Australian indie-rock band Boy & Bear have been touring Australia, selling out shows across the country. Since forming in 2009, the band’s fusing of folk guitars and indie rock harmonies has seen them slowly make a name for themselves in Australia’s indie scene. Their live performances are energetic and full of endearing crowd-interaction. Their sold out show at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Sunday, 27th October was no exception.
The crowd was warmed up by supporting acts Dustin Tebbutt, an up and coming singer-songwriter, and Battleships, a new indie band that blends indie rock with post-Britpop. Both acts delivered solid performances that set up a great atmosphere, but it wasn’t until Boy & Bear appeared on stage that the audience really started paying attention. The indie quintet launched with a great performance of Three Headed Woman and went straight into Rabbit Song, a track that perfectly encapsulates the band’s talent and feel.
The beautiful rendition of Back Down the Black approximately half way through the set provided a beautiful contrast to their faster songs and was an amazing showcase of Dave Hosking’s vocals. However, the stand out moment of the night was the stunning sax solo in Harlequin Dream that got a rousing applause from the crowd. Other crowd favourites included Big Man and their new single Southern Sun, which had the audience enthusiastically dancing, singing and clapping along.
Boy & Bear released their second album, Harlequin Dream, on 16th, August. This was their first tour with two albums worth of material in tow. The set featured many of the band’s newer songs, which were perfectly complimented by some old favourites, including Milk and Sticks and Mexican Mavis. Old and new songs alike were appreciated by the crowd, who were more than ready to jump and dance along to anything with a beat.
Despite performing three nights in row and the broken toe of guitarist Killian Gavin, the band was as energetic and excited as ever. This energy continued through to the final songs of the night, Golden Jubilee and Feeding Line. By this point the audience was captured by the music and everyone was moving to the beat, tapping their feet with the dedicated fanatics up front, jumping and screaming out the lyrics.
Boy & Bear have gained a reputation for not doing encores, declaring as much just before the final two songs, but this didn’t stop seemingly endless applause as the final notes faded away. As their ’16 Days Under a Southern Sun Tour’ comes to an end, the band is already organising international concerts and has announced they will be jetting off to perform album release shows in America, Europe and the UK.
