Never Let You Go

Anberlin

Often, it takes doing something new to make you remember what you love about the old stuff you do. For Winter Haven, Florida melodic rockers Anberlin, this came by way of their recent Lite tour that they worked across their American homeland from the east to west coast. Though they've offered this side to fans briefly, even as part of their An Evening With tour Down Under in 2011, they used these dates as an opportunity to give longstanding fans 90 minutes of the band's music in a different light: an evening driven by acoustic guitars, auxiliary drums, keys and a refined vibe.

One would have a strong position to argue the point, though, that Anberlin's music more than lends itself to such sessions, what with the huge choruses, considered bridges and a quiet/loud stadium dynamic that has earmarked itself as the quintet's signature. Frontman Stephen Christian agrees, though he's at pains to admit it. “I would like to believe so but I don't think that's something that you can self-analyse, y'know, pat yourself on the back and say, 'Look how good I am'. I know personally that I look at the other guys in the band, the musicianship, and a lot of what they do live other bands can't pull off. They have to have drum machines or tracks or it has to be really loud. But these guys are just incredible musicians; I can definitely brag on that.”

Keeping it fresh is vital, however, and it's endeavours like Anberlin Lite that have helped the group carry on with relentless momentum for more than a decade. “I think it's more important for us in the band than it is the fans. I don't know if [our fans] would care either way, but for us as a band, this isn't our job, this is still our passion. And there's a big difference – if this was our job we could do it run of the mill and half-arse it every night. But people can tell, people can look up on stage and see if you really believe what you're singing about; they can look at the stage and go, 'What, is this band put together; do they even care if they're here tonight?' So we don't want to phone it in, we don't want to be fake. We try our best to be as genuine as possible and I think part of that is just enjoying what we do – love what you do and do what you love. I think that's why people like Anberlin, because we're not rock stars and we try to sing about stuff that we go through and that people can relate with, so if all that becomes a facade then I think that's the day this whole thing starts to crumble.”

Although maintaining enthusiasm is paramount for Anberlin, don't expect a Vital-heavy set during their forthcoming shows. The musclier and at times darker 2012 record will still get decent play, but the band's setlists are always structured with the fans in mind, regardless of what album they're supposed to be 'promoting'. “I think it is [important to do that]. I think if not you alienate, you think you're better than them. It's obnoxious. Radiohead is probably [in the] top three of my favourite bands – I love their music. But they don't play any of their radio songs and it's just kinda like, 'Well, that's how I found you. If it wasn't for your radio success I wouldn't be at this concert tonight; you wouldn't have my money, I wouldn't be buying this T-shirt, I wouldn't have your sticker on my car, so why don't you just indulge us as fans, as followers, as believers of your music?' So in that aspect, we want to play it all. We want to play the music that the fans found us with.”

And you can be assured that those favourites – pulled from the group's six-record catalogue – are going to be delivered with vigour and conviction, traits that Anberlin's live shows have always held. Christian himself couldn't imagine anything less. “If you're not going to give it all then don't give anything. If you're not going to put it all [on the line] on stage and be exhausted when you walk off and ready to collapse on the bed then just don't even get on stage. These are the moments we live for, we dream for, and people would give their right arm to even go to Australia once, let alone many times, so if we're not going to pour it all [out] then [we should] just stay at home, just quit, just go find another job.”

This is where Anberlin circa 2013 are at. The dynamic and chemistry among members remains as strong as ever. New music isn't even on the radar. All that's in the planner are dates, cities, venues; the chance to live their dreams over and over, week after week. Returning to what they call their “second home”, the Floridians are excited to continue a love affair that stretches back almost their entire career. And like everything during our interview, Christian is unhesitant to let his emotions be known, showering praise down on Aussie audiences while recalling the moment this relationship first started blossoming.

“If there was ever a day, if we were going to break up, we would consider ending our whole career in Australia – that's how much we love it,” he gushes. “It's just a different feel. Australia and Anberlin, I think we fell in love at the same time. We had never ventured outside the United States as a band, and [then] here we [were] in the middle of Adelaide, and we go upstairs and we sell out this little club and we were, like, floored; we had no idea that anyone had even heard of Anberlin. We go thousands of miles away [from home] and people are screaming along every word; and it was this feeling, like we are from a much smaller town than Adelaide, we are 27,000 people in our little city, and yet we're halfway around the world and people loved us. That's why I think there's such a mutual respect and adoration, and that's why we're always like, 'When are we going back, when are we going back, let's go back'. It was just like one of those moments when you find the girl you love, you just hold on with both hands, and that's what Anberlin and Australia are like.”