London, October 5th, 2022

The Driver Era is an American alternative pop duo consisting of brothers Rocky and Ross Lynch. Both were members of the former R5 pop rock band. Although the R5 ‘era’ is over, there are ghosts of R5’s past throughout the night with Ryland Lynch performing a DJ set and Riker Lynch on bass performing alongside Rocky & Ross.

I had to weave through the crowds of fans waiting for doors to open at 7pm, with a line wrapping around the corner, all of them excited for The Driver Era's second sold out performance at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. As I walked in and waited for the concert to begin, I noticed a mix of pink cowboy hats, black leather ensembles, flannels, and unique 70's patterns flood the GA floor. A stark contrast to the grunge 90's look of Clairo's supporters the night before at the O2 Academy Brixton.

The evening kicked off with a short set by JessaRae, who was charming on stage and ended up departing with a bouquet of flowers. After a brief intermission, Ryland Lynch entered the stage with his DJ performance. It was kind of an internal joke among the original R5 supporters, with half of the crowd mildly bewildered and the other half ecstatic. It didn't take long for everyone to warm up to Ryland when he started playing Ben Benassy's Satisfaction and Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! by ABBA. He properly closed his set with everyone singing together to Flo Rida's "Good Feeling."

As I was led into the photo pit, the atmosphere was incredible. The entire band wasted no time in energising the crowd. Opening with 'Keep Moving Forward,' the last song off their new album 'Summer Mixtape' and is the essence of their groovy dance pop aesthetic. Slowing it down for a seductive second song, Natural, from their first album 'X' (2019), and naturally, playing 'Flashdrive' from their second album 'Girlfriend' for their third song (2021). It really is difficult to pick my favourite moments of the night because Ross and Rocky gave it their all on all 20 songs performed. The crowd's reaction to The Driver Era's first hit, "Preacher Man," was explosive, and hearing the crowd sing along to "Heart of Mine" was heartwarming. 'Heaven Angle,' a crowd favourite, witnessed a sea of phones held up to film an incredible powerhouse of a song, with fans getting a time to scream the lines 'oh my I think I'm in love,' while making heart gestures with their hands. Ross sang "on my own" from Teen Beach Movie, a homage to the R5 era, the fans of that era were ecstatic during that song, demonstrating his affinity for them.

The fans enthusiastically screamed 'take it off' just before they performed their final song of the night, so Ross did what he is known for, he took his shirt off. Followed by a roar of screaming fans, t hey ended the night with 'A Kiss' and still had the same amount of energy as when they started. The setlist had something for everyone and highlighted their distinct blend of groovy-soul-electronic-pop that has made them a must-see live act. As I was packing up my gear with another photographer, he commented, 'This is a band that actually performs,' and I could not agree more.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY HALEY PAOLINI