Concert Review: Anderson East (Underground Charlotte)

BY SAM DARWIN

It's not unusual for Charlotte's The Underground to be a warm place to be during the crisp North Carolina winter, but if you were within throwing distance of the venue this past Friday you may have experienced a little more heat than normal with Anderson East's Maybe We Never Die tour with support from Bendigo Fletcher.

Bendigo Fletcher, a five-piece group from Louisville, Kentucky opened the show- and the group drummed up feelings of young love, self-preservation, and losing yourself in nature as they played through their tour set promoting their full-length debut album, Fits Of Laughter. Bendigo Fletcher's sound is trampy, funky, and heart-breaking and their performance at The Underground was just that and more. The group traipsed through songs like "Sugar In The Creek," "Birding," and "Evergreen," with playfulness and joy the audience couldn't help but smile at. Even the more somber moments of the show were punctuated with aching harmonies and musicality. The energy in The Underground as their performance came to a close was that of a room of people striking gold they didn't know they were looking for with a new artist to watch, new music to explore, and Ryan Anderson's windmill-like dance moves to give a try later.

Bendigo Fletcher closed the night by generously thanking the audience and exiting the stage for the headliner, Anderson East.

Born in Alabama but Nashville-based, the singer-songwriter Anderson East is on tour with his newly released and squeaky-clean record, Maybe We Never Die. A welcome departure of form for the artist who has grown his career on his classic style and voice, Maybe We Never Die challenges East's vintage appeal and compliments it with modern finishes and a heavy R&B influence. East certainly hasn't lost any sense of what got him notoriety though, starting off the show with hits "Devil In Me," and "Satisfy Me" from his earlier albums, just in case anyone forgot what he was all about. The crowd couldn't get enough of East and danced along with him as he flitted through "Madelyn," "Hood of My Car," and finished the night with "This Too Shall Last." Backed up with heavy bass, horns, and drums, East put on an electric and powerhouse performance celebrating musical style, the distance between lovers, and sweet, silky smooth vocals.

Both artists bring their own brand of Southern Charm and warmth to the stage and are certainly worth checking out next time they're in town.

SAM DARWIN
Sam Darwin is a photographer, writer and travel-enthusiast from Cameron, NC. Based in Charlotte, she enjoys uncovering the quirks of the city and meeting the people who make it special.

Follow Sam on Instagram at @panosamic.