Finally, the day has come. 20 years later – Avril Lavigne comes back to Cardiff with Simple Plan as support. When I first saw this announcement, I was so overwhelmed as I saw this exact concert 20 years ago at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff. It was my first concert at nine years old. So, the fact I can relive the same gig again 20 years later is an amazing feeling. I was beyond excited also having the opportunity to cover it.

As doors opened at Cardiff Castle the crowd poured into the grounds making sure they get their spot at the barrier. The whole vibe was so nostalgic, seeing fans with old Avril merch on from all those years ago, to people my age taking their children to the show, it was just such a wholesome atmosphere.

First to take the stage is phem, a female-fronted band from LA. She was so good! She was the perfect opening act for Avril Lavigne, and I can see why she’s been on tour all last year with her too. She was energetic with plenty of attitude. Phem and the drummer also swapped instruments and she got up and played drums, which was really cool. The crowd really loved her. I hope she comes back to Cardiff as I feel she’s definitely made her mark here.

Next on stage is the actual first band I’ve ever seen – SIMPLE PLAN.

Simple Plan are a Canadian band and have been around for quite a long time. If you haven’t heard of them – where have you been?! It seems that in Cardiff they have quite a lot of fans (including myself) and I saw a sea of band t-shirts supporting Simple Plan too, which was so nice. They haven’t been to Cardiff to do a show for about 15 years – fingers crossed they come back to do more shows in this local area. They played all their hits, even ‘What’s New Scooby-Doo’. They had people dressed up as Scooby-Doo on stage, it was so much fun. The Castle grounds were packed out for them, they’re the perfect band to support Avril and again, I’m still in awe that it happened.

Then the act we had been waiting for – “The Mother F* Princess” Avril Lavigne. All I can say is WOW! It was so worth the wait. She put on the best show. The Canadian singer played all her hits all the way from ‘Let Go’ era to her newest album ‘Love Sux’. She played the best I’ve seen her. She brought up three girls on to the stage who were dressed like her throughout the eras. She had photos and even skateboards for them! She signed them and let them be on stage until the end of the song, they were so overwhelmed and grateful to be on stage, it was heartwarming.

She ended her show with ‘I’m With You’, one of her biggest songs and a personal favourite of mine. That song means a lot to me so me and my mum got a bit emotional. It was such a nostalgic filled day seeing Avril Lavigne, especially having Simple Plan on tour again. Doing this gig again with my mum all these years later was the BEST DAMN THING, (if you’re an Avril fan you’ll get it).

Photos & Review by Kern Hollie