A Lesson in Stage Presence: Mayday Parade @ Islington Academy 8.10.10

Derek Sanders & Alex Garcia of Mayday Parade

'Two entries in four days?!', I hear you say. It must be some kind of record. Having started my Newspaper Journalism MA at City University three weeks ago, I've constantly had drilled into me the importance of an active online presence, so here I am, attempting to write something interesting at least once a week and maybe more when times call for it.

While my classmates discuss some of their impressive blogs about current affairs, politics, and even sport (a timeless and honourable pastime), I find myself keeping rather schtum about the fact I like to write about the kind of music more generally favoured by those at least 5 years my junior, for fear of ridicule. However, this is what I know about, and what I enjoy, so better to write something well informed and fun than to drag out some unqualified and half-hearted comment about the inner-workings of North Korea's corrupt pastry industry in the hope that it might result in a smidgen of kudos, when the likelihood is it would result in equal ridicule anyway.

To the point of this entry, anyway. I popped to Islington o2 Academy on Friday evening (8.10.10) to see some of the aforementioned music being performed, as power-popsters The Maine and Mayday Parade played to the packed venue.