Live Review: The Gaslight Anthem, Dave Hause

Dave Hause stood alone on stage, an acoustic guitar one side, an electric the other. It was a simple set, but there were plenty of patrons in the house early and playing his working class, one-man, rock'n'roll with charm, he was bound to win over Gaslight Anthem fans. When he paused mid-song to help a guy down the front find his friend and when he split the crowd for a sing-off, he showed off the easy-going personality that you could hear in his music.

Since their last show in Sydney, The Gaslight Anthem have traded up. While the step up from the Metro to the Enmore isn't huge, this version of the band sounds like it belongs in a stadium. There was very few moments that had the subtle grace that could be found in their early shows. Instead, this was a rock'n'roll powerhouse. Though this approach lost some of the blue-eyed soul quality of frontman Brian Fallon's voice because it was buried so far into the mix, it gave the band an explosive power that pushed songs along with a relentless energy. Besides, who really needs a singer to stand out that much when 2,500 people are adding their voices to songs such as The '59 Sound, Handwritten, Blue Jeans And White T-Shirts and The Backseat?

Covering songs from every era of the band, Fallon and co. looked relaxed to be back in Australia where their songs about guys, girls and guitars have reached new audiences with every new album release. Though making it to the Enmore is no mean feat, this is clearly a band with even bigger ambitions and, on their performance here, hopefully next tour they're given the chance to step up again.