The connection and pure bliss that filled Camden’s Roundhouse for the Paramore frontwoman’s anticipated return to London was palpable.
Like many others, I was riding the struggle bus to find a ticket to Hayley Williams’ show this past week at the Roundhouse. It was looking bleak for me and everyone on her Discord channel to find a single ticket to one of her two sold-out shows. Having seen her and support act Water From Your Eyes in Toronto in March, I realised I couldn’t be too bent if I didn’t get a ticket. Though the opportunity to see a UK crowd in action incentivised me to keep trying. I was about to give up the search when a blessed spot on the guest list came through two days before.
I had arrived in London for a solo trip the same day as her first night at the Roundhouse in Camden. After traversing from Heathrow with a brief stop at my Airbnb, I made my way to the venue, unfamiliar to me. A line down the block of fishnets, bridal-esque attire, band tees, and eclectic coloured hair signalled that I was in the right place.
All the early-comers who arrived before doors opened poured into the venue, diverting towards the merch booths or stage to watch Tiberius B – who was additional support for the London shows exclusively. They primed the stage perfectly for Williams and Water From Your Eyes, performing from their 90’s trip-hop meets experimental pop catalogue.
I make my way to the merch booth following Tiberius’ set to get my hands on the ‘Miss Paramour’ baby tee that was not released during her North American tour. In the process, I become friends with three girls (shoutout Sruthi, Advaita, and Maša) who I then spend the rest of the night dancing with. While I rave to them about Water From Your Eyes, the lights go down as the swirling instrumentals of “One Small Step” welcome the band to the stage. The crowd is receptive to their playful unpredictability, especially during lead singer Rachel Brown’s deadpan commentary between songs.
After their dynamic performance, a full room of energised fans awaits the final moments before Williams takes the stage. When she opens with “Mirtazapine”, football stadium-like chants at every lyric do not stop filling the Roundhouse for the rest of the evening. The performance felt personal beyond the venue’s deeply intimate size.
I internally noted several points throughout the night where I felt the connectedness between Williams and the rest of the crowd I stood in. Fans viciously joined Williams in screaming “I’m in a band” from “Ice In My OJ”, and friends gripped each other’s hands during “Whim” while couples lifted their shorter counterparts above them for a better view. The most memorable part was a pause after the bridge of “Love Me Different”. Williams led a brief breathing exercise to re-centre her spectators into the room. As we all exhaled and the guitar struck back into song, the whole audience fell into catharsis.
From that point until closing with “Parachute”, the crowd hit an all-time high. A couple in front of me put their partner on their shoulders as we all danced and screamed around them, and I made sure to snap photos of the special moment. After the song ended, my new friends and I all stood in stillness, reeling at what we saw.
We ran outside to join the many archetypes found in a Hayley Williams crowd, covered in sweat and desperate to cool down. I distributed flavoured cigarettes among our group as we continued to collect ourselves before parting ways from the special Friday night we shared together.
Words by Izzy Petraglia
Water From Your Eyes shot by Eleanor Petry
Other photography by Izzy Petraglia
