Boy and Bear - Adelaide, 9th May 2012
Words: Jo Taylor
One of the many good things about all ages gigs, apart from the obvious access to the passionate music lovers that are underage (of which there is an abundance), is that an early opening act, like Sydney's Tin Sparrow, get to play to a decent sized crowd. This Triple J unearthed indie band definitely had fans that were happy to see them.
Next were fellow Triple J unearthed band, Jungle Giants. This 4 piece from Brisbane were greeted well and lead singer/guitarist Sam Hales certainly won over some new fans with his friendly banter and bass player Andrew Doorisʼ enthusiasm couldnʼt be subdued even after a few jibes by his bandmates. The bands energy was high and quickly amped up the crowd with their infectious tunes.
Boy & Bear took to the stage at 10pm to an appreciative crowd. Rabbit Song started the set with a beautiful atmospheric feel and transitioned smoothly into Lordy May. You quickly realise that the hype following this five piece band from Sydney is well deserved. Their recordings donʼt quite justify how dynamic they are live.
Lead singer/guitarist Dave Hosking has a quiet confidence and drew big cheers when he stated simply “this is the first date of the biggest tour we have ever done” before taking it up a notch with upbeat tune Milk and Sticks and the lush My Only One.
The crowd were then treated to new song 3 Headed which everyone was warned “would not only be played for the first time ever live, but it also contained swearing and ear muffs for the easily offended may be required”. The song had a darker edge and was a good indication of the creative energy flowing in their veins and future recordings should be well anticipated. However, as for the swearing, most top 40 songs are more offensive. Donʼt think theyʼll need to worry about alienating too many fans.
Next were fellow Triple J unearthed band, Jungle Giants. This 4 piece from Brisbane were greeted well and lead singer/guitarist Sam Hales certainly won over some new fans with his friendly banter and bass player Andrew Doorisʼ enthusiasm couldnʼt be subdued even after a few jibes by his bandmates. The bands energy was high and quickly amped up the crowd with their infectious tunes.
Boy & Bear took to the stage at 10pm to an appreciative crowd. Rabbit Song started the set with a beautiful atmospheric feel and transitioned smoothly into Lordy May. You quickly realise that the hype following this five piece band from Sydney is well deserved. Their recordings donʼt quite justify how dynamic they are live.
Lead singer/guitarist Dave Hosking has a quiet confidence and drew big cheers when he stated simply “this is the first date of the biggest tour we have ever done” before taking it up a notch with upbeat tune Milk and Sticks and the lush My Only One.
The crowd were then treated to new song 3 Headed which everyone was warned “would not only be played for the first time ever live, but it also contained swearing and ear muffs for the easily offended may be required”. The song had a darker edge and was a good indication of the creative energy flowing in their veins and future recordings should be well anticipated. However, as for the swearing, most top 40 songs are more offensive. Donʼt think theyʼll need to worry about alienating too many fans.
Next up was the beautifully arranged cover of Crowded House's Fall at your Feet inclusive of Neil Young's Heart of Gold woven in. A truly good cover keeps the integrity of the original composition, while making it their own and in this case they pulled it off perfectly and the loud applause was testament of this. With the well placed inclusion of banjo and haunting piano, it proved a memorable live cover.
After older track Part Time Believer, the night turned into a birthday celebration for guitarist Killian Gavin. The crowd showed their love by singing Happy Birthday and after demands for a speech from bandmates and pokes at being Irish/Australian, Killian then informed the crowd he had “been planning his own birth for a long time”. Seems the planning has paid off for him as they then jumped into the second new song of the night Boxer and all were allowed to creatively free fall with them. Once again, the new track was an interesting insight into where they are heading and by crowd reaction, they will have further success with future offerings.
Taking it back down to a slower pace with the track Beach which slowly builds momentum and flowed well into popular track Feeding Line. Dave Hosking informed with a sly smile “they had been ending their gigs for the past year and a half with that track.... but not tonight” which was good news for the enthusiastic crowd as Boy & Bear went into Big Man.
The bad news was broken gently that this would be the last tour for a while. On the bright side however, hopefully a new album would be recorded soon. A refreshingly honest band and obviously appreciative of their fans, they informed the crowd that long ago they made the decision not to do encores and following the next two songs, the night would then conclude. With that, they launched into the energetic and infectious tunes Mexican Mavis and Golden Jubilee which the crowd danced and sang too with carefree abandon. And then, the evening was over and everyone drifted into the night with a smile.
After older track Part Time Believer, the night turned into a birthday celebration for guitarist Killian Gavin. The crowd showed their love by singing Happy Birthday and after demands for a speech from bandmates and pokes at being Irish/Australian, Killian then informed the crowd he had “been planning his own birth for a long time”. Seems the planning has paid off for him as they then jumped into the second new song of the night Boxer and all were allowed to creatively free fall with them. Once again, the new track was an interesting insight into where they are heading and by crowd reaction, they will have further success with future offerings.
Taking it back down to a slower pace with the track Beach which slowly builds momentum and flowed well into popular track Feeding Line. Dave Hosking informed with a sly smile “they had been ending their gigs for the past year and a half with that track.... but not tonight” which was good news for the enthusiastic crowd as Boy & Bear went into Big Man.
The bad news was broken gently that this would be the last tour for a while. On the bright side however, hopefully a new album would be recorded soon. A refreshingly honest band and obviously appreciative of their fans, they informed the crowd that long ago they made the decision not to do encores and following the next two songs, the night would then conclude. With that, they launched into the energetic and infectious tunes Mexican Mavis and Golden Jubilee which the crowd danced and sang too with carefree abandon. And then, the evening was over and everyone drifted into the night with a smile.