LIVE REVIEW: LANY – 256 Wickham

After LANY’s Brisbane show last year, lead singer Paul Klein took to Twitter to exclaim how the Australian crowd made the intimate gig one of his favourite shows ever. A big statement for a guy who has non-stopped toured the world since the release of their breakthrough single ‘ILYSB’. But in the lead up to their sold out return to Brisbane, the local crowd knew they had to turn up the energy to live up to his expectations, and they did.

With a countdown lighting up the LED screens, the band walked onstage to piercing screams and launched straight into ‘Thick And Thin’ from their new album ‘Malibu Nights’. The beginning of their set saw them taking their fans for a walk down memory lane with songs from their debut album and early EP’s like ‘Good Girls’, ‘4EVER!’, ‘Yea, Babe, No Way’ as well as new track ‘I Don’t Wanna Love You Anymore’.

With the excitement levels in the venue feeling electric, Klein yelled “What’s up Australia?” before professing his love for Brisbane after their last tour down under. The visuals for this show were very well thought out with them perfectly synchronised to the pulsating tracks. With the footage they included, they were able to create a unique aesthetic that represented the hopeful vibe their live show has created after a devastating heartbreak. ‘Taking Me Back’ even saw them using a karaoke visual theme which was very fun and cute.

The most interesting thing about this live show was that ‘Malibu Nights’ was a heartbreak record that heard Klein finding peace in his sorrow. But in the live show they have created such a euphoric vibe that represents hope and new beginnings. With the crowd screaming along to every lyric and dancing away to his pain, there is a level of hurt which is lifted from the songs. However some songs are still clearly a little painful for him to sing with ‘Valentines Day’ reducing him to tears which was a very genuine moment.

With 23 shows left of their world tour, they still gave their all in every moment with ‘Run’, ‘The Breakup’, ‘Pink Skies’, ’Super Far’ and ‘Malibu Nights’ creating some huge singalongs. With the show coming to an end they closed the electric gig with ‘Thru These Tears’ and ‘ILYSB’ which saw them ending on an uplifting note.

With the crowd not wanting it to end, the band also seemed to not want the show to end either as the crowded venue had this unique energy running through it.

Check out the full gallery captured by Kirsten Roe Photography HERE;