LIVE REVIEW: The Wonder Years @ Y Plas, Cardiff

The spirit of pop-punk is well and truly alive tonight in Cardiff, as THE WONDER YEARS descend on Y Plas as part of their 10 year anniversary tour for their album The Greatest Generation.

First up is Philadelphia indie-rockers KISSISSIPPI. They kick off the show with a mellow, chilled out vibe, gently warming up the crowd to begin with, before picking up the pace with some funky upbeat indie tunes. During We’re So In Tune singer Zoe Allaire Reynolds requests that the crowd join in with some “YMCA-like” dance moves, which a handful of more enthusiastic crowd members oblige with. The set ends with an older track, written “when I was a little 18-year-old emo kid” says Zoe. Overall, the set was a chilled out, mellow vibe, and the band look as relaxed as if they were jamming alone in their living room. That’s not to say they don’t pull off a great set, and they keep the crowd engaged throughout both the slower and more energetic tracks.

Rating: 7/10

Up next is ORIGAMI ANGEL, a high energy duo consisting of drummer Pat Doherty and vocalist/guitarist Ryland Heagy. It’s their first time visiting Cardiff, says Ryland, but they don’t let that bother them. The set opens with the title track from their latest release The Brightest Days and they have the crowd well and truly on board from the start. The pair power through the first couple of tracks before slowing down very briefly, before quickly flying back into heavier drum beats and guitar riffs. “We’re gonna play an old song if that’s alright” Ryland says before diving into upbeat track Ruby. Their final few tracks are all from their 2019 album Somewhere City, and they’re met with just as much enthusiasm from the crowd, who have continued to dance and sing along for the entirety of the set. The set is energetic from start to finish, packed with tracks you can’t help but move to. They’re a great choice to get the crowd hyped up for the main act.

Rating: 8/10

Headliners THE WONDER YEARS are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their 2013 album The Greatest Generation by playing the record in full. Kicking off with There, There, the six-piece fill the small stage with the same energy you would have seen if you had attended the album tour ten years ago. Continuing through the set and the album, We Could Die Like This is a clear favourite as the crowd screams along to the chorus while crowd-surfers cascade over the barriers to be ushered away by security.

Vocalist Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell takes a moment to address the crowd, explaining that “putting a piano ballad in the middle of this record felt like a huge risk”. He’s of course referring to The Devil In My Bloodstream, which KISSISSIPPI vocalist Zoe Allaire Reynolds joins the band for. The brief change of pace gives the crowd a moment to recoup their energy before upping the ante again with four songs which Soupy says are the least-played from this record. “We don’t believe that you give a fuck about them,” he says, a statement which is met with disagreeing boos from the crowd. “Prove me wrong” he continues, laughing, before launching into Teenage Parents. The entire set is brimming with energy from both the band and the crowd, who are still crowd-surfing their way over the barrier at an alarming rate, much to security’s annoyance.

Another short break from the chaos comes in the form of Madelyn, a stripped back acoustic ballad that causes the crowd to slow down – but doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm. The band finish off the album anniversary celebrations, taking a moment to mention that they will return to the UK in 2024 for Slam Dunk Festival. The band take a short intermission before returning to the stage to perform the second part of their set, which features a mixture of tracks from across the band’s career, including their latest single GODDAMNITALL, before finally wrapping up with oldie Came Out Swinging.

THE WONDER YEARS are proving that pop-punk is still very much alive, and they still have what it takes to put on a thrilling show.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Cardiff from Stacey Perrin Photography here: 

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