Anberlin,
Manning Bar Sydney 15/06/07.

My mates and I had been counting down from the day we spotted the news in drum media that Anberlin were touring our corner of the globe, and so it was with the weight of this expectation that I witnessed this all-ages show on a wet and cold Friday night. All ages shows, for me, generally mean going further for a drink and not being able to drink inside, but for a band like Anberlin I will move past this minor inconvenience, and let the kids have their fun too.

First impressions on entering Manning Bar was the sheer number of punters with the under-agers clearly outweighing the adult contingent,
some decked out in home-made oversized Anberlin singlets which highlights the loyalty of following this band has inspired in many fans. I was disappointed to miss Angela’s Dish as I’ve heard good things, but I must say Copeland didn’t grab my attention and I headed to the bar.

Admittedly I haven’t heard their tunes before and I’m of the belief that to fully immerse yourself in a live show you should be familiar with a band’s catalogue. After an impromptu sing-along to Bro Hymn Tribute that was started by a roadie on bass, the overhead lights dimmed and Anberlin took to the stage to rapturous applause, looking trendy as ever in painfully tight jeans and deliberately styled fringes and the opener a whisper and a clamour off their latest, Cities, didn’t disappoint.

The – œIt’s not the lies that you sing, it’s what the silence will scream’ of the bridge had the mosh pit undulating. From there the guys leaned heavily on their current release throughout the set but my highlight was Paper-thin hymn from Never Take Friendship Personal and I was forced to rush the mosh for the opening riff. Acoustics were unveiled for Unwinding cable car which highlighted Front man Stephen Christian’s serious vocal skills and throughout the show he was well-mannered and ridiculously friendly, as far as rock-singers come, and though there was no overtly Christian banter, the mood was definitely one of camaraderie which was really unique (maybe a bit weird). A mate of mine likened his positive attitude to Jimmy from South Park’s comedy routine and his catchphrase – œwow, what a great audience’.

That aside, as an unashamedly Christian band, it was refreshing to not have their message rammed down your throat and the show was entertaining regardless of creed. Finishing the first part of the set with Dismantle Repair and Godspeed had the crowd fired up as Drummer Nathan Young hit the skins as if angry, and he packs a serious punch for a man with the build of a female catwalk model, while new guitarist Christian (is there a theme here?) combined well with Anberlin stalwarts Dean and Joseph for a tight and very loud rock sound.

Encore time came around and out came the acoustics for a skilful recreation of Fin, the closer to Cities. Bizarrely though, the guys decided to finish with an acoustic cover of Creep by Radiohead. Although Stephen showed off an extremely impressive set of pipes, one was left feeling a little let down that they didn’t finish with some of their own rocking material, omitting the Feelgood Drag from the playlist. All in all though it was a show where Anberlin did what they do best, playing upbeat rock to an enthusiastic crowd and it should be noted that this was possibly the last time the band will tour through smaller venues like Manning Bar, as Cities has reached the US Top twenty and they could be on the brink of some serious success and notoriety. The message? Maybe nice guys can finish first, or at least on the podium.