Simon RushworthCassidy Paris @Newcastle Trillians, July 16 2024
Paris 2024 always promised to be some spectacle.
And we’re not talking about the men and women in Lycra ready to do battle on the other side of the Channel.
If striking rock poses and delivering punchy lead vocals were Olympic sports then the Aussies would already have two shiny golds in the bag.
In fact, this was just like watching an AOR pentathlon as the energetic new face of Frontiers Records added jumps, stretches and sprints to her favourite pursuits.
Restoring melodic rock’s reputation is a marathon not a sprint — but retro-fuelled Cassidy Paris has the look of a natural champion.
Back-to-back Records Of The Week (2019’s Broken Hearted EP and last year’s deliciously daring debut album New Sensation) had already placed the pocket rocket top of the Rushonrock podium.
But a long overdue return to Trillians revealed Paris as the Jonathan Edwards of her genre — she’s come on leaps and bounds since her last time on Tyneside.
The vocals still stir memories of MTV-fuelled years gone by but these days Paris is a performer. And some.
The 80s greats she seeks to emulate were always about style as much as substance.
And after nailing her sound, Paris is very much about cultivating that showy image.
Adding the moves to the grooves really matters when it comes to delivering chorus-driven pop metal.
And Newcastle was treated to the full package.
Digging deep into New Sensation, Paris strutted through sassy takes on eight (at our last count) of that album’s 11 tracks.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hearts, Midnight Desire and the standout Danger set the relentless pace but the ballads were beautifully executed.
Few performers do justice to Joan Jett’s punk-fuelled, pop rock classic I Hate Myself For Loving You but it’s no problem for an on-song Paris: this was her night and she nailed it.
As she burst into Searching For A Hero we were left searching for fresh superlatives.
Paris 2024: let the rock and roll games begin.
Images by Adam Kennedy