All Time Low at the O2 Arena

Baltimore pop-punks All Time Low have now been together for 23 years, releasing their tenth studio album, Everyone’s Talking! late last year. During promotion interviews, guitarist and lead singer Alex Gaskarth mentioned that the possibility of the band calling it a day was floated after touring their previous record, 2023’s Tell Me I’m Alive. Based on their final UK show of the current tour, it’s almost incredulous this was ever up for debate; All Time Low brought the house down, defying the expectations of a group more than 20 years into their career.

With a runway jutting out into the cavernous space of the O2, the gig begins with Gaskarth at the end of it, armed only with an acoustic guitar as he sings the new album’s opening track, [cold open]. It ends, a black curtain drops, the lights go up, and streamers signal the rest of the band’s arrival: guitarist Jack Barakat, drummer Rian Dawson, bassist Zack Merrick and touring member Dan Swank crash into SUCKERPUNCH.

The set is expertly created, flowing with ease between songs old and new; it’s a testament to the band’s output and their loyal fans that newer songs like Butterflies are treated as enthusiastically as longtime favourites such as Poppin’ Champagne. Gaskarth handles the London crowd with ease, calling for arms up, torches lit and lots of jumping; “Gorgeous,” he says in reply. His gratitude is keenly felt, thanking longtime fans and newcomers alike, explicitly asking the former to make the latter feel welcome. 23 years and ten albums in, there’s a strong sense of humility from him; even though the venue’s not quite sold out, Gaskarth notes after Dark Side of Your Room, “Goddamn, there’s a lot of you tonight! For our little band from Baltimore?!”

When artists from across the pond play the UK, it’s often something special to them – All Time Low mark this with guest appearances aplenty, as support artist Taylor Acorn joins in on the romantically soaring Remembering Sunday (which has a proposal mid-song in the crowd!) and Mayday Parade frontman Derek Sanders reappears for The Weather. But it’s Isle of Wight rocker Lauran Hibberd’s storming performance on PMA that almost steals the show; she fits right in with the band as her vocals boom throughout the song, and she joyfully kicks along with Barakat.

The energy is utterly electric, as the musicians give it their all and masterfully deliver a performance that their fans lap up. There’s pyrotechnics and sing-along lyrics onscreen just to add to the atmosphere, which reaches its crescendo by the time we reach the final number of the night and an anthem that defined a generation of emo kids: Dear Maria, Count Me In.

With so many years behind them, it remarkably and arguably feels like All Time Low are at the top of their game. As the O2 crowd empties into the dreary January night, there’s a sense of way more to come from them yet.