Live Review: Anberlin

                                                                          Photo credit: Court McAllister

02 September 2011

by Poppy Reid

Thursday September 1
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW

Anberlin are quite possibly Florida’s most surprising export. The quintet has been touring their alt-rock serenades for almost a decade now, earning their place in Australia as the hardcore kid’s guilty pleasure.

When the band announced their seventh visit would be a more subdued insight into their career with the epithet An Evening With Anberlin, expectations for a formal sit down affair ensued. But from the first soaring guitar line in opening track Dismantle. Repair, it was clear all expectations were about to be exceeded. Frontman Stephen Christian spat a healthy glob of saliva on the amp behind him before he’d even gotten to the chorus.

Christian’s rasping vocal gymnastics in tracks Paperthin Hymn and Pray Tell proved he wasn’t just the dulcet-hued sonnet-singer that has become his trademark. The two-hour set was completely sans bells and whistles, the back banner didn’t change, yet it was structured with the perfect mix between acoustic tracks, covers and Q and A’s the band had pre-compiled from social network-loving fans.

:: Check out the live shots from the band's Perth gig here.

Of the few and far between sombre moments, drummer Nathan Young couldn’t have looked more bored and unnecessary in The Unwinding Cable Car. This was swiftly redeemed with the band’s impressive versions of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence and Crowded House track, Don’t Dream It’s Over. Tonight Alive frontwoman Jenna McDougall made an appearance for the Crowded House cover. Thankfully, the Lavigne-Williams hybrid sang her part with a delicate disposition, a persona that was worlds apart from her support set which was a forced, metaphrastic imitation of Paramore.

Christian then declared the band wanted to “meet every single one of us” and would wait at the merch desk until the last person left; just when you thought they couldn’t possibly love Australia even more, the band seared into a pristine edition of Adelaide.

 

“It's an amazing blessing to do what we do and to come out and have you guys rock your faces off it's an amazing thing,” said guitarist Christian McAlhaney who then proceeded to sneak in a speech with Christian about their work with World Vision.

Closing tracks Take Me (As You Found Me) and Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen rounded out the quickest 120-minutes the Enmore Theatre has ever staged. Anberlin returned to the stage for encore track Godspeed leaving us with the compelling reminder that they are one of the most relevant acts in the alternative-rock realm.