It is Friday night in Sydney I am more then beyond excited then just a regular Friday excitement as for tonight one of my all time favourite scene bands Taking Back Sunday are in town touring off the back of their latest release Tidal Wave. Touring with TBS is a band I have never seen before but have listened to their album Phantoms many times so to say I am very much looking forward to this is an understatement.

This is the first time Acceptance have been to Australia ever, although not for every member as for guitarist Christian has been here with his other band Anberlin who were always loved and welcomed when they toured. It was good to witness such a large crowd in attendance for Acceptance so many had left the bar to come witness history as they unleashed an awesome mix of songs from the new album and the cult classic Phantoms. You had to see the smile not only on my face and the crowds but the band they were loving it up on the stage and we were loving hearing live for the first time genre defining tracks like Take Cover and So Contagious. The sound in the room is just perfect what a show I really hope we get to see them some time again.

Okay so I don’t know how Taking Back Sunday expect to top the set I just saw from Acceptance but they do let me make that clear. From the opening track Death Wolf then straight into Liar Adam Lazzara had his stage presence known and that signature mic swing of his was in full effect. The epic set list was a mix of greatest and new stuff from Tidal Wave which went over quite well. But I must insist it was the classics that like A Decade Under The Influence, What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost, Timberwolves At New Jersey, You’re So Last Summer, Better Homes And Gardens and the older the song was the harder the crowd went most notably Faith (When I Let You Down) a shining example of this.

Just like the band before Taking Back Sunday had a sound that left the stage and filled up the Enmore and touched you inside although noticeably missing was guitarist Eddie but that didn’t take anything away from what was an epic set and performance from these New York kings of the scene. There was no bullshit encore as Adam puts it no leaving the stage and pretending they aren’t coming back but that didn’t stop the cheeky Sydney crowd from letting out the one more song chant regardless. I for one am so glad they did give us more Taking Back Sunday goodness because out of this most epic greatest hits set there was one song I was dying to still hear and they delivered with Cute Without The E after which they finished it all off with MakeDamnSure.

Gone are the days of sweeping fringes and excessive eyeliner but this huge Sydney crowd showed they are all still former emo kids at heart.  Just like the crowds fashion has evolved so has the sound of TBS they show how they are the torch bearer of how a band who were Kings of the early scene can still make new great music and deliver classic old hits that still mean so much and put on one hell of a show. So to the rest of Australia thinking about checking this tour out “make damn sure” you don’t miss out.  

Review – Chad

Photo Gallery– Christian Ross