Last night was a very special night for me, and it's been a long time coming. It's taken me, roughly, three years, but I have finally seen Modern Baseball live. What a way to start 2017.

The Superweaks, hailing straight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are opening the evening. Their indie-rock sound, at times more ambient, at times straight up emo, gets to me in a matter of seconds, and, you know what? For once, I can tell you why. It's not just because they're extremely talented and their music is catchy - even though, no lies here, it helped quite a lot. It's also because their gritty sound, the obvious DIY feel and their enthusiastic set under terrible, terrible lighting reminded me of Brighton gigs. At a time when I miss my UK home as much as I do, it was everything I needed - to be taken back there, if only for half an hour.

(Also, "Croissants here are pretty tight", anyone?)

By now, you know the drill - if it's a catchy rock band with a female voice, I'm on board almost immediately. It's no wonder why it probably took Thin Lips about ten seconds to get under my skin. Led by energetic frontwoman Chrissy Tashjian, the band produces a strong, catchy set, sings of Tinder and easily catches the attention of a large amount of people in the room. Yes, it was me you saw dad dancing at the back, well spotted everyone. Their indie-rock sound reminded me of Muncie Girls and Candy Hearts, at times, but I won't say you should only check them out if you like those bands. Check them out regardless. They were great, and no one should ever say no to great music.

I got into Modern Baseball's music sometime in 2014, when I stumbled upon I Think You Were in My Profile Picture Once (extracted from 2012's excellent Sports), and, as I was myself dealing with a not so significant other I had trouble taking out of my profile picture, I clicked play, and the rest is emo history.

In the boiling hot Espace B, the Americans are kicking off their first ever European headline tour - yes in style, of course in style, but with some adjustments, as well. Only twenty-four hours before, singer Brendan Lukens announced he would not be present on the tour and would be staying home to focus on his mental health. The remaining band members decided to carry on with the shows, still, which I'm incredibly grateful for, but which needed adapting on their part. We were, therefore, treated to a little acoustic interlude (composed, amongst other songs, by the stunning Tears Over Beers, the lovely Apartment or the band's newest track, This Song Is Gonna Buy Brendan Lukens a New Pair of Socks, from their three-way split with touring mates Thin Lips and The Superweaks). Some songs also got guest vocals, notably from Chrissy Tashjian and from crowd-member Valentin on The Weekend - both did an excellent job at stepping in.

The venue was packed and the crowd could be seen dancing and singing along from start to finish, with people on shoulders during The Weekend and crowdsurfing to Your Graduation. Let's talk about Your Graduation for a minute, shall we. It's easily Modern Baseball's most famous song, and its shouted "Bullshit, you fucking miss me" has now become iconic. If I'm honest with you a minute, I can't even remember the last time I felt as happy as I was when the song kicked in. I took off my necklace, abandoned my bag (and my friend) and threw myself in the moshpit, ended up crying and then fell over on my own bag. This was such a clumsy, me moment to happen, and yet, I wouldn't have had it any other way. There has to be a story to the first time you hear your favourite songs live, hasn't it.

I think this gig will stand out in my Paris gig memories because, it was packed, yes, of course I will remember that it was packed, but I will mostly remember that it was packed with people I've never seen before. Usually, when I go to a small show in Paris, I know everyone in the room. Not this time. This time, it wasn't just us, the hardcore Paris music lovers. It was packed with a bunch of people that I've never seen before, and you could blame it on the fact that I haven't lived in this town for a whole calendar year, but to me, it showed that Modern Baseball attract a wider crowd that I thought they did. They aren't just there for the typical emo kids. They're for everyone. They reach outside the traditional scene environment. 

If you went to the venue toilet, you could see a sign reading "Gender diversity is welcome here. Please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity or expression". It's no secret that Modern Baseball, as a band, have been very vocal about promoting diversity and inclusivity at their gigs and outside, which is something I a hundred percent support. I think, in time, that it will develop into a bigger, broader sense of community. You can see it on stage, the way they dealt with Lukens' absence - with a little help from their friends, both in bands and in the crowd. And you will start seeing it in the crowd. Modern Baseball, through being a band that supports and includes everyone, regardless of gender, sexuality or skin colour, will become a movement. They were never a band for the cool kids that look down on you at gigs anyway. Maybe they were always meant to be a band for the rejected, the outcast and the vulnerable.