Despite the sun tucking itself away for the first time in two weeks, the second night of Alive at Delapre was a riotous success with pop-sensations The Wanted delivering a cheesy but undeniably brilliant show.
The Vamps and Lawson, who supported the headliners, created an energetic atmosphere, which paused only between acts.
Much of the night’s energy no doubt came from large number of children and youngsters present and the night had a strong family feel with people of all ages making up the crowd of thousands.
Indeed, a large portion of The Wanted’s fan-base is made up of teenage girls and this was never more apparent than the screams that greeted the band as they came on stage.
No doubt part of the secret to the band’s success is their relationship with these fans. It was particularly satisfying, then, that the band communicated with the crowd throughout the performance.
Although a little chaotic at times, they spoke to the crowd in between every song and they created a relationship with the audience that seasoned performers fail to achieve.
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night was when the band chose five people from the crowd to join them on stage for Heart Vacancy.
Four young girls (and one brave Grandma) took to the stage, dancing and singing with the band in what was no doubt a dream-come-true moment.
You could have been forgiven for questioning whether or not the girls enjoyed this part of the show, however, with one sobbing uncontrollably from beginning to end.
Another interesting feature of the set was a medley of songs by American rock act The Killers, for which Nathan, Siva, Tom and Max all took up instruments.
The band were definitely stronger when performing their own songs and seemed to struggle for this performance, as Nathan’s vocals carried those of his band-mates.
Indeed, Nathan’s fantastic vocals stood out all night and this, combined with a strong stage presence, made me glad he had recovered from his recent throat surgery in time for tonight’s performance.
The set saw The Wanted play more from their latest album, Battleground, than their self-titled debut record, The Wanted.
Whatever they were playing, however, their energy was astounding and infectious. While songs like All Time Low and Chasing the Sun were obvious favourites with the crowd, the band didn’t let the tempo drop for the entire performance and Delapre Abbey responded well.
It is probably one of the only live performances I have been to where I would be hard pushed to think of a moment when somebody was not jumping up and down, not to mention screaming.
After teasing the crowd with a hopelessly staged exit and encore, the band closed with a song that spent two weeks as UK number one and one that helped them crack the American market, Glad You Came.
By this point I don’t think there was anybody left in Delapre Abbey not dancing.
It is clear, despite still being young, The Wanted know exactly what they are doing: entertaining.
The Wanted played: Invincible, Lose My Mind, Lightning, Say it on the Radio, Heart Vacancy, Killers Medley, Warzone, Chasing the Sun, Gold Forever, I found You, All Time Low, Walks Like Rihanna, Glad You Came.
Photos by Sharon Lucey