With emo music making a comeback, it’s only natural that 2000s icons Boys Like Girls join in on the fun. Bandmembers Martin Johnson, Gregory James, Jamel Hawke, and John Keefe brought the Speaking Our Language Tour to a sold out crowd at House Of Blues Orlando on Sunday night.
Rising artist LØLØ (Lauren Mandel) started the night strong with her upbeat pop rock. Mandel’s music was thematically on brand for a Gen Z artist, with slightly satirical coverage of topics ranging from dealing with anxiety, depression, and toxic exes. While her set could be improved with some reorganization to end with one of her faster tempo, better known songs, rather than the slow burn track “boohoo,” it was, overall, a solid performance from a promising artist.
Next on the lineup was pop punk veterans Four Year Strong, who gave the crowd a bit of musical whiplash with their heavy riffs, screaming, and double-time drums. Still, the primarily elder emo crowd ate it up, with fists in the air and crowd surfing going from start to end of the bulletproof set. Closing out with a high energy performance of “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer),” Four Year Strong left no room for doubt as to how they’ve maintained their status after twenty years.
Modern day pop punkers State Champs piggybacked off the energy lingering from Four Year Strong, taking the stage by storm with “Outta My Head,” and kept things going with a set filled with some of their greatest hits from their four albums released over the past decade. It was a big night for the band and those in the crowd, including a fan in attendance of their 100th State Champs show and a proposal during “Everybody But You,” which also featured a guest appearance by Gregory James of Boys Like Girls (filling in for Neck Deep’s Ben Barlow). Given that they played every song flawlessly, and that every song is absolute banger, the sense that State Champs is bigger than the band alone is more than earned.
Finally, after over a decade of waiting, Boys Like Girls fans could experience what’s been a long time coming. The fans were given 95 jam-packed minutes filled with a mix of deep cuts, new music, and even some snippets of oldie covers. The well-seasoned musicians played with the bright-eyed energy of their teenage years informed by their acquired expertise from the height of their touring days and a restful break from the industry. Fighting multiple occasions of sound cutting out, frontman Martin Johnson effortlessly played it off with a cheeky nod to their 2006 hit, saying they “Brought too much ‘Thunder’.” Even with the sound cutting out, the fans filled what would have been silence by singing every lyric at the top of their lungs.
Boys Like Girls’ reunion is in the running for return of the decade, and the Speaking Our Language Tour is undeniable proof as to why. Shows are selling out in advance, with multiple dates on a low ticket warning, so act now and get your tickets today. Their comeback album, Sunday at Foxwoods, is set to release on October 20th, and is available for pre-order now.
