When I was told I was going to review Weekend's show, I had no idea what I was going to see and hear. Judging from their official songs uploaded onto their YouTube channel they have decent voices and a good clean cut image, however I was thinking to myself; 'will they be good live?'. Thinking about it; '5 young boys jumping around on stage singing to pop songs'.....no, they weren't going to exactly give Stephanie Fierce or James Urie a run for their money.
In the crowd, I was stood between a sexually confused teenage boy and a overly-orange girl who was no stranger to a McDonalds, what had I let myself in for? The show hadn't even started yet and I was dying to leave however that quickly changed as I realised that the audience seemed to be really excited yet reserved at the same time as if they all knew each other and were one big family, which gave me some good vibes.
When the intro to
'Wish' started, the whole crowd went wild. The boys entered the stage from the left, one after the other; Riley followed by Scott, then Oscar and Billy with Dustyn coming at the tail end. A good thing about the venue was that it wasn't too big like an arena, in fact it was more like the size of a cinema hall which made the boys and the audience get closer and connect more. They sang
'Wish' with a lot of energy and even did a small dance routine which was cute. Though the performance was nothing to write home about, it was a nice way to start the show. The 5 boys then immediately stood together centre stage to sing an unheard song of theirs, a ballad titled
'Don't Think Of Me'. While they did well, hitting high notes I thought were impossible for teen boys, the song was really slow and it just didn't really follow on right from the upbeat;
'Wish'.
What really surprised me though was that after the second song, they started casually talking to the audience; asking them how their day has been, telling them what's been going on backstage etc. Even though I came for music and not a cosy chat, I couldn't help but get caught up in it as they have a lot of charm and a whole lot of stage presence. I was even complimented on my attire by Dustyn, which made me blush like a little girl despite the fact that I'm 32. After all of the random yet interesting chatting, they performed their new single; 'Smile About It', I was really disappointed in this performance as main man Oscar Ward seemed to run out of breath during his part, leaving Riley Hamilton having to suddenly step in. The performance did end on a high though as Dustyn blew me away with his long powerful note at the end of the song.
Weekend then performed a cover of
We Found Love, again it was random and didn't fit in but nevertheless it was amazing! The performed a very tricky dance routine whilst still having enough energy to hit the high notes. At this point I was starting to change my mind about them, yes they seemed really inexperienced and yes they were a bit hyper but still managed to charm me.
Then came a performance of a song on their album called;
'Silence'. The song itself was beautifully written and I admit, some of the lyrics could have came from an award winning poet but the performance was flat. The poor boys must have run out of energy and needed to go to bed but they still soldiered through it. Another surprise was a little one minute rap performed by Dustyn & Riley. I have no idea what the song was as rap isn't my field of expertise but the crowd seemed to go wild for it. I was impressed especially with Dustyn because for a little white and blonde Irish boy he had a lot of what you people call 'swag'.
After the ups and downs of previous performances, the moment arrived.....a live performance of
'Everything About You'. Each boy sang beautifully and the whole crowd even joined in. Their energy seemed to return as they bounced around the stage like kids in candy shop. Even Scott, who seems to not do much vocally, gave his all and sounded great. I didn't want it to end but unfortunately the music died out. The instrumental to
'Back To The Start' then played. A projection was now being shown on the stage, it was a video of the boys showing what they had accomplished over the past 6 months and also showed childhood pictures (which I think were unexpected judging by the red faces of the boys). I enjoyed it though I would have preferred another performance instead of a montage. The last song was
'Love You To Death' which is a personal favourite of mine. It was a real tearjerker of a performance, Dustyn's opening line
'I bring out the best in you, but you bring out the worst in me' really pulled a few heart strings. Billy also really shone out too, which is nice because he never gets enough credit. The song ended and the boys thanked the crowd. The whole family like crowd dispersed and went their separate ways...
Overall I, like many, judged them too quickly. I expected to see 5 idiots on stage who can't sing to save themselves. I'm glad I was wrong. They did impress me a lot with their dancing and vocal ability. No, they don't have the vocals of many legends out there and no, they aren't as unique as others but what they are is FUN. They know their audience and don't try to be something that they are not. Weekend do get a lot of hate from teenage boys (who are probably jealous) and snobby music freaks who munch on cucumber sandwiches whilst listening to Indie bands. Not out of this world but definitely a fun night to remember. 8/10
Solo Reviews
RileyRiley Hamilton seems to be one of the quieter ones in the group. He doesn't get as much solo parts as Oscar but has a lot more input than Scott, which leaves him sort of in the middle. His vocals are good and has a lot of range but it isn't very strong. With practice he will become great and shine out more. Riley just seems to stand with the other boys and just blend in, where as the others have there little things that make them stand out. One thing about him though is that he is an amazing dancer. Him and Dustyn are the best I've seen in a while and look like they came straight out of a hip-hop dance troupe, however even then Dustyn stood out more as he had more 'flare'. It's ok Riley, you'll find your role in the group soon! 7/10
OscarOscar Ward, the cocky yet lovable lead singer we all know. Oscar doesn't have the best voice, well actually I mean 'the most interesting'. He sings the lead as he has decent vocals and is the only one who can hold notes without his voice cracking (unfortunately not shown at this show as he ran out of breath!). Oscar certainly has the charm and the looks. The upbeat pop songs seem to be his forte, though he isn't the best dancer but hey, you can't be good at everything. Being the most popular (judging by the crowd) it must be hard on him but he did live up to his reputation; cheeky, fun and loud. 9/10
ScottScott Wellington, the eldest of the group who keeps (or tries to keep) the boys under control. He doesn't seem to do much really. His voice is very weak and even he admits that, he has the least amount of solo parts. Scott is also a very average dancer too so what makes him stand out? It's his personality! On stage he is always smiling and connecting with the audience. There is never a dull moment when Scott is on stage. Many say he shouldn't be in the band as he does nothing but believe me, without him there would be no spark. Vocally, he has a long way to go but as a performer he is great! 6/10
BillyBilly Khan now (AKA; BillyBadBoy). I always say that he never gets enough credit. He has a great personality and looks to die for, yet he is still overshadowed. His voice is good but not at the same time.....he can belt out that's for sure, I always compare him to a male Rihanna/Nicole Scherzinger, he can sound loud and epic but lacks soul a lot of the time. Billy is also 'the world's worst dancer' according to him. He isn't that bad but definitely the worst in the group, however dancing isn't the be all and end all. With more vocal training, Billy could maybe even be better than Oz! 7.5/10
DustynFinally, we come to 'Our little Dustyn Blue'. The youngest of the band, he always seems to get overexcited which is a bit off-putting. However, he sure makes up for it. His voice for a start is amazing, it is really unique but I've heard you either love it or hate it. Some people (like me) say it is beautiful, rich and unique whereas others say it sounds like he is trying to wretch cotton wool from the back of his throat. His voice does need some taming though but despite this, he can still reach really high notes! Dustyn (alongside Riley) is also the best dancer in the group, in fact maybe in the industry at the moment! I may also add that for a boy with a bad heart condition he has so much energy. 8/10
