Annuals : Live
Written by Chris Fore
Friday, 19 January 2007
 Kicking off their tour supporting The Dears and showing off their increasingly popular album, Be He Me, Annuals recently played the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.  It was part of their recent upswing of success that had them performing on Conan O'Brien's show a couple nights afterwards.   
This was a well-earned upgrade from the tiny show at T.T. the Bear's last time they were here.  With a full six members on stage full of vigor, it really did feel like this group of "kids" (none older than 22) really were something great continuing to bud. 

For such a young group, they show no signs of amateurity or shyness.  Each member seemed to enjoy their performance, either dancing or bouncing with a grin the entire time.  They triumphantly rolled through "Complete or Completing", a mini-anthem that soared between both ends of stage.  "Brother" started off slow then exploded.  Showing off their versatility, frontman Adam Baker and keyboardist Anna Spence switched Korgs a few times throughout the set, and Zack Oden alternated between a second drum kit and a guitar for most of the show.   They were even confident enough to play a song that they hadn't played "in two and a half years".

Their performance went very smoothly - the only real issue was Kenny Florence's amp that was "stuck in a sine wave", but it was unnoticeable anyway as he played in a variety of positions, including on his knees.  You could tell that the band was really into it.  As was the crowd, even though the venue was about 75% full, everyone was paying 100% attention.

As they play bigger venues, and find more success, it doesn't appear that it will affect how they play their magnetic songs.  They perform like each show could be their last, even though that won't be for a long time.  


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Album Reviews » Annuals : Such Fun
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