Many told me travelling all the way to Camden for a band that they hadn’t heard of was pretty much not even worth considering. I can safely say, despite the caffeine fuelled drive there and back, it was SO worth it! This was the second time I had seen the The Maine; the first was as they were supporting All Time Low at the start this year, however this time was so much different. Their first UK headline tour (with two mediocre, generic pop punk bands supporting them) they blew me away with their full set. Pioneer is an album that I will always go back to and listen to from start to finish, each song has individual charm as John O’Callaghan sings the powerful heartfelt lyrics to the listener. Also considering many of my friends hadn’t heard them, the fan-base was definitely not an issue. I arrived at the Venue a few hours before the show and there was already at least 100 fans filing down Camden High Street. I also admire them for being unsigned, their new album release and this tour is all of their own backs. Admirable to say the least.
As I have said, the support bands are not even worth mentioning. The one directly preceding The Maine were a band called This Century. Definitely nothing special; the frontman had interesting hair… To the crowd’s delight (I should also mention, I was probably the oldest person in the room, apart from the parents escorting their teen daughters) The Maine came onstage at around 9pm. I didn’t want their amazing 18 song set to end! From start to finish the insane amounts of energy from the 
band made it so easy to enjoy their music. Especially in a setting that is as awesome at The Electric Ballroom, my first experience of the place was definitely a great first impression.
They opened with the anthemic ‘Identify’ leading straight into ‘My Heroine’. My personal favourite ‘Some Days’ sounds so amazing in the live setting, the intense chorus and opening twanging guitars make it an instant favourite with the fans (myself included). The slower, more emotional numbers show a different side to the bands, songs such as ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘Misery’ really showcase John O’Callaghan’s flawlessly beautiful Arizonian vocals. All in all I didn’t want their set to end, I would have happily listened to it all again straight after. I drove back to Southampton humming ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’ all the way.
Pioneer and The Good Love is out now and you can read my interview with John O’Callaghan from The Maine, coming soon on The Edge!
