American Authors at Heaven

American Authors might have a pretty generic sound but there’s no denying they know how to party. The four-piece rock outfit from New York have been touring almost non-stop since the release of their debut album, Oh, What a Life, in March of this year. The Upcoming dropped by to see them on their London date.

The venue is half-empty (which for a place as tiny as Heaven is no mean feat) but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the band will go on to prove. What audience there is seems to be made up of two parts die-hard fans to one part reluctant tag-alongs, mostly parents. The crowd start cheering in anticipation almost as soon as support act Mike Dignam leaves the stage, and what they lack in numbers they make up for in passion.

The band come on early, opening with Home and transitioning smoothly into Heart of Stone before bursting into their first single, Believer. By the third song, their upbeat rock-pop rhythms and catchy lyrics have even the parents and cool kids at the back wriggling along. The band waste no time in making the most of the intimacy such a small venue has to offer, chatting with and involving the audience at every opportunity.

They play through the whole album and throw in covers of Coldplay’s Yellow and Sam Smith’s Stay With Me that have most of the crowd crooning along. They save their biggest hit, Best Day of My Life (a song almost everyone will able to identify as “that song from that thing!”) for the big finale; the crowd goes wild and doesn’t stop cheering until they return to the stage for the encore. They play Keep on Dreaming and sing the first verse without a mic, which proves to be an interesting tactic. Finishing on the title track from their album, for American Authors it’s all in all a successful night.

Natasha Furlong
Photos: Simon MK Crow

For further information about American Authors and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Best Day of My Life here: