Anberlin, Hawthorne Heights @ The Gov, Adelaide 23/1/2024
As the mercury soared to over forty degrees probably the last thing that most people would be thinking would be heading out to a packed rock ‘n roll gig! That did stop the faithful heading to The Gov, which was close to a full house, for a big night of music. There was plenty of value for money with three great bands with each bringing their on legion of fans and supporters.
Opening act The Word Alive set the bar right from the outset and even at the very early start of seven o’clock there were plenty of fans there to check them out. The word on the street was correct that they would be one of those bands you have to see and arguably could have headlined their own show here. Plenty of energy and they really got the crowd going with their brand of metalcore. Singles Strange Love, New Reality, Nocturnal Future and Misery were awesome topped off by set closer One Of Us.
Hawthorne Heights have a big following here in Adelaide and looked genuinely excited to get reacquainted with fans having not been here since 2019. Straight out of the blocks with This Is Who We Are and Saying Sorry. Singer JT Woodruff said that there was so much to talk about since 2019 and looked out to the crowd saying they had “all grown up”. He also hoped that Hawthorne Heights is still “a good part of your life” and that their set would be full of “emo throw back bangers” encouraging fans to forget about the outside world for the next little while. That’s the power of their music is being able to connect with people particularly with songs such as Hard To Breathe and Constant Dread.
Having spent the day at Hallot Cove they returned “sunburnt as fuck” but were thankful not being in the midst of winter and a lot of snow back home right now. Pens And Needles and Niki FM were great moments. Their fans now have “adult emo problems” with JT telling the faithful to hit the mute button and every bad person (on social media) will turn to dust which led in to new tune Dandelions. Finishing their set on big fan favourite Ohio Is For Lovers JT promised he would be at the merch desk for hand shakes, fist bumps, hugs, photos and autographs to take the whole fan experience to another level making it even more memorable.
It was a hero like reception as Anberlin took the stage and with singer Stephen Christian recently announcing an indefinite hiatus from touring these Australian shows take on greater meaning giving fans the opportunity to give him a big send off. There definitely seems to be an affinity between Anberlin and Australian fans with Christian saying that this was their eleventh tour down under. Hitting the stage with Christian saying “lose your voice with me, let’s go” it was on. Opening with The Resistance followed by Never Take Friendship Personal and Paperthin Hymn. Suggesting it was a little hot Christian was insistent on making this “the night of our lives”.
Two Graves was solid as was the crowd getting in to and clapping along to Impossible. Thanking the crowd for making Anberlin of their lives Christian spoke of the Joy Division song Love Will Tear Us Apart and how it took him back to an exact moment in time hoping that their music does the same. The crowd loved them, they danced, sung, sung loud and relished every moment of the show. The Unwinding Cable Car proved popular as was Inevitable. Their set seemed to whiz by pretty quick charging through Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen and Dismantle.Repair. with a reference to their white outfits as being “NSYNC Circa 1990”.
As the finish line approaches there was time for Godspeed, Lacerate, Feel Good Drag and finishing on (*Fin) with Christian saying “thank you for being unforgettable, we won’t forget you”. With the crowd revved up and chanting for one more the band returned for an encore playing Adelaide off their Cities album to wrap a big night of music. It will be interesting to see where to from here for Anberlin.
Live Review By Rob Lyon