If you were a teenage girl in Melbourne, there was no other place to be than Festival Hall when Hot Chelle Rae’s Whatever World Tour took over.
Featuring some of the biggest up and coming pop acts from around the world, it was definitely a line up not to be missed. Despite the freezing cold, thousands of teenage girls donned their mini shorts and crop tops, ready to see Hot Chelle Rae and Cher Lloyd on stage.
Before the international acts arrived, Sydney band 5 Seconds of Summer warmed up the crowd. As soon as they took to the stage, the sea of girls in front of them were whipped into a frenzy. Their boyish good looks and catchy pop-rock sound made them a perfect opener for the night.
Next was British singer, Cher Lloyd. The crowd erupted into deafening screams as soon as she took the stage, proving just how quickly her support base has grown. With nothing more than a backing track and her voice, she cut a tiny figure on the huge Festival Hall stage.
That didn’t stop Lloyd from commanding the audience and owning the venue. While dancing from the crowd was minimal, the squeals were plentiful.
Security was working overtime during her set, as girl after girl had to be pulled from the floor and helped over to First Aid, dehydration and suffocation the leading causes. Lloyd played tracks from her debut album Stick And Stones, including hits “With Ur Love”, “Swagger Jagger” and definite crowd favourite, set closer “Want U Back”.
Being of X Factor fame, it was clear the girl could sing, but the power and confidence Lloyd exuded in such a large venue was surprising and captivating in equal measure. As she said goodbye, it was clear her star is definitely on the rise.
As the lights went down, the hyped-up crowd dispersed into smaller groups to trade photos and flail over the show so far. For half an hour the venue was filled with an assortment of songs providing the background to their conversation.
That was until Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together” started playing and immediately a sing-a-long began. The excitement was only heightened when a bear wearing a Hot Chelle Rae t-shirt entered the stage on a scooter and began to dance along.
Soon a 10 second countdown played over the speakers. The audience knew what was coming next, and again the squealing began. Out came the camera phones as the headliners came into view. Starting with “Whatever”, the energy didn’t fade for a second as everyone in the room sang, danced, and jumped around from track to track.
Playing songs from both their albums, 2009’s Lovesick Electric and 2011’s Whatever, the audience were definitely familiar with the band’s lyrics, at times even drowning them out.
While the signs of a rigorous touring schedule were occasionally painted on the band members’ faces, for the most part you couldn’t tell. It was clear these boys love doing what they do, and they were definitely feeding off the energy in the room.
While Hot Chelle Rae’s sound wasn’t the polished, radio pop from their records, the energy and rawness was a positive, proving this band can actually hold their own live.
Songs like “Downtown Girl”, “Radio” and popular hits “Tonight Tonight” and “I Like It Like That” got the gig-goers dancing and singing along, but it wasn’t until the music was stripped right back that the group’s real talent was able to shine through.
The lights dimmed and only singer Ryan Follesé and guitarist Nash Overstreet were left on stage, both with acoustic guitars in hand. Follesé’ request to “get a little Nashville on you for a second” was welcomed with ear-piercing screams as the two began to play the first song the two had ever written, a track titled “Emo”. The stripped back setting continued for “Bleed”, with Follesé showing he really can sing.
Punters were also treated to a slightly rocked-up cover of Usher’s “Without You” mashed up with Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close” which the audience absolutely loved.
All too soon Hot Chelle Rae left the stage in a sea of screams that echoed through the venue long after the band had left. After a fantastic show, it was clear there wasn’t a single disappointed person leaving the venue tonight.
