday night mix of its regular patrons and those making the commute home from late clock-offs.

But outside the Fortitude Music Hall’s doors is a bubble of energy reminiscent of yesterday’s hallowed festival, with a sold-out crowd gathering now to catch one of its headliners. It’s obvious some were back for round two tonight, judging by the pre-entry chatter, while others exuded a fresher, keener vibe that suggested tonight was their night to catch Florida’s A Day To Remember. 

All reports from last night’s set suggested the punk metal four-piece were in fine form, treating hungry (and sunburnt) fans to an electrifying hour that tripped around their eight-album lifespan, including their freshly minted latest with the cheeky moniker Big Ole Album Vol 1.

Despite the usual lineup changes for a band that has slogged away for 20 years, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon has kept his group clinically tight and on a stable path through the myriad scenarios affecting bands and live music generally. Even so, it’s always a looming consideration for a singer like McKinnon to play back-to-back shows; time will tell how those chops are holding up.

First up though, Melbourne’s Ocean Grove, a band that ruffles genre boundaries with their massaging of nu-metal, hardcore and alternative rock, are just happy to be here.

Fresh from a recent Euro tour, the trio up the vibe at any venue. Frontman Dale Tanner’s inimitable presence is always set to level 11, engaging crowds with every scream and singalong to old favourites Sunny and Junkies and new mainstays Raindrop, Fly Away and My Disaster. The lads’ set is sensory overload with gritty textures and a raw, unfiltered energy that makes it impossible to stand still. The early punters’ joints are now well and truly oiled after all this bouncing when OG wave their goodbyes, proving once again why they continue to be one of Australia’s most dynamic heavy acts.

Hot on their heels after a short break are Melbourne’s Thornhill. Enjoying a recent invigoration with their latest singles Viper Room and Obsession, the four-piece exude that ferocity and precision that has endowed them with fans who like their heavy stuff off-kilter. The second they let rip, they pull the audience into their world.

Sporting a dashing pair of speed-dealer sunnies, vocalist Jacob Charlton switches between melodic passages and guttural screams that highlight his impressive range, while the band’s clinical playing creates the immersive, cinematic environments for Tongues, Where We Go When We Die and Lily & The Moon to hit hard, weaving together metalcore, alt-rock and some really lush atmospheric soundscapes. 

While it’s already been an impressive feast of all senses – quite literally as it’s a sweaty affair and said fluid has been flying thick and fast throughout both sets – there is a heaving weight of anticipation and expectation that has built to this moment.

As the lights dim and the crowd reaches fever pitch, A Day To Remember make their entrance. The Florida heavyweights have built their career on blending pop-punk hooks with metalcore breakdowns across their eight albums, and crafting the sort of anthems that resonate intensely in the live setting has only amplified their reputation.

Launching into a never-fail crowd pleaser Sticks & Bricks under a scatter of lights and freshly ejaculated confetti, the entire downstairs floor erupts while upstairs plenty of hands leave the balcony railings and reach high to emphasise every jagged note.

These punters were already rapt with the supports; now they’re possessed, screaming every word at the top of their lungs. The energy is relentless as ADTR start ripping through their extensive catalogue, delivering fan-favourites All I Want, Paranoia and LeBron. Bodies get airborne and frontman Jeremy McKinnon gets the pit spinning and “crowd surfers crowd surfing” atop each other, and a few rise to the occasion.

In between the band’s pop-punk flavoured offerings are the real heavy hitters – old and new – like Miracle, 2nd Sucks and Make It Make Sense, and it’s during these that they reap the most rewards; this is a band that seems to absolutely thrive and even exist for their fans’ engagement. And it’s these tracks that have the whole band all but leaping into the crowd, smiling, laughing, sharing the choruses with their people. This is when you really feel that connection come alive with an entirely crazed audience singing and thrashing as one, and it’s really hard to not imbibe that enchanting chaos. 

McKinnon’s additional commitment to connect with his crowds is unfaltering all set, whether he’s leading a deafening singalong, orchestrating these chaotic participation moments or offering assurances “that we will play the most songs we possibly can tonight”. He glues it all together. Those breakdowns would not hit as hard, the melodies would not soar as high, and the atmosphere would not be as unified as it is without his conducting.

The band dust off an oldie, Violence, and punters are rewarded as everyone’s favourite scenes from Home Alone aptly unfold on screen, a cheeky cover of Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone is like a naughty, sugary treat, and megahit All Signs Point To Lauderdale closes this section of the set neatly.

There are fans here tonight who saw ADTR 24 hours earlier, and yet they and the band are clearly not ready to hang up the sweaty towels and call it a night just yet. Smiles could not be wider when they return on stage, cajoling everyone into joining them for just a couple more gems. If It Means A Lot To You is up there with the night’s highlights, but it’s the clap-happy favourite The Downfall Of Us All that seals the deal.

With some affectionate farewells and solemn bows, ADTR leave this crowd with no other view in their minds than this: This band have stayed at the top of their game for more than two decades, and tonight is a watertight argument that unambiguously backs that.