Pulling up to Club Capitol there was a massive queue almost a block long of people waiting to get in to a show that sold out weeks prior. With only less than half an hour left before the doors opened it seemed the line wasn’t getting any smaller so people settled for awkward conversations and anxious stares to the front of the line. Minutes passed and still the line had moved a shuffle’s worth of space. A poorly conducted front of house resulted in more than half the people standing outside missing out on support act Wherewolves (a.k.a. A Year to Remember) with only a muffled riff or two escaping through the swinging doors to be heard.

Second to grace the stage were The Academy Is…. The last time they played in Perth was almost exactly a year ago (minus a day) to a crowd of hundreds supporting Panic at the Disco at Challenge Stadium. Able to hold their own, they played a very entertaining set to the pleasure of all the screaming girls that have followed them from their teens. The largest cries came when We’ve Got a Big Mess On Our Hands from their previous album Santi resonated around the room and frontman William Beckett got his strut on, swinging the microphone around, throwing it up in the air and catching it again. Singing along to the tarzan-like cry of, “Ah” the crowd pointed and moshed to the beat that called for power kicks in the air. To finish their set they played About a Girl to which Beckett leapt off the stage and on to the barricades to be fondled by fans who couldn’t get enough of the small framed singer. Returning to the stage sans a couple of buttons, exposing his stomach he hyped up the audience one last time swinging the microphone stand around by the cord and lifted it up like a proverbial sword whilst bathed in the spotlight, ending spectacularly.

Roadies had not yet left the stage before band members of Florida’s punk/rock band Anberlin spilled on to the dimly lit stage to rapturous applause from the bodies squeezed into the barricades, picking up their guitars as they went. Starting with The Resistance, a heavy rock number we saw lead singer Stephen Christian ascend from behind drummer Nate Young and tear up the stage. A blur of movement, you could hardly take your eyes off this seasoned and excitable performer. From beginning to end you could feel the energy and emotion that the front man exuded like a beacon of light. It seemed that this infectious behaviour translated to members Deon Rexroat, Christian McAlhaney and Joseph Milligan as Christian’s interactions with each of them brought them to life for Adelaide, also bringing the best out of everyone in the pit that by now was off their butts and on their feet for the tribute to our neighbouring capital city.

Halfway through their set they gave the audience a rest, slowing it down with engaging ballads Inevitable that induced images of young love and The Unwinding Cable Car which although beautiful in sound, spoke of subjects such as deception and salvation without sounding sinister. In a beautiful moment, looking down from the balcony, the whole crowd from the front to back sung along to the emotive songs swaying slowly like a gentle, rippling ocean of bodies with lighters popping up here and there. Almost drawing to a close they amped it up with 2007 hit Godspeed which had the patrons in the centre of the floor break out into a violent circle pit prompting people to part to avoid getting caught up. Un-phased by what was happening down below the members of Anberlin played on like champions finishing off with Feel Good Drag with the audience still moving like animals in a feeding frenzy. Belting out the last words with eyes closed, Christian closed the song before exiting the stage with his fellow members.

A chant of, “One more song!” came from the fans lined up against the front of the stage and a cardboard sign saying – œFIN’ waved about. No sooner had the lights gone off when they came back on again signalling the return of the band to the stage. The request for (*Fin) was answered with a wide applause of deafening screams. At this point in the night the band were as involved as ever as they ran around the stage thrashing about with their instruments. Before the song reached the climactic moment another circle pit inappropriately broke out prompting raised eyebrows as it wasn’t exactly a face paced song. Hit after hit, Anberlin played a tight set that showed how honest and true a band should and could be. A highly recommended act to go see if you’re big on the genre, and even better if you’re a fan because they seem to make good choices in what ends up on their setlist.