Anberlin
Coming out to pre-recorded intro music has become something of a cliché for rock bands, but the ambient sounds that filled the Manchester club academy to welcome Anberlin to the stage set the mood for the 60 minute spectacle that was about to follow.
We Owe This to Ourselves was a fitting choice for the opening track to the performance, it features as the opening track to the latest album, Dark is a Way, Light is a Place, and demonstrates the new direction the band’s sound is taking. The melodic verses leading to a thick, textured scream along chorus’s and the fast tempo punchy vocals to match, confirmed the pace of the show.
Frontman Stephen Christian wasted no time at all, diving into the crowd during their second song, pleasing the front row. Never missing a note, Christian’s vocals didn’t falter, leading the audience along who clapped when they were told to clap, and sang whenever they felt like it. However, it wasn’t until Anberlin played songs from their back catalogue, such as Disappear and Dismantle Repair, that both the band and the crowd got fully warmed up.
Though the fans seemed to react much more vibrantly to the older tracks, it seemed the band were most comfortable when playing songs from their new album. The musicianship seemed tighter, the vocal melodies neater and more fitting to the style of music they have adopted. It was during the performances of Art of War and Take Me, that the band revealed their emotional, ballad loving side. Some of the best moments of the night happened in these songs, when Anberlin were in mid-chorus full swing, with the whole of the band harmonising perfectly, piano chords ringing through the mix and huge distortion driven guitar chords leading the simple but effective melodies.
Anberlin have been doing what they do best since 2002, their fifth and latest studio album, charted in at number eight on the US billboard charts. Their huge Christian following is enough to gain them massive sell-out crowds in the US, but a lack of that Christian support in England means that, like this evening, venues will be downsized and listeners will be harder to come by. This is a huge shame, because the dedicated fans that did appear to support Anberlin tonight were greeted with a genuine, heartfelt and exciting performance, that more people should have the pleasure of witnessing in future. Tell all your friends.
Words : Edward Lewis
Photos : Mark Forrer