Anberlin – Neck Of The Woods: February 20, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)
Anberlin, the Florida alt‑rock outfit whose catalogue swings between emo confessionals, widescreen anthems, and polished melodic rock, returned to Auckland after a long absence for a bustling tightly packed show, the kind where crowd energy becomes part of the performance.
Touring off the back of the Never Take Friendship Personal 20th Anniversary cycle, the band arrived with the assurance of artists who have embraced their legacy rather than becoming trapped by it.
The First Child
Local Emo torchbearers The First Child opened the night with a set that immediately set the room on edge — in a good way. Their blend of emotional intensity, angular riffs, and cathartic dynamics felt right at home in a venue like Neck of the Woods, where rawness reads as honesty rather than roughness. They performed with the confidence of a band whose fanbase is clearly growing and several early arrivals near the stage front already knew the words. Sharp guitar lines, a complex rhythm section, and an emotionally direct vocal delivery made them an excellent tonal bridge into Anberlin — darker, heavier, and more urgent than a standard warm‑up act but matched well to the night’s emotional palette. Top songs were probably Violent Delight and Crab Men but all nine were delivered with commitment. By the time they wrapped up, the room was already warm and the crowd was milling with anticipation.
Anberlin
Anberlin hit the stage with a bang. Matty Mullins on lead vocals, with Stephen Christian still on touring hiatus, the shift was noticeable but never distracting and from the first smile Mullins had the audience enthralled. Mullins leans into the heavier edges of the catalogue, giving tracks like Godspeed and Audrey, Start the Revolution! an urgency that plays really well in a small room. He respected the melodic contours of Christian’s delivery but didn’t mimic, bringing his own grit and phrasing.
The crowd accepted him fully. When the opening chords of Never Take Friendship Personal hit, the entire room sang with the kind of full‑throated enthusiasm that made it clear no one was there to critique lineups — they were there to feel these songs again and dance.
From Paperthin Hymn through Stationary Stationary, Symphony of Blasé, A Day Late, The Runaways to Time & Confusion the set maintained a sense of relentless forward motion that Anberlin have always excelled at. Nathan Young’s drumming kept everything taut and propulsive, Co-founder, Deon Rexroat laid down tubthumping bass, while Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney wove those classic, delay‑rich guitar textures that defined their mid‑2000s rise. Even in the compressed space of NOTW, the band managed to make the arrangements feel wide, urgent, and cinematic.
The Feel Good Drag delivered mid set became the shared experience everyone knew was coming. The crowd didn’t just sing it; they claimed it.
Two songs became emotional anchors: – Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen arrived like a cold breath in a hot room — understated, reflective, and beautifully delivered.- A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius gave Mullins a chance to lean into the emotional weight of the material, hitting the big notes without overplaying the sentiment. These were the points where drama gave way to something more immediate and affecting.
The back end and encores delivered the expected adrenaline: The Resistance, High Stakes, Impossible and Godspeed all hit like practiced knockout blows. And of course, by now the crowd was well and truly jumping and singing, hands waving in the air.
The night was delayed by a staggering 40 minutes due to technology issues. For The First Child the vocals were little lost. But for Anberlin the mix held up surprisingly balanced for such a lively space — vocals clear, bass punchy, guitars wide without becoming muddy. Lighting stayed modest, allowing the music and crowd energy to carry the night.
Anberlin in 2026 is a band fully comfortable in their skin, capable of delivering an anthemic show that feels fresh and energised. There was strong audience connection — the exact currency that keeps bands like Anberlin relevant regardless of shifts in trends and the passage of time.
John Hastings
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Thiago Alencar:
Anberlin:
The First Child:
