After listening to their album (a bunch of times), and reading article after article (and blog after blog) about them, I was really curious to see how the young Raleigh North Carolina band, Annuals pulled everything together live on stage. After what I saw on Tuesday night, it seems like all of the hype surrounding this band is warranted.
The band came out firing, blazing through renditions of 'Bleary Eyed', 'complete or Completing' and 'Fair'. Their on stage energy was exceptional throughout the show, and it seemed like lead singer (and keyboard's/percussionist) Adam Baker was walking a thinning tightrope between chaos and utter insanity all night. Baker, definitely the ringleader of the band, drove the band forward with his emotional yelps, and inspired keyboards (and when the time was right, percussion) playing.
Highlights of the show included some awesome percussion sessions, which, at times included 4 members of the band (on two different drum sets). The lead guitarist, Kenny Florence, was also exceptional throughout the show. Of course, the performance of their single, 'Brother' was a high point of the concert, and they pulled it off effectively-- leaving little to be desired from the album version.
Although not on the same level as some of the bands they are currently drawing comparisons from (see Arcade Fire), they definitely have the potential to get there soon. Look out for this band to take over in the near future.
--Also, congrats to Justin, who won the first ever Climate Change ticket giveaway... (hopefully there will be more to come in the future)
Bonus: a new Annuals song (recorded live via Pitchfork) -- I'm pretty sure this was played at their show in Seattle too.
Annuals - Do You Like It (live)
