Show Review September 10th @ The Gov
Words By Melina Scarfo
Anberlin have a long love affair with Australia and returned this September with The Maine and William Beckett. Playing at The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel in Adelaide, Anberlin proved that after ten years they still have what it takes to put on a memorable rock show.
Melbourne’s Masketta Fall opened the night with a set of catchy pop rock. Lead singer Braden Daniel’s strong vocals were a highlight and the band’s antics on stage kept the crowd interested. Their cover of “Teenage Dirtbag”won over the crowd and put a smile of everyone’s face. Masketta Fall are a band with a lot of potential and we are sure to hear more from in the future.
William Beckett, formally the lead singer of The Academy Is…, proved that he can hold his own without a band. This was Beckett’s first venture to Australia as a solo artist and he brought his quirky personality and charm with him. He performed songs from his debut album ‘Genuine and Counterfeit’ with only an acoustic guitar and computer. Stand outs include the sweet “By Your Side” and upbeat “Benny & Joon” which got the crowd singing along. Beckett has a unique stage presence which mixes humour into his performance and I will definitely see him next time he is in Adelaide.
The Maine from Arizona are yet to tour Australia on their own but showed they are more than capable. They kicked things off with an emotional rendition of “Misery”and the band members of each other’s energy. John O’Callaghan is a humble and interesting front man who immerses himself in his performance only resurfacing to chat with the crowd.Old favourites such as “Inside Of You” and “Right Girl”were a hit and the band debuted a few songs from their latest release ‘Forever Halloween’.The Maine never fails to deliver an enjoyable show because obviously still love playing music together.
Anberlin burst on stage and launched straight into the “The Resistance” warning the crowd of the non-stop energy which is to come. Stephen Christian is an animated front man who leaves no part of the stage neglected. A man of few words, his passionate vocal delivery built a strong connection with the crowd and it was clear that Anberlin have a dedicated fan base. Everyone was singing along whether they were in the middle of the crowd or chilling out on the side.
The band played a diverse set which included older songs from ‘Cities’ as well as hits from their latest release ‘Vital’.The energy never dropped once throughout the night as Anberlin powered through song after song. “Self-Starter” and “Someone Anyone” were crowd favourites along with older tracks such as “Feel Good Drag” and “Art of War”. It is difficult to pick a highlight as the audience responded enthusiastically to every song.
Anberlin delivered the encore to end all encores. As Adelaide was the first Australian city the band played so many years ago it was only fitting to end the night with “Adelaide”. Christian was puzzled that no one had joined the band on stage to sing along but the crowd didn’t need to be asked twice. As Anberlin launched into “Adelaide”half of the audience crammed onto the stage and rocked out with the band which left everyone on a high afterwards.
Anberlin will be warmly welcomed back after such an intense and electrifying performance. The support acts were incredibly talented but Anberlin stole the show with their unlimited amount of energy. It looks like their Australian fan base isn’t going anywhere.
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