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As I enter the venue, tonight’s openers, The Maine, have already taken to the stage. The crowd bounce along to the pleasant pop punk sounds and have no doubt, fallen in love by the time their fantastic ‘Punk Goes Crunk’ cover of Akon’s ‘I Wanna Love You’ swings by. Front man John O’Callaghan impresses, despite his arm being covered in a plaster cast, and the band definitely leave an impression.

The atmosphere in The Cockpit tonight is absolutely electric - it’s a small venue; some might say too small for a band such as The Academy Is… and it’s full to the rafters with fans, all united and all buzzing with the excitement of what is about to come.

I’ve not heard much of We The Kings - one song on the recommendation of a friend the night before the show, but judging by the reaction of the crowd, I’m the only one. Their set is undeniably energetic, the songs catchy and enjoyable, and there are hordes of fans singing every single word along with the charismatic front man Travis Clarke. Memorable moments include ’This Is Our Town’, where the front man demands all lights be turned off until the last bursting chorus, ’Secret Valentine’ and crowd favourite ’Check Yes Juliet’ - the only song I knew! - which all add to the already electric atmosphere, but the highlight of the performance is undoubtedly their outstanding rendition of Gorillaz ‘Feel Good Inc.’, which gets the whole crowd jumping and has bassist Hunter Thomsen leading the room in an impressive rap. The boys are all clearly talented musicians and certainly know how to work a crowd, making them a perfect support act for The Academy Is…, but you just can’t help feeling that they could just as easily be headlining the venue; such is their presence and the quality of their song writing. They had me enjoying myself almost from the first note of their first song, and are undoubtedly every bit as good live as they sound on CD - if not better. We The Kings are a band worth seeing when they return to our shores in 2009.

Almost immediately after We The Kings’ set ends, The Academy Is… are upon us, coming on stage to an explosion of rapture and applause. As is to be expected, William Beckett gets the biggest cheer of the night, and as the evening goes on, we see that it is well deserved; he is magnetic and charming, involving the audience in every song, and clearly trying to connect with the room. The band lead us through a collection of TAI… classics as well as some new songs from the recently released ‘Fast Times At Barrington High,’ all of which receive a great reception. The crowd are energetic - almost as energetic as the band themselves - and responsive, singing along, jumping up and down and generally erupting in a mass of sweat and chaos. Throughout the set, it becomes apparent that The Academy Is… are a band who sound far better live than they ever could on record - and considering how well received their albums have been by fans, that is high praise indeed. Highlights of the show for me include Checkmarks, Neighbors, Beware! Cougar!, and both encore songs - After The Last Midtown Show and Almost Here. By the latter, the whole room is singing along at the top of their lungs; the band hardly needs to do any work, but they still go at it full pelt, showing off their proficiency as musicians and proving to everyone that they deserve to be and are capable of being far more than they currently are. Beckett is waving the microphone stand around and shaking his hips for all he is worth, and on top of it all, displays a remarkable vocal talent, a talent that compliments and finishes each song perfectly. As the song - and the night - ends, everyone leaves with a sense of accomplishment that only comes from a night like this, and with a hope that it will be repeated many more times over the span of the bands career.