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It's not often that an emo band get tipped in the NME these days, but there's something about Panic! At The Disco that makes them universally acceptable to like - probably the fact that they're so incredibly incredibly awesome.
Other emo bands would shy away from synthesisers and such twinkly piano, but Panic! At The Disco make it all sound like it was always meant to be together.
Debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out hasn't even been released this side of the Atlantic, but everybody in the Cathouse tonight seems to know the words, and appropriately so, the atmosphere is electric.
They roar through a set encapsulating all the highlights from their album, with the crowd going especially insane for Time To Dance (the one that goes "When I say shotgun you say wedding" - not heard it? Don't worry, you will soon enough) and I Write Sins Not Tragedies.
Performance-wise, Panic! At The Disco just aren't quite as magical as you might have hoped, and the guy behind me who told his friend, "they're better on CD" was almost definitely right. Spark or no spark though, with great tunes and an audience so eager and excited they stole the show tonight.
A large portion of the crowd headed for the door when Panic! At The Disco left the stage. It seems the bands tonight most definitely played in the wrong order, as The Academy Is were left with a modest and seemingly difficult to impress crowd, but they took it in their stride and played a jolly good set of somewhat more average emo tunes.
They're not the most awe-inspiring band you'll ever see, but they're good at what they do and by a few songs in they've got the crowd fully on their side, with more and more people moving forward from the bar with every chorus. They're songs that sound like they should fill stadiums and be sung along to at a horrendous volume, but in here they're just nice songs with nice hooks. It's emo by numbers, but it does the job.
It's obvious tonight that Panic! At The Disco were the main attraction, with The Academy Is taking their second place with dignity and poise. This whole tour seems to have been a sell out, and it's obvious the reason why is the band with the exclamation mark in their name.
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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees
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BUY The Academy Is... Almost Here
BUY Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
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