Reviewed by Andy Shaw

After studio albums Emery are established veterans of the post-hardcore scene and this live album, released on their own BadChristian Music, features acoustic renditions of some of their biggest hits. There are eight tracks with the set list taking in songs from the first four Emery records. There is a real relaxed and intimate feel throughout the record demonstrated by some of the chat and laughter between songs with the band and crowd clearly having fun. Opener "Ponytails Parades" starts strong with the vocal interplay and harmonies standing out stronger than ever over the technical acoustic guitar riffs. The temptation when playing acoustic may be to simplify the instrumentation but that is not true here with the interplay of the guitars, vocals and drums as technical as ever on "Can't Stop The Killer". The band show their sense of humour with throwing in a country rendition of "Studying Politics" with the twang in the vocals getting progressively stronger as the song progresses. The album finishes with "Walls" which is probably the heaviest track attempted in the set list and didn't quite translate to an acoustic setting as well. If you are a fan of Emery, as I am, then I can thoroughly recommend this album as it shows off the strength of some of the band's best songs. If you are new to Emery I suggest this probably isn't the best starting point.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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