Triumph At Weekend's Opening Night - Dustyn Steals The Show



The idea of attending a Weekend concert in itself is a daunting prospect. Will I live to tell the tale? What sort of shenanigans will I witness before my very eyes? Will I be the only 33 year old male in attendance and stand out like the proverbial sore thumb? I couldn't quite believe that the opening night of Here We Go Again was already becoming the highlight of my year, and that was before I even received the E-tickets in my inbox. I knew that I'd be in for "something" as it is Weekend after all. Whether I witnessed the performance of a lifetime or Jerry Springer style fighting between the members on stage, Weekend certainly go all out. There's never a dull moment with them and that can sometimes overshadow what made them famous in the first place - their music. I admit to it myself. When I heard that I was going to be reviewing Weekend's show I didn't think of all the pop gems I'd have the pleasure of listening to on such a grand scale. Instead I wondered how safe it would be sharing a space with Billy Khan. Their personal lives cloud over their multi-platinum discography. Say the name "Weekend" and you already think drug addiction, sex tapes, naked photos, criminal records and so on. You can't buy publicity like that though so there's absolutely no need for these guys to worry about whether or not the seats are going to fill. Still, I wanted them to do well and prove that they are still a huge force to be reckoned with in the pop world. They certainly delivered.

The show opened with the stomping, football-chanting-esque "About Time" which is aptly titled after waiting two and a half hours since the doors opened. While the song is about a totally different subject matter, I can understand why they used it as the album title too and Dustyn's ecstatic introductory yelling of "It's about bleeding time!" made even more sense. It has been over two years since their last tour and since then fans have had to wait patiently while also defending their five idols through all of their highs and lows of the past couple of years. For Weekend, the first note is a triumph in itself. They've spent the past goodness knows how long becoming poster boys for celebrity car crashes and then, in that moment, they took it all back and reclaimed their pop crown. This wasn't some half baked attempt either. Vocally, they pushed themselves and had fans screaming their tiny little lungs out whenever they hit a note the slightest bit challenging. Oscar Ward, the lead singer who has suffered a lot of damage to his vocal chords lately sounded better than ever. Rather than overdoing it in an attempt to show off, Ward kept it rather short and sweet, hitting all the notes he was supposed to and enjoying every single second of it. I could tell that everyone was thinking more or less the same thing. He's back. Other upbeat rock-pop numbers dominated the show such as "Run", "Ride or Die", "Animal" and "Chokehold" as that's what Weekend are mainly known for. It was one big party, the "Weekenders" love a good sing-song and the band knew exactly what to give them. Making use of the vast stage, Billy, Oscar, Dustyn, Riley and Scott whisked around, connecting with every section of the audience while belting out some stellar pop tunes.

The guitar driven anthems may be at the heart of Weekend but it's their mid-tempo tracks and the ballads that are their backbone, allowing them to stand head and shoulders above their other pop contemporaries. The general public look to Weekend for a three minute fill of fun and catchy hooks then tend not to delve any further. The people who write them off and state that they are not capable of anything more are usually so ignorant that they don't look much further. Dig a little deeper into Weekend's catalogue and you'll find plenty of finely crafted, heart wrenching and thought provoking "mature" material. The ballads are where they really shine, especially when the instrumentation is more stripped back, allowing them to showcase their perfectly capable vocals and giving the audience time to actually digest and HEAR the lyrics. The band have the ability to come together on these songs and harmonise, creating a sixth tone and sounding like a solid unit then individually shine on solo segments without it seeming like a contest. I was convinced there and then, especially during the performance of number one hit (and my personal favourite) "How It Ends", that they are as tight as ever. Forget the reports of infighting and jealousy, Weekend are definitely in sync with one another and the little smiles and looks of encouragement they give to one another during performances only backs my statement up even more. It's a brotherhood. They write their material, they manage themselves, they have total control and this group is their baby. It's pretty clear that their hearts are still in it without a doubt.

Scott Wellington is the weakest link in the band and the only "off" vocal moments came from him even though they only last a millisecond themselves. He had a chance to prove himself on "Chokehold" where he sings the entire stomping chorus on his own but during the show, fans where left a little disappointed when all five members delivered it instead. Wellington redeemed himself in the ballads though, especially on "Drift" where he sounded his most confident. Riley Hamilton, who is lucky to be alive, has really made his mark lately. He never received negative attention for his abilities like Scott yet was never overly praised alongside Khan, Blue and Ward. He's always just been "there" but the concert really made me sit up and pay attention. Hamilton definitely has the widest vocal range and a seemingly infinite lung capacity. While he can't belt out like Dustyn and Billy, he can provide seriously high harmonies throughout a string of non-stop upbeat numbers while comically showing off "B Boy" inspired moves and not break a sweat. Standing at 6'2, with the broadest shoulders I've ever witnessed and bouncing back from his health scare, the man is a machine and deserves a lot more recognition. Oscar Ward, who I spoke about briefly before, is another who has overcome difficulties. When all of the original Weekend fans fell in love with the band, chances are Oscar was the first member they were drawn to. He lead most of their earlier hits and I still call their first album the product of "Oscar featuring Dustyn with Billy and special appearances from Riley and Scott". He was the poster boy but sadly, his voice grew tired and Oscar even admitted that there was a point where he believed he would never be able to sing again. That certainly wasn't the case. He is at the core of all Weekend songs. While Billy flutters around with his vocal acrobatics and Riley breaks the sound barrier with his harmonies, Oscar is at the heart of it all with his deep, husky growls, providing the base of the song and allowing others to build the rest up around him. While he may have taken a back seat lately, everything would fall flat without this curly haired charmer. Billy Khan shocked the audience and not in the way you would think. Rather than showing off what he has in his pants, Mr Khan stepped up to the mic and blow the roof off. Not literally of course but given more time, I don't doubt that it's not impossible for him. The boy with the golden voice was pitch perfect and hit those high notes like it was nothing. While he behaved himself, kept his clothes on and didn't utter one single obscenity, it doesn't mean that we lost the real Billy. He has a presence no matter what he does. Whether it's drinking from his water bottle or walking across the stage, Billy demands your attention. With his exotic look, avant garde wardrobe and cutting Cockney accent Billy Khan will have all eyes on him no matter what. Interacting with the audience, it was clear that he is a rather cheery and friendly person yet there was always a dominating air surrounding him which isn't a bad thing. Billy is very direct, loud and one powerful force in the industry. When it was showtime, Khan had no problem blending in with the others but when it was his time to speak, he was very much a very confident solo entity and we were all very aware that THE Billy Khan was addressing us. Intimidating but equally exciting and honestly, it felt like an honour.

Dustyn Blue deserves a whole section of his own and I can now proudly call him my favourite Weekend member. I was always a casual fan of the group, knowing all of the important Weekend songs but never really took it upon myself to know everything about them and pick out a favourite member. That was until I found myself floored by a little 19 year old Irishman. I am a happily married man with two young children but even I wanted to put the little blonde in my pocket. When he first approached the audience to introduce himself, everyone simultaneously let out an "awwww!" as he really is rather petite and that strong accent complete with his fluffy blonde quiff really add to the cuteness. Reading about his personal life, I was aware that Blue had many struggles over the years. Having an abusive father, hiding his sexuality in fear of being disowned, coming out to the entire world age 16, battling drug addiction and having a string of failed relationships, it would seem like he'd be at rock bottom by now and appearing on any and every reality show just to pay the bills. That's not how Dustyn works though. This 19 year old lad from Tipperary defies the odds and grabs life by the short and curly's. Blue shined on every performance, showing off his impressive range, control and that unique deliver he has. The husky tones mixed in with the Irish accent, seemingly endless belts and killer melisma was a real treat for the ears. Dustyn's spunky personality and connection with the songs also make it extremely enjoyable to watch. Like Billy, Dustyn demands your attention. I found myself just waiting for Dustyn's turn to sing or speak during several occasions and was kicking myself for not realising his potential years ago. Dustyn is the ultimate pop star. He has the whole package. Cute, young, blonde with a huge personality and not to mention the fact that he can sing, dance and write his butt off. Dustyn is the main songwriter for the band in case you didn't know. Forget bringing a tear to my eye during his emotional delivery during "A Step From Heaven". Forget the vocal riffs and runs most of us couldn't pull off no matter how hard we trained. It was during a technical glitch where Blue shined most. When something went wrong behind the scenes before they were set to perform fan favourite "Just A Boy", Dustyn took control of the situation, made sure that the audience weren't hung out to dry and created his own mini show. Dustyn took it upon himself to host an impromptu Q&A, answering honestly and providing some truly hilarious moments. Fans asked him to do impressions and he pulled them all off without batting an eyelid. They wanted an Irish jig and he gave it to them but the most "epic" moment, as the cool kids say, was Blue's off the cuff rap and impersonation of young rapper, Payton. At first the entire arena laughed purely for the fact that he agreed to do it and looked rather like the rap star but as Blue continued, the cheers grew louder and eventually everyone including myself was out of their seat, giving Dustyn a standing ovation as he actually delivered quite a spectacular freestyle. Now, I'm no expert in rap but the ability to pull something off like that without hesitation while keeping it clean for the whole family can only be applauded whether he ranks up there among the Miami's, Kidd's, Liyah's, Deneil's and Lotus' or not.

Filled with character, energy, positivity and bundles of talent, a Weekend show is definitely one worth seeing in your lifetime. After attending the show I could see why many of these young girls and guys fall head over heels for these five loveable troublemakers. They interact with the audience on a completely different level. It's so much more than the usual "How are you guys doing tonight!?" and "This is the best crowd ever!" fodder. They laugh, they joke, they chat away and just totally lose themselves in the moment. Despite what some cynics say, Weekend are definitely natural entertainers and for a band formed out of five strangers rocking up to a little community centre in Croydon in their school ties, they certainly have bags more charisma and charm than these so called "professionals" and "legends". Whether it's Dustyn's impromptu rapping, Riley's insane dance moves or just the silly play fighting and acting on stage, they keep momentum going and never dare to slow down at any point. For the shallow people out there who believe that a show is only good if it has huge, utterly bizarre and ridiculous set designs and over the top, unneeded pyrotechnics then you may be left disappointed. No wacky costumes or balls of fire flying around the venue. It's just a backing band, coloured lights which represent each member, five microphones and the boys themselves. Trust me, that is all they will ever need.



-Sam Lynn