REVIEW: Good Charlotte, Southampton Guildhall

By Bradley Halcrow

AFTER a five year hiatus Good Charlotte are back and they performed their first UK show to an exuberant Southampton Guildhall crowd.

Their newest “comeback” album “Youth Authority” was widely received by the pop-punk band's hard-core fans, as well as paving a step in the right direction for introducing young fans to live the scene as if it were the early 2000s all over again.

The night started with Nothing, Nowhere taking to the stage, who perform a kind rap/rock blend not too distant from Twenty-One Pilots, and were definitely the worms for all early birds of the night to enjoy and savour.

Next up to the stage were Milk Teeth, a heavy punk rock band from Gloucestershire, who showed great professionalism to continue on through their set despite technical difficulties and still continued to lift all the fans enthusiasm.

Against the Current were next up, an American pop rock band who were reminiscent of an early Paramore, although their lyrics weren’t always audible over the sound of their thunderous guitars. But hey, isn’t that what rock's all about?

Then the lights dimmed to show the iconic GC logo on stage, and before you knew it Good Charlotte were on stage, guitars in hands, and opened the night with their signature hit “The Anthem”. This was a song everyone in the crowd knew all the words to and before you knew it everyone throwing themselves around to the crashing guitars, booming drums and raspy vocals.

They continued with several more songs from their 2002 album “The Young and the Hopeless”, namely with “Girls and Boys” and “Riot Girl”.

Joel Madden, lead vocalist, made it clear form the offset that the night was going to be about remembering the good times and singing along to songs that make you forget unwanted memories. He also consistently showed his gratitude towards old and new fans for sticking with the band even through some difficult times.

This truly is a band that loves their fans and solely plays for their fans, constantly making note how much they care about them making sure everyone in the room knew this.

After this they made a switch to their more recent hits, with “Makeshift Love” and “The Outfield” among others, before making a switch back to their original content which the crowd adored. They were cheering before, during and after every song, chanting along to Joel’s rough vocals.

Overall they showed their love and passion for music and making their fans happy, and you could just tell how grateful the fans were for the whole night. They finely mixed their classics with their latest outputs to just the right ratio. They were a little rough in places, but hey this is pop-punk, and that’s what it’s all about.