Gym Class Heroes @ Birmingham Academy 2 – 19th September 2008
The Academy 2 in Birmingham is rammed full for the genre spanning Gym Class Heroes. The band emerge onto the stage behind their customery flag bearer to a frantic crowd of suburban youth with amazingly kept hair and dance moves that any bride’s father at a wedding would be proud of.
The boys open up with ‘Clothes Off’ with Patrick Stump backing track vocals and progress through a clever mix of the new album ‘The Quilt’ with already cast iron crowd pleasers such as the catchy ‘Peace Sign/Index Down’ and ‘Cookie Jar’. They play through an impressive set list of an ever improving catalogue including ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘The Queen and I’ and ‘Cupid’s Chokehold’ all of which are greeted by a multitude of hand waving reminiscent of a Vanilla Ice gig. ‘On My Own Time’ is the GCH ballad of the evening which leaves everyone feeling warm inside.
The Academy 2’s small and intimate atmosphere is an appropriate setting for the charming, inked up Travis McCoy to hypnotise the audience with his stories the length of which can only be matched by the bands ‘homeboy’ Peter Wentz.
A danced out crowd leaves the venue suitably satisfied with an unspectacular but solid mid tour show from the New York four piece and its a case of job done, next city, for Gym Class Heroes.
Review – David J Harmy
Photos – Keith West