Lisa Mitchell, Boy & Bear,Georgia Fair @ Enmore Theatre,Sydney (14/5/10)

Tue 18th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Tonight was Lisa Mitchell’s night: after being voted into the top 10 of Triple J’s Hottest 100 back in January and winning the Australian Music Prize not long after that, this was her first headlining Sydney show since October of 2009.

Naturally, with increases in both her artistic profile and the venues themselves for her “Oh! Hark!” tour, Mitchell certainly seemed overwhelmed at the size of her audience. Even still, the evening gave us an insight into her ways of operation, right down to her vulnerabilities and the pinpointing of her comfort zones.

The squeal factor was already significant up the front of the Enmore’s floor, and this only worsened when the ruggedly handsome boys of Georgia Fair made their way on stage. Without a drummer, it brought out the worst of the audio mix for the duo, desperate to be heard over meaningless chatter and “OMG, he’s so cute” swooning from the younger division. That’s not to take away from their music, however – Georgia Fair, made up of the pairing of Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley, are very capable songwriters with a strong ear for dual harmonies and serene electric/acoustic guitar infusion.

When they actually could be heard, they delivered a string of incredibly promising tunes to be featured on their forthcoming debut album. Their voices are strong and, even with very little to work with in terms of musical formula, their set never delved into overly-samey material.

What an absolute shame, then, that the only discussion to be heard in relation to them was which one they’d marry as opposed to which song was their favourite. For the record, the latter probably didn’t need to be discussed – it was their closing number, Pictureframe. Best known for its usage in an ad for milk, nearly everyone knew the words – and for the first time in the group’s set, there was an active energy amongst those watching. Too little, too late, unfortunately. The sooner people realise there’s more to these two young musicians than “that song on that ad,” the better.

“We’re only one song in and I’ve snapped a string!” Dave Hosking, the frontman of Boy & Bear, and part-time Jonas brother doppelganger, is fidgety and nervous as he performs at the Enmore for the very first time.

He had nothing to worry about, though – he and the other four gents that make up the Boy & Bear outfit quickly got over their nerves and explained in detail why exactly they’ve been catching all the right breaks recently. As you’ll have no doubt heard from anyone who’s seen the band live, they’re onto a solid batch of songs with fluent arrangements and unmistakable choral harmonies that ceased chatter and allowed the awe to ensue. Though it would be easy to criticise the band for producing a familiar sound across several songs, one could also argue that the band are establishing a sound for themselves – and if they’re on to a good thing to begin with, there’s not much point in extending too far beyond it just yet.

Drummer Tim Hart lead the fray arguably more so than Hoskins – his harmonies were seamless and the pitch-perfect compliment to whomever he was singing with. Additionally, his restrained use of percussion was incredibly effective. The use of shakers and tambourines served as a whispering undercurrent to the main structure of songs such as The Storm, Mexican Mavis and new single Rabbit Song. This then gave the impact of the snare or the floor tom to reach thunderous proportions, proving there’s a lot more to drums and percussion than a 4/4 beat.

With their debut EP, With Emperor Antarctica, finally available, it seems like Boy and Bear are on their way to making their own name as a headlining act. Let’s see – and hope – if it’s possible.

Interestingly, both Georgia Fair and Boy & Bear finished their sets by performing their best-known singles. Conversely – and somewhat shockingly – Lisa Mitchell got hers ( Coin Laundry ) out of the way within the first three songs.

Perhaps it was a passive-aggressive protest, or maybe just getting to the point of disliking the song entirely. Whatever the reason, it didn’t phase the thousands of us in attendance. Hell, most of the audience were just stoked to be there – something which baffled the shivering Mitchell as she spoke to the front row in-between songs. “I can hear you screaming,” she mumbled confusedly, “but, like, you don’t have to scream.”

The first part of the set was reflective of Mitchell’s nerves – she quivered about onstage, hiding as often as possible behind her acoustic guitar or her keyboard. She often fumbled the vocal rhythms, slipping in and out of the verses as her six (occasionally seven) piece band attempted to hold down the foundations of tracks like So Jealous and Animals. Her self-consciousness was apparent, and if something didn’t change then this wouldn’t end up well for her.

Thankfully, Mitchell got into the swing of things gradually. Once she began to interact with her very impressive backing band and accept that this squealing audience would be accepting her no matter what, the twenty-year-old was able to engage herself more with her surroundings. Whether she was bopping along to Stevie, smiling incessantly all the way through Neapolitan Dreams or nailing perfect harmony with her bandmates on the beautiful Pirouette, it was heartening to see her embrace the adoration of those singing every word right back at her.

The encore saw Mitchell’s friends and former tour buddies *Andy Bull8 and Lanie Lane make their way out to a crowd that had little to no idea who they were. Once the three nailed an inspired take on Madonna’s Like a Prayer, however, the “I love you”s were quickly re-routed to Lane’s direction. Each were given a verse and, amazingly, all three summarised the best traits of their vocal styles in that brief period of time. Individually and collectively exceptional, this turned out to be the highlight of the evening.

As Oh! Hark! wrapped up the evening in joyous fashion, Lisa had eventually become comfortable with her surroundings – or, at least, as comfortable as she could have been. We find her in an interesting position of her appreciating all of her success on the back of just one record and a couple of EPs, yet still evidently longing for intimacy with her audiences and smaller crowds.

Mitchell’s performance tonight at the Enmore was nice – even great in parts – but if she plays anywhere bigger than the Enmore on her own, then we might lose her entirely.

Check out the photos from the show