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Tonight it feels as though the December air has made the crowd a little delirious. After finishing up an interview with Say Anything's guitarist Jake, I head out into what can only be described as the freezing cold and wander off to find something to eat. In the process of doing so, I manage to forget when the doors are opening, completely lose track of time and miss openers Sherwood entirely. I'll be the first to admit, that this was, well, pretty dumb of me, since I've heard such good things so far. Let's hope there's a next time.

The first band of the night, therefore, is British newcomers Go: Audio. With this being their first major UK tour, anyone would understand how hard it would be heading out with such a hugely popular group of American bands, but they hold up well. The crowd adore their pop punk riffs and it's nice to know that this was the chosen band to represent the UK on this tour. Their set is fun, inoffensive and full of promise.

After the young squeals have died down, and a short wait, Say Anything take to the stage. Max Bemis holds a strange charisma when performing and it's always an honour to see this band live. However, you get the feeling that their set is of an acquired taste. It seems that with a band like Say Anything, you have to hold a prior knowledge to fully appreciate and enjoy their performances. Nevertheless, the crowd, for the most part, find it easy to pick up the words to the hits, such as 'Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too' and 'Alive With The Glory Of Love'. Their minutes on stage are punctuated with a few new songs, taken from 'In Defense Of The Genre' that genuinely sound astonishing: if their renditions of 'Skinny, Mean Man' and 'The Church Channel' (possibly the best song of the set, even without Hayley Williams' guest vocals) are anything to go by, I cannot wait until they are able to headline some UK shows and showcase more of their genius material.

Before the headliners take to the stage, I take the chance to look back to 2006, when Hellogoodbye played this very same Academy as the support band for Taking Back Sunday. However, then, things were much different. By the end of their set, Forrest was hidden behind a keyboard with shouts of "I'm gonna sing the last song back here, so that you guys can't hit me with the coins you keep throwing!" I never really managed to decide if throwing money at the band was a good or a bad thing, but I'm guessing the lead didn't like it so much.

However, back to the present, and the ear-piercingly loud screams that can be heard from the largely female audience. The screams crescendo as the lead walks centre stage, surrounded by a backdrop of fake grass and fairy lights; a pretty sight indeed.

Launching through the hits from both their full-length album and their EP, they execute the songs perfectly. The crowd lap it up and sing even louder - if it's actually possible - along to the singles, whilst everyone dances like it's the last thing they'll ever do. The element of fun continues when Forrest teasingly lifts up his shirt to reveal his bare chest, and the girls go wild. The unlikely pin-up grins back and starts up another of his band's mini anthems, to which hysteria erupts. With ultimate highlights of the strangely beautiful 'Oh, It Is Love' and obviously'Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn', tonight represents huge success: a few years ago, this band was merely a electro-oozing guilty pleasure for most, yet now they've shown those coin-throwers of 2006 what they're made of. And it seems to be more long-lasting than some have thought.

Finishing their gloriously sweet set with the hit, 'Here (In Your Arms)' the band lead the largest singalong of the evening, and, as the fairy lights twinkle around the act, the crowd are left with smiles and memories, of which will hopefully last a long while.