YOU WERE DANCING TO YOUR FAVOURITE SONG.

Summary: a much longer post than really necessary about seeing The Maine in concert and getting to meet (4/5 of) them after the show. Also, hi, welcome to my first post of 2016.

A few weeks ago I got an email from Eurostar saying there was a sale on for travel up until the end of January. Within ten minutes I’d used my Christmas money to book a train and had planned a weekend trip to England at the end of the month. I’d been pretty sad about the fact that I couldn’t go and see The Maine while they were touring the UK but with this trip booked it meant I could finally go and see them live. I was PUMPED.

On Thursday 28^th January I drearily woke up before the sun had risen, ready to get on the train and make my way to London. After some lift problems (let’s just say that I somehow temporarily forgot my Métro station’s layout) and some why-is-this-man-sat-in-my-seat problems, I got to London, and after a couple of hours picking up a few things on Oxford Street I got on my second train of the day, this time heading for Norwich. Unfortunately the train was delayed by fifty minutes, which stressed me out just slightly. Finally I arrived, and my friend Bayley picked me up (which was weird for me as I’ve known her since we were about three and this was the first time I’d got in a car with her driving) and I went back to her house to prep for the gig.

My next chauffeur was Libby, whom I hadn't seen since July, and who was also my soon-to-be gig partner. We may or may not have zoomed over speed bumps and/or got lost about four times on the very short journey between Bayley’s house and the venue, but eventually we made it to the LCR in one piece. We got inside with pretty much no queuing as the first support act was already on stage (who were giving me Hey-Violet-but-heavier kinda vibes) and headed for the merch table. Prior to the show (and prior to me even knowing I would be attending in fact) I’d been looking at this particular white and navy The Maine shirt online and had been planning on buying it, so upon seeing it on the table I knew I’d be leaving the night at least £20 lighter. I remember when the merch guy showed us the shirt Libby said something along the lines of “wait, the tour dates are on the back?” and then both of us said “SICK” in unison. Cute. ANYWAY, I’m rambling, let’s fast-forward again. I was actually peeing when I realised I could hear drums from the other room, and when Libby and I returned to the main room we saw that The Maine were actually already on stage doing their soundcheck. We wiggled down to the floor (the tour was actually headlined by Mayday Parade, with The Maine just supporting, which meant that people in the crowd weren’t bothered by us squeezing past them to be closer) and prepared ourselves for a short but WONDERFUL gig.

The first notes of English Girls started playing and we were ready to PARTY. I think it should be the law that they play this song at any show they ever do in England. One of the things I remember from the set was that at one point John O’Callaghan paused the show just to get the crowd to take part in a rendition of Torn by Natalie Imbruglia, followed by an always-emotional Who Let The Dogs Out. I distinctly remember hearing him say “now we’re gonna play another song, it’s not QUITE as good as Who Let The Dogs Out, but it’s close”. Libby and I had a habit of clapping whenever any song went to a breakdown (unfortunately people around us did not always join in with this), and we just generally were havin' a wild time. We yelled “GROWING UP WON’T BRING US DOWN” as loud as we could because, indeed, growing up will not bring us down. I got to hear one of my favourite songs in the entire world (Another Night On Mars) performed live for the first time and it was such a great experience for me.

I’d not had the pleasure of seeing The Maine live before but I could tell that this performance was a particularly good one – the energy the band brought was amazing, and John’s vocals were perfect in a way that only his voice can be. (I could write an entire poetry anthology comprised solely of odes to John O’Callaghan’s voice, but I’m not sure if right now is the time for that.) As a live band, The Maine truly have perfected their craft, and John has completely mastered what it is to be a band’s frontman.

I loved the set list as it covered a range of old and new songs and all of them made me want to groove/party/cry/scream etc. Obviously as a live experience they were all new to me, but for other seasoned fans I’m sure it was nice to hear songs from American Candy that they hadn’t heard performed live before. Regardless, in my opinion this band could pick songs out of a hat and compile a set list in that way and I’d still think it was the best set list to ever grace the fibres of this universe, so maybe I’m biased. In fact, for me, the only problem with the set was that it was only as long as a support slot allows. I’ve never been so desperate for a set to be longer than on that night. Overall, I can’t wait for the next time they come to the UK and (hopefully) have a headline tour. I know it’ll be incredible.

After that unexpected review (seriously, where did that come from? This post was supposed to be mostly about me meeting the band…) I am now moving onto talking about a very exciting thing that happened later on in the evening, with as many details as I can remember. In fact, I apologise in advance for the inevitable level of excruciating detail you’re going to have to sift your way through in the rest of this post. After the show a group of about thirty (maybe? I’m rubbish at estimating) fans hung around outside the venue and within fifteen minutes or so of the concert finishing we were greeted by a mister Patrick Kirch. Pat asked us to move to the other side of the bus and he’d come around and talk with us there. He wiggled past the barrier and moved to stand underneath the cutest fairy-light-lined walkway (I love fairy lights so this was truly magical for me) and a little group formed around him. He spent a while talking to everyone and when it came to Libby and I we spoke a bit about the show and how we couldn’t wait for a headline tour at some point in the future, and I mentioned how I’d come from Paris for the gig, for which he high-fived me. I remember Libz asking him what socks he was wearing because he always wears funky ones (they had skulls and crossbones on, if you’re wondering). Libby then proceeded to show him her socks, which had a pineapple pattern, and at that moment she won the Cool Sock Competition. When we left he thanked me for making the effort to come all the way and all I could think was “it was so worth it”. Pat is an adorable person and he must be protected AT ALL COSTS.

Next up we turned around to see Kennedy behind us, who was talking to an American girl about baseball or SOMETHING (it went over my head, all the English people were just stood there as if they were speaking a foreign language). We waited for a little while and when it was our turn we asked him if he had any recommendations of where to visit in America on our respective trips this summer (me: are you just gonna say Arizona straight away? / Kennedy, with a shrug: yes, definitely) and he told us a few places we should check out if we can. I mentioned yet again that I’d come from Paris and his initial response was just “…you don’t sound like you’re from Paris?” which made me laugh a little. I wasn’t lying. When we were ready to take photos together, Libby (my personal photographer) positioned herself so that we had the fairy lights in the background. While she was sorting out the flash and we were stood there waiting in the cold with the lights behind us it felt like we were preparing for one of those super posey Christmas card photos.

After we’d said goodbye to Kennedy we walked towards John, who was half talking with individual people and half just addressing everyone in a nice lil’ group conversation. I positioned myself against a tree because I was too lazy to support my own weight (I did just say that, yes) and I spent the next twenty minutes leaning against this tree while John was next to me on the other side talking to everyone. I felt like I was in some 80s high school rom-com or something. Those were some good twenty minutes, let me tell you - I was just admiring the TALENT, the VOICE, the ENIGMA. (Don’t know if you’ve picked up on this but I love John O’Callaghan in every way. I’m pretty subtle about it though so don’t worry if you didn't.) I loved hearing him refer to fans by their names and saying how it was good to see them again, it was all SO CUTE. Someone mentioned the fairy lights behind us and I just looked into the distance and muttered “so romantic”. (I’m conditioning my memory to believe I muttered it, in reality I’m pretty certain I said it fairly loud.) Other topics of conversation included fast food (one girl really liked Subway but John said pizza was his go-to. This is a fascinating read for all of you, I am sure) and Snapchat (he said he just doesn’t ~get it~ and that apparently Kennedy has been threatening to set up a fake account in his name). Soon after, Libby announced to the group “just a heads up, there’s a banana coming up the stairs” and indeed there was someone dressed as a banana approaching us. University campuses are strange places. When she reached us, our short interaction went as follows:

Banana girl, mildly curious and fairly drunk: is he from Mayday Parade?

Me: no, he’s from The Maine.

Banana girl, accusingly: is he actually though?

Me: …yes.

John, after waiting to see what the girl will say next: hi.

Banana girl, disinterested, walks away.

Once more, when it got to Libby and I, I mentioned that I’d come from Paris, and he said “but you’re not FROM Paris, right” and I proceeded to spill my life story, including, but not limited to, the fact that I was born and spent half of my life in England, then grew up in Switzerland, usually go to uni in London and am currently studying abroad in Paris.

John: So you’re from all over then I guess!

Me, mumbling: mmm kinda it’s just in a line. (???? What?? What does that even mean????)

I loved that he seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, even though it was nothing to do with music or anything of particular relevance to him at all really. He asked me how I felt about Paris and when I said “it’s ok but I don’t LOVE it like I love London” he kept asking more questions and let me explain exactly why I feel the way I do. We continued to speak for a bit about the super romanticised/idealised image people have of Paris (FYI, @ Parisians: John loves the romance of Paris. I mean, he wrote a song with the city’s name in the title, so this shouldn’t be news, but anyway) and how it’s a totally different experience visiting the city to actually living there. (And how the same applies for most places, really.)

At this point I was fairly surprised to find how easy it was to have a regular, coherent conversation, as usually in these kinds of situations I’m not the most articulate version of myself. However, I think something special about this band is that they’re really good at making you feel at ease, which makes talking with them so much more comfortable. After some more chat we took photos (did I ask him if we could stand under the fairy lights because “y’know, might as well make the most of it”? Yes). Also, Libby’s phone screen is completely cracked and when John saw it he was not impressed, asking if she’d chucked it out of the window or something. (I have a bad feeling I exclaimed “YIKES!” at this point, but I hope I’m wrong.)

After thanking John we went over to spend a minute or two with Jared before he got on the bus and had a little chat about the venue and how we all really liked it. Libby asked if he could see the crowd when he was on stage (which is something I’ve ALWAYS WONDERED) and his response was that he was usually too ~in the zone~ and busy with other stuff, so the crowd doesn’t really register, but the energy they give off does. There ya go. As it was getting late (we’d been outside for over an hour by this point) and I was staying at my friend’s house and didn’t want her to wait up any longer, we decided that we should probably call it a night and head back to the car and go home.

Overall, I was so struck by how interested and appreciative and attentive the band are to their fans, and none of it seemed forced in any way; it was all real, mutual appreciation, and it was so nice to be a part of. On that note, I keep saying to everyone that they are all “so nice” and I truly wish I had a better adjective to use but it’s the most all-encompassing one I can think of without sounding all mushy and emo. They really are the nicest people I’ve ever met in this kind of situation (and just in general, actually), and not only that but their fans were all really friendly too - there was no hostility whatsoever. The Maine never cease to amaze me with their talent and just how good they are as musicians and (now I know) as people. In my opinion no band better epitomises what it is to be young and confused and happy and hopeful than this one. All in all it was such a lovely night and I’m really happy I decided not to spend my Christmas money on a pair of shoes, and that I spent it on a weekend like this instead. Last but by no means least, I need to give a mention to Libby, my personal photographer and chauffeur (and great pal) - I’m really glad I got to share this experience with her. I cannot wait to hopefully go to another show sometime in the not-so-distant future.

See you next time!

Georgia