Words by Laurent Swyngedauw
Twenty years into their career, Baltimore pop-punk veterans All Time Low rolled into Manchester's Co-op Live on 23 January with a spectacle that proved age has only sharpened their edge. Supporting their tenth studio album Everyone Talking!, the band delivered a masterclass in pop punk evolution.
The show started with a bang when frontman Alex Gaskarth crept onstage for the cold open – a delicate acoustic intro lifted straight from the new album. The intimacy lasted all of 60 seconds before 'SUCKERPUNCH' exploded into life, complete with a confetti cannon that showered the standing section on the beat drop. The contrast was deliberate, theatrical, and brilliant.
What immediately set this show apart was the production value. Each of the songs came with its own lighting design and visual treatment. Cinematic backdrops ranged from animated sequences to sunset panoramas, with particularly impressive work on songs featuring music video footage. 'SUCKERPUNCH', with its motorbike racer narrative, came alive through dynamic visuals that transformed Co-op Live into something closer to a cinema than a rock venue. Having seen All Time Low four times now, this was by far their most ambitious production – a testament to both the band's growth and the venue's capabilities.
The setlist itself was a carefully curated journey through the band's extensive catalogue. Seven or eight tracks from Everyone Talking! made the cut, but long-time fans weren't ignored. Classics like 'Weightless' and 'Poppin' Champagne' sat comfortably alongside deeper cuts from their 2017 album Last Young Renegade – 'Dark Side of Your Room' and 'Dirty Laundry' receiving a particularly enthusiastic response from those who have stuck with the band through their more experimental phases.
One of the evening's smartest choices was the inclusion of All Time Low's collaborative tracks, even without their original featured artists. 'PMA' (featuring Pale Waves), 'New Religion', 'Hate This Song', 'Monsters', and 'Sugar' all made appearances, showcasing the band's ability to bridge the gap between rock and mainstream pop. It's a testament to their musical versatility that they can gel so seamlessly with different artists from Demi Lovato to Teddy Swims, and these songs translated remarkably well to a live setting.
'Hate This Song', their collaboration with I Prevail, deserves special mention. The track's heavier metal influence – a shift even for a band known for pushing boundaries – was executed with precision, accompanied by anime-style visuals from the music video that wouldn't look out of place in an anime hit. For a band that's been releasing music consistently for two decades, their willingness to keep experimenting remains refreshing.
The stage design featured a runway layout that allowed Gaskarth to venture into the heart of the standing section, creating moments of intimacy within the arena's vast space. This proved particularly effective during the ballads 'Missing You' and 'Remembering Sunday' which offered welcome changes of pace, with the latter providing one of the night's standout moments. Opening act Taylor Acorn returned to tackle Juliet Simms's explosive final chorus, hitting every high note with the emotion that's made this song an All Time Low staple. Special mention to the energetic openers Taylor Acorn, and Mayday Parade who could have just as easily been headlining the show themselves.
Credit: Laurent Swyngedauw @ The Mancunion
Between songs, the trademark banter between Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat kept things light hearted, though these moments were balanced with some more reflective asides. Gaskarth's gratitude for securing JoJo’s vocals on 'Sugar' felt genuine, as did his heartfelt plea to the crowd to support local artists. "It's getting harder to break through these days," he admitted. "We experience it ourselves. Find those bands that look good to you and lift them up." In an era of algorithm-driven discovery, it was a refreshingly human reminder of music's community spirit.
The three-song encore kicked off with their single 'The Weather' from the new album, complete with an extended drum solo from Rian Dawson. They closed with 'Lost in Stereo' and 'Dear Maria, Count Me In' – songs that have provided the soundtrack to emo rock nights out for two decades and still hit just as hard.
Credit: Laurent Swyngedauw @ The Mancunion
What was most striking about this performance was how All Time Low have managed to make their shows more cinematic without losing the scrappy charm that made them so beloved in the first place. The production value was impressive enough to rival arena pop shows, yet there was never a sense of distance between the band and audience. They've grown up alongside their fans, and this show felt like a celebration of that journey – looking forward whilst honouring the past.
For a band that emerged during the mid-2000s pop-punk boom, often put in the footsteps of Blink-182 and Simple Plan, All Time Low have carved out their own legacy. Twenty years on, they're not resting on past glories but actively pushing the boundaries of what a pop-punk show can be. If this is what another decade of All Time Low looks like, Count Me In.
https://open.spotify.com/album/02l2P4R1Q2FJX0zAaWr1bl?si=PvjlBqytQ72O6igT1EjocQ
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