Flying all the way from Sydney, Australia, three – piece Yours Truly took over the O2 Academy 3, on 27th August in Birmingham for a night filled with energy.
Photos by Sean Sheridan
Letters Sent Home
Opening up the evening was Letters Sent Home, who powered through forty minutes of rock, with an effortless stage presence. They wasted no time, getting the crowd to warm up, encouraging the room to jump, which they reciprocated and were a great fit for Yours Truly.
They had groovy, heavy instrumentals layered with synths that added range to their set – easily switching between rock and hints of rap in the vocals. By their third song, they were clearly more comfortable on the stage, taking the time to fade out their instrumentals to encourage the crowd which was answered with a loud cheer.
The end of their set was marked by a mighty drum fill and one final attempt at getting the room warmed up. Not dying down in energy, they petitioned for a pit to start. They said they’d had fun which was clearly shown by the members onstage, leaving the room eagerly awaiting Yours Truly.
Yours Truly
Drummer, Henry Beard, wasted no time getting the crowd riled up, starting the night off standing on the drum stool, gaining a rowdy cheer as a strong riff started. Mikaila Delgado took to the stage with an instant show of her impressive vocals in ‘Back 2 U’.
A quick break in their set asked the crowd who had been to a Yours Truly show before, which was a pretty even 50/50 split. The longtime fans were clearly eagerly awaiting the set, having some idea of the night they were in for and the new audience were just as excited.
Continuing with ‘High Hopes’, this was certainly a fan favourite in the set, the vocals carried through the room, amplified by the audience who passionately joined in. They moved around, owning the stage and their set was easy to get lost in with fittingly timed lighting.
Guitarist Teddie was cause for another quick set break, whilst they sorted their guitar, stand up comedy time ensued. Attempting to begin a story from behind the kit, it didn’t get too far before the guitar was clearly back as another mighty riff began. ‘Do I finish the story or do we start playing music?’ was asked, although only just audible as they were clearly ready to power on, a comedic moment.
The tour starts after their recent release of their second album ‘Toxic’ which they were excited to share and did a brilliant job at bringing the songs to life live.
Not only was the energy in the room electrifying but amplified by a moving speech about the topics included within their music. Telling the crowd that it’s easy to feel unloved but it’s not true and taking a vulnerable moment to discuss the pain of losing someone important.
‘Let Go’ was another impressive showcase of vocals, easily hitting the high notes, instrumentals slowing intentionally before the song erupted once again. Seamless transitions driven by stop start drums, continued to raise the energy levels in the room. A heavier track with more gritty vocals and a low toned riff suited the band and fit into the set well.
‘This is like the most fun show we’ve done so far’ was a comment toward the end of the set and it showed. All the members were clearly in sync and they carried themselves with charisma making it easy to connect to them.
‘Sinking’ and ‘All That I’m Not’, were branded as ‘pretty emo’ and the emotion was amplified live, with emotive vocals and a more acoustic feel with a break from the hard hitting drums – although not long before a thunderous drum fill brought the energy back tenfold.
Drawing the set to a close was cymbal heavy track Call My Name’, getting the room moving one last time.
Yours Truly configured their set well, a great mix between their new and older tracks as well as taking the time to throw in a few emotional ones that really hit the crowd. Stunning vocal displays and powerful instrumentals were a highlight of the set and they truly did know how to take over a stage and the room.
Artists: Yours Truly
