Weezer seem to transcend musical generations and evolutions. After releasing their debut self-titled album in 1994, they became an overnight success. The darker, more abrasive Pinkerton soon followed and was initially a commercial failure before becoming a cult classic. Half a decade passed before the four-piece began to release a multitude of albums that never truly made the grade in comparison to their brilliant first two records. Luckily the band seem to know this, with the entirety of their back catalogue represented in a packed out Wembley Arena show.

Their geeked out power-pop rewrote the rulebook for alt-music and it’s clear that they still possess a fan-base on both sides of the Atlantic. Furthermore, it was their first UK tour since 2005, making the taste for their ridiculously catchy melodies and mildly neurotic lyricisms even sweeter. Rivers Cuomo is also a terrific frontman to watch. Now truly comfortable with himself compared to their earlier days, he cuts the image of a perpetual outsider but with an understated self-assurance.

Two decades Weezer’s juniors, The Orwells kicked the night off with a rowdy set, with the undoubted highlight coming in the form of final track and recent album closer ‘Double Feature’. Clocking in at close to ten minutes, it is the first ever Orwells song that has been given space to expand, with frontman Mario Cuomo exiting the stage for the final five minutes in order to let his four band mates jam the slow instrumental build, which features spikey guitar lines, pounding bass, and raucous howls before erupting into a climactic wall of noise. Irish veterans Ash soon followed and were backed up by a multitude of hits that the already filled up arena seem to thoroughly appreciate. With compositions such as ‘Shining Light’, ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Burn Baby Burn’, they were the perfect starter for what was to come.

As Weezer tore straight into Pinkerton cut ‘El Scorcho’ it was clear the reason everyone was here, with not one line or riff going without a sing-along. They may have been there to promote the new record, but it was only ‘Feels Like Summer’ and ‘Happy Hour’ which made the set list from the most recent album. The show was really about the band’s entire career, with the likes of ‘In The Garage’ and ‘No One Else’ coming in early to rapturous applause along with the thrashy ‘My Name is Jonas’.

A quirky cover of Outkast favourite ‘Hey Ya’ also got hips swaying and lips moving as Cuomo turned into a masterful orchestrator to the 7,000+ spectators. However, they saved the best ‘till last via a closing trio of ‘Hash Pipe’, ‘Beverly Hills’ and ‘Say It Ain’t So’: three of their catchiest and most instantaneous numbers. ‘Buddy Holly’ then made its obvious appearance for the encore to cap off a terrific evening in which Weezer’s spell over their loyal devotees was in full view. Their album quality may have deteriorated over the years, but their live showing has gone the other way.

Paul Hill

Website: weezer.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/weezer