Avril Lavigne Returns To Manchester With Her Greatest Hits Tour, To kickstart Sound Of The City Open-Air Shows At Castlefield Bowl Manchester, UK on July 3rd, 2024.

July 4, 2024
UK Concert Reviews
by Michael Bond Photographer/Writer

WORDS AND IMAGES MICHAEL BOND

Nestled between the canal, railway viaducts and towering apartment blocks that surround it. Castlefield Bowl is a venue that resembles a sunken amphitheatre. With its concrete block seating curving around the space, creating a somewhat intimate venue for the 8.5k sell-out crowd. Since the release of her debut single ‘Complicated’ back in 2002 and her 22-year career spanning 7 albums, Avril Lavigne is bringing her pop-punk sound to the rainy streets of Manchester.

Tonight’s first support is provided by LA singer/songwriter Phem. She seems to be someone who has been working hard over the last few years, with 5 albums released since 2018. She has also collaborated on songs with the likes of Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly. Opening with ‘American Beauty’ and moved swiftly into ‘Absolutely Nothing. Phem is accompanied by her touring drummer/guitarist and the roles are split as Phem takes to the drums to sing a cover of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’.

Commenting on the changeable weather like a true Manc, the LA native invites people over to the merch stand before she hot-foots it to the airport for her plane home. She finishes her set off on ‘Silly Putty’, leaving the crowd basking in the now sunny skies.

Second up tonight are fellow Canadian rockers Simple Plan. A band that has been a scene staple for 22 years and who has kept good company, opening for heavyweights like, Green Day and Blink 182 over the years. Kicking off the night with ‘I’d Do Anything’ their second single from their debut album ‘No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls’. Their set takes a journey through the years, including ‘Summer Paradise’ where the band a crew throw giant beach balls in the crowd, which are batted around for the duration. The band moves on to a double cover of Smash Mouth’s ‘Allstar’ which moves into The Killers ‘Mr Brightside’. Next up is ‘What’s New Scooby-Doo’ with 5 Scooby doo’s on-stage dancing around with the band. Carrying on the interactive theme singer Pierre Bouvier switches places drummer Chuck Comeau, who dives into the crowd and begins surfing to ‘I’m Just a Kid’. The set is rounded with ‘Perfect’, taken from their debut album ‘No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls’ with the crowd is getting warmed up.

The anticipation is building across a mixed crowd, showing the nostalgic draw for older fans and the connection still being made with her pop-punk classics to a new generation of fans. The big screen starts flickering as a heart appears and the crowd lets out a cheer as a picture of the singer’s face appears. Avril bounces onto the stage rocking the punk look she has become known for, and we’re off. Opening strong with ‘Girlfriend, her 2007 No1 single, the scene is quickly set for a night of hit after hit nostalgia. Moving through the archive with tracks like ‘What the Hell’, ‘Complicated’ and‘Smile’, the singer makes a toast to everyone ‘best summer ever…2024’, spraying Champaign into the crowd and going straight into ‘Here’s to Never Growing Up’.

A quick interlude while videos from over the years are shown on the screen and Avril returns to the stage switching from vocals to playing her glitter-clad Fender Strat. I don’t think it can be underestimated, the influence Avril has had over the years, inspiring other women, and girls to blaze in her trail, pursuing a career in what could sometimes be seen as a more male-dominated genre of music. With the likes of Hayley Williams (Paramore), Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo she was a huge inspiration.

Next up is a cover of Simple Plans ‘Addicted’ with the band coming back on stage to perform with her, throwing t-shirts into the crowd as they arrive. The singing is paused part way through while Avril pics fans from the crowd brings them onto the stage for the remainder of the song and hands them all signed skateboards as a memento to their brief stage appearance. The set is rounded off with ‘Sk8er Boi’ as the crowd continues to be in fine voice, singing along to every word as they have done all night long.

Avril and the band leave the stage but everyone’s soon back out for the encore. Starting with ‘Head Above Water’ then into ‘When You’re Gone ‘and rounding the night off with ‘I’m With You’. Tonight, Avril has given a master class in pop punk, showing why she rocketed to stardom in the early 2000s and why she has successfully stayed there for so long while firmly remaining in the top 10 bestselling Canadian artist