Review: Anberlin at Workplay
Recently, I attended the Anberlin show at Workplay for the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Never Take Friendship Personal. I had seen them on that album tour back in 2006 at a small venue called the Homewood Armory with a crowd of less than 100. It had to be seven or eight times that amount this particular night.
The factors of it all play ripe for a big ole nostalgia fest. Gen Xers and millennials donning old band t-shirts, reconnecting with friends, bringing their kids, and drinking IPAs they said they never would when they were straight-edge.
But this night felt bigger. It felt like the moment where truly getting lost in the music was possible again.
As Anberlin sang in “Time and Confusion”: “And it feels like we could last forever/And I’m not doing this alone.”
Opener and Anberlin’s Tooth & Nail brethren Watashi Wa still rested on their angelic harmonies and elevated reverb guitars, tight as ever and just like the records. The bass player’s beard was almost as impressive as the music itself. There was an extra epic synchronized jam in Eager Seas’ “Always on Your Side.” Frontman Seth Roberts ended the song with a call for unity.
The emotive pop-alternative of the solid “Indian Lovers” riff riled us up as the drums crashing in. Next up was new song “Press Rewind,” which successfully updated their 2000s sound for the 2020s. Then, the pounding drum beat of “Broadland” carried to the quiet loud parts of the verse and chorus. Seth then led the crowd in a cacophony of chants of “Hey!” leading to a dash to the end. The band ended with an extended version of “When We Were Younger.”
Emery opened with an absolutely scorching take on a classic Weak’s End hit, “The Ponytail Parades.” My wife, who is not a screaming music fan, said they sounded good. High praise.
They rolled straight into “The Party Song.” “We love it,” said lead singer Toby Morrell.
As I looked up at the stage, I was slightly stunned. I seriously thought the percussionist/screamer was with Workplay. Toby picked up an acoustic guitar for the next song, which included an absolutely incredible quiet loud breakdown from the band. Toby talked about a bike accident where he crashed and lost his pants. He also talked about shoulder pain but that he’s having a great time.
Toby lavished praise on ’68, who are on their last tour. Toby surged into into “The Air Tonight” two-thirds into the song, which melds into a sizzling guitar solo. “We like playing songs in our age bracket,” he quipped. “I can’t lift my hands, but you can,” he continued.
“Studying Politics” really revved the crowd with a chorus of “uh-ohs.” Another crowd-led interaction of clapping into the chorus followed. Toby ended with a golf swing.
“Let’s get wild, Birmingham,” as they exploded into their final and most popular song, “Walls,” though the crowd was a little less violent than they probably were in 2004. The song descended into an epic screaming match between Toby and the percussionist.
My friends and I were not familiar with the next band, ’68. Then, we realized the lead singer was Josh Scogin, the former singer of legendary post-hardcore bands, Norma Jean and The Chariot. Barely a few minutes into their set, Josh was hurling his guitar into the air. Like his sonic experimentation with The Chariot, he used unique instruments like a theremin to showcase his wildly chaotic musical ideas.
One thing that was different was how he and the drummer played the entire set facing each other. We admittedly had to take a break (even my friend and I, who grew up on this kind of music), but it was definitely cool to see Josh play.
Anberlin walked out to the soundtrack of Annihilation and an ominous light show as they surged into “Never Take Friendship.” Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins made a perfect replacement for Stephen Christian.
“Paperthin Hymn” provided soaring harmonies. “Stationary, Stationary” was a devastatingly distorted pop epic. “(The Symphony of) Blas” showcased ethereal riffage that dove into a reverb-drenched glow of guitars and steady drums.
I noticed throughout that Matty was incredibly expressive with his hands. He talked about the opportunity to sing with the band touring a record that changed his life.
“A Day Late” pulled out of the relief of “Symphony” into a throttled tune with gang vocals.
“The Runaways” picked things up even more. By this point, the stage is soaked in lights of red. “Time & Confusion,” my personal favorite Anberlin song, had a contagious energy that transported me back to the Armory. “I feel like I’m 16,” my wife exclaimed.
“If you haven’t heard this next song, I don’t know why you’re here,” Matty said as they launched into fiery version of their biggest hit, “Feel Good Drag.” A solid guitar solo preceded as he let the crowd take the chorus. Then, the original guitarist spoke on the band’s history and gratitude for fans. The album’s final song, “Audrey Start The Revolution!” was perfect for a Friday night.
The encore featured fan favorites like “Godspeed,” but Matty also told a story about listening to a demo that never made it on the record that they recently released as “High Stakes.” It was an excellent addition to the Anberlin catalog.
A night like that leaves you in disbelief. But just like you were younger, it keeps you hungry for the next show.
Chris K. Davidson is a writer and musician in Birmingham.
Photos by Andrew Wade.