There are a few bands that simply allude summer. A collective group of musos who have perfected the sweet sounds that seem to carry you through those long summer days as you slowly watch the calendar tick over to the holidays. Newcastle is such a perfect back drop for these particular acts, and Sydney outfit Boy and Bear are of course no exception.
I’m not sure if I’m just getting older or maybe I’m not keeping up with the times, but I did have to check exactly where NEX was but as I wandered into the venue a familiar sight met my eyes. The staff were friendly and quite open, this may not seem like a big deal however, some venue staff can be a little confronting and when you’re heading to ‘work’ it’s nice to be welcomed into a venue regardless of your task or business.
Although the main function room was incredibly large, and perhaps better suited to a much grander function for want of a better word, the band were able to create this overwhelming sense of intimacy, leaving lovers gazing at each other swaying each other enjoying the tunes.
The Triple J favourites have just finished wrapping up a huge world tour, taking their sound to the states and finally coming back home and luckily back to Newcastle. The Boys were passionate, excited and honestly just incredibly intent on putting on a really incredible show. Pack er’ up boys as they say.
Focusing predominately on the new album – Limit of Love, the set list was flawless, with very little idle banter in between tracks. Although there were just enough conversation points to embrace the continuity of connection with the every willing audience. The title track was obviously a hit, with the beginning rift resonating through the entire venue and “Walk the Wire” was also a crowd favourite. Honestly I could go on doing a track by track synopsis but the pure purpose of this review is to identify and resonate with the experience the band were able to convey. That’s what’s important, and that they did very well. I will mention however, their cover of “Fall At Your Feet” (perfectly timed with the veterans touring the country at the moment – well done on that front) was truly jaw dropping. My thought’s on vocalist Dave Hosking’s haunting rendition of the track…? I remember explaining so explicitly, just as the song finished, “Wow… He bloody nailed it”. And that he did. Of course the band put their specific spin on the song but it worked, and I mean it really worked. If you happened to miss it, you can check it out here “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-1vQ7sf7VE”.
It was so incredibly easy to tell that the band loved to play. They were tight, focused yet brought a sense of calm and finesse to the floor which really resonated with each and every punter. Speaking to one particular gig goer who revealed that it was “her first gig ever” seemed ecstatic waiting for the headliners to begin as she pushed through the dedicated crowd to catch a glimpse of “the best band ever”. For ever ever. They certainly turned it on, and being the last show of their already epic tour you could feel the crowd basking in exactly how lucky they were.
Overall the performance was exceptional, an incredibly hard working band getting up and doing the things they do best – pure bliss.
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