The Ataris at Dingwalls, London, gig review: Raucous performance from pop punk staples
There are plenty of singalongs to keep fans happy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.US rockers The Ataris know how to have a good time. Putting on a pop punk extravaganza in Camden, they turn back the clock and deliver a high octane, loud and raucous performance to an enthused crowd that very much mirrors the energy on stage.
Opening with “In This Diary” a mass singalong ensues, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
Kris Roe asks how the crowd are feeling with emotional sincerity before dedicating the next track, an heartfelt rendition of “The Hero Dies In This One”, to his father, who passed away last year.
There’s a sense of self-awareness as he refers to how the Indiana natives have been in the pop punk game for a long time: “I’m turning 40 this year and I’d love to see you all slam to this next one,” he says, as the opening riff to “Your Boyfriend Sucks” echoes around Dingwalls to one of the loudest cheers of the night.
Jawbreaker cover “Boxcar”, “Summer 79” and “Some Notes on Bach and Haydn” all follow as the band dip into their archive despite some slight technical difficulties.
Emo classic “The Saddest Song” sees the nearly 300-strong crowd of twenty-somethings sing along in surprising harmony to a song that they’d clearly kept in mind from their late teens, before one of the biggest tracks of the night, the cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”, sends the band off-stage to chants of one more song.
Happily obliging, an encore consisting of “They Live, We Sleep”, “Eight of Nine” and “So Long, Astoria” sends the Camden crowd home happy following an energetic performance you’d expect from a band who have been a staple of the scene for the past 20 years.
You can follow Vishal Rana on Twitter @VishRana_
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments