Review: Avril Lavigne kicks off Sounds of the City 2024 with a euphoric evening of sing-along hits at Castlefield Bowl

It’s highly unlikely that Avril Lavigne ever imagined that 22 years after releasing her debut album, she would be in the middle of Manchester overlooking the train lines singing about Sk8r Boi’s to a crowd full of, if I’m any indication, 35-year-olds trying to reclaim their youth. But that’s exactly where she found herself on Wednesday night (July 3), yet she didn’t seem to mind it one bit.

Hot on the heels of a fun Glastonbury set at the weekend, the Canadian singer headed to Castlefield Bowl to kick off this year’s Sounds of the City festival. The show kicked off in rowdy fashion with support from Los Angeles-based rising star phem ("I love phlegm," one man next to me cheekily joked) and fellow Canadians Simple Plan.

Despite the rain plummeting down before their set and threatening to put a damper on spirits, the 90s rock band gave a lively post-work wake-up full of their hits, including I'm Just a Kid and Perfect, alongside an utterly bizarre rendition of the What’s New Scooby Doo? theme tune. Whilst initially a bewildering choice, it really had no reason to pop off as hard as it did… (One woman near me was literally screaming ‘Scooby Dooby Doo’ louder than I’ve ever heard anyone bellow before).

READ MORE: Castlefield Bowl Sounds of the City 2024 - everything you need to know

One of the best parts of a gig at Castlefield Bowl is that no matter the type of show, or what kind of crowd is in attendance, there will always be joy in cheering and waving at the trains that stop and pass by. It's silly, but it gets us all in the jovial spirit for when Avril takes to the stage at bang on 9pm.

Her own rowdy set begins with the insanely-catchy earworm that is 2007 hit Girlfriend and since this is the year of the BRAT (thank you, Charli XCX), the childish number went down an immediate storm. Seemingly running through the big songs one after another - it was billed a Greatest Hits tour, after all - debut single Complicated got an early rendition and delivered on what was a truly euphoric sing-a-long from the sold-out crowd.

Besides a couple of random dashes off stage in-between songs and a cool composure to proceedings, Avril pretty much commanded the stage from the get-go and had the crowd in the palm of their hands as they jumped, cheered and sang out every verse at the top of their lungs.

Whilst on-stage interactions were generally kept to a minimal, there was one pause between numbers where Avril said she was happy to be back in Manchester and stopped to acknowledge the choice of location for the show. “This is such a cool venue,” she told the crowd. “There’s people on the balconies, and I think that’s a bridge over there? It might rain, it might not, but who cares. We’ve got lots to celebrate!”

The show featured everything from confetti cannons and pyrotechnics, alongside a few inflatable balls thrown around the crowd for good measure too. Avril even managed to find time to pour a bottle of ‘champagne’ over the crowd before seemingly drinking two bottles of beer at the same time and cheers-ing the crowd (I’m not fooled by the props, I’m pretty sure it was just water but it was fun).

Simple Plan joined Avril on stage for a rendition of their song Addicted, before they stopped halfway to invite a few fans to join them on stage. Amongst the lucky few selected was one fan who revealed that not only was her birthday but she also had an Avril Lavigne tattoo. After getting to join the musicians on stage, the fans were all gifted with signed skateboards.

Which comes to perhaps the biggest song of the night: Sk8r Boi. With fans dressed in pink hair, school ties and Converse shoes on like they never left 2002, they chanted every single line of the song in unison much to the delight of Avril on stage. It's loud, it's bouncy and it's a highlight on what has already been such a fun night of pop nostalgia and good vibes.

The encore, made up of three of Avril’s best ballads, put a sentimental yet slightly downbeat end to the night. For a show so upbeat and joyous, it felt like perhaps the wrong way to leave things even if it does showcase the power of Avril’s vocals. The sing-along from the crowd to the last song I’m With You, however, was enough to give me goosebumps.

Feeling nostalgic after the three slower songs, I’m reminded of the 13-year-old me who would spin his Let Go CD on heavy rotation pretty much on a daily basis. At the time, that album felt so connected to how I was feeling (hormones, eh). The music still remains, but most of us have, despite what Avril pleas in earlier setlist number Here’s To Never Growing Up, had to become adults in the time since - Avril included, considering she started out at the age of 17.

But whilst we may have ultimately all grown up a little since 2002, Avril's Sounds of the City show is a testament that we don’t necessarily have to become serious all of the time because of that and sometimes it's absolutely okay to bop around in your Converse and pink hair.

Set list

• Girlfriend

• What the Hell

• Complicated

• Smile

• Here's to Never Growing Up

• Hot

• My Happy Ending

• He Wasn't

• Don't Tell Me

• Losing Grip

• Addicted (with Simple Plan)

• Bite Me

• Love It When You Hate Me

• Sk8er Boi

Encore:

• Head Above Water

• When You're Gone

• I'm With You