"for King + Country: A Drummer Boy Christmas - Live" Review

Audio By Carbonatix

The onscreen directions at the beginning of the new concert feature for King + Country  Drummer Boy: Christmas Live are simple. The words state, “Welcome. Sit. Stand. Sing. Dance. Let’s usher in the Christmas season together.” For the approximately ninety minutes that follow, for King + Country attempt to do the latter, offering up a series of songs and stories about Christmas and faith.

for King + Country, the musical duo composed of brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone perform onstage for most of the concert film but are oftentimes joined members of their musical ensemble. Early on, Joel tells the jam-packed crowd watching the live concert that “we’re gonna give it our all this evening for you” and throughout the concert, they do offering some of their songs along with a few Christmas classics.

The songs include Baby Boy, God Only Knows and Little Drummer Boy, which comes at the concert’s climax. The feature highlights the voices of the brothers and their undeniable chemistry with one another. The concert also offers a wonderful visual element to the story with a beautiful array of colors serving as the backgrounds to many of the songs. Without detracting from the voices themselves, the lighting hues add an extra dimension to the proceedings.

There are a number of stylistic touches that also add emphasis to the songs. For instance, the musicians rise on a platform high above the audience for a beautiful rendition of Silent Night. The performance of Little Drummer Boy features the brothers on separate platforms high above the stage as Phoenix, Luke’s young son, takes center stage with his drum. Elements like these add to the dramatic flair of the songs themselves.

There are also a few great personal touches that allow the artists onstage to connect with the audiences. Early on, the duo talk about growing up in Australia and their first experience with snow during the Christmas season. Additionally, they later introduce the whole ensemble and perform Go Tell it on the Mountain, which is one of the film’s highlights.           

Because it’s a concert film and there are only a few moments that the artists talk about themselves, the movie might not be as interesting for those who don’t know much about the brothers or their music. Throughout the entire film, the artists are onstage or performing in the aisles so there isn’t a lot of time to understand the behind-the-scenes dynamics at play here or get to appreciate all of the personalities of the talented ensemble.

Considering that, this concert documentary will likely please fans of the band or those who enjoy Christmas music and appreciate the positive and hopeful messages that the brothers offer.

During the second half of the feature, Joel reminds the audience that they are all loved and that God isn’t just some presence that exists high above us. He’s here with us and people who are open to that message will be satisfied to see how the artists here use their platform to remind audiences of that in the midst of some great music.