Live Review: The Gaslight Anthem, Dave Hause

Entering the Palace to the strains of Philadelphia punk stalwart Dave Hause and his acoustic guitar, it is amazing to see how packed the venue already is for the support act. The crowd sings along as he belts out “come on kid, come on” and he leaves the stage with a “have a great fucking night”.

Finding some kind of view of the stage just in time, The Gaslight Anthem stroll out to the sound of INXS' Mystify which is quickly replaced with the title-track of their latest album, Handwritten. From the time lead singer Brian Fallon opens his mouth the crowd are right there with him for every word. As the New Jersey outfit let the final notes of Even Cowgirls Get The Blues ring out, Fallon addresses the crowd for the first time, telling us that the band never play the same set twice. And his words sound true as the group keep up a relentless pace, pushing through standouts from all four of their albums, though favouring their latest release and the breakout sophomore effort, The '59 Sound.

After the band have run through half-a-dozen songs it becomes clear that despite touring with three guitarists, it is the rhythm section who are driving this huge sound. Drummer Benny Horowitz is surprisingly versatile with his languid but hard hitting style, while bassist Alex Levine is given a lot of prominence in the mix. There is of course something to be said for Fallon's earnest voice as well, which manages to continually hold the attention of the punters packed into the three tiers of the Palace.

A slow and stormy version of old track Angry Johnny And The Radio is a personal highlight, although this is followed by something a little strange. After quietening the crowd to hear an audience member deliver some kind of bird call/wolf whistle directed at bassist Levine, Fallon notices a few heated audience members shaping up to each other. Some of the sting is taken out of the venue as Fallon defuses the situation through an open dialogue with the offenders, but once the band launch back into their set the electricity regenerates instantaneously.

Though they have been playing for near on 90 minutes it seems all too soon when the band exits the stage after finishing with Keepsake. This feeling is pushed further when they take a considerable break before their encore. This is forgotten though when the band return to again play some older tracks, including crowd favourite 1930. A live show for the rock purists from a band who manage to bring a slice of America's heartland to Melbourne.