The Beards @The GovernorHindmarsh, Adelaide (30/04/11)

Sun 1st May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Once again, the Governor Hindmarsh adorned itself for a night of bearded music, bearded men (and women) and a general appreciation for all things bearded. As I had forgotten my fake beard, I took my place at the back of the venue, so to avoid the jeering of what was going to be a a very ‘beardist’ crowd.

Support number one were Tasmanian born brothers, Kyle and Dan Lizotte, otherwise known as Halfway to Forth. These guys had clearly prepared themselves for this gig as they had not shaved for months. These two talented musicians wowed the crowd with their toe-tapping banjo, rythmic guitar, and beautiful harmonising. Their EP release Treasure For Memories is sure to set these guys up for an amazing future.

Next in the lineup was Kira Puru and The Bruise. Kira was classically dressed, while the three beardless boys wore matching wife beater singlets, which left me to ponder how they made it into this lineup? Then Kira opened her mouth and I understood why. This girl can sing! Her voice carried over the clinking of glasses and the chatter of those at the bar, and brought everyone to her attention. Supported by a band that pumped out so much energy and force that somehow the fact that they wore wife beaters didn’t seem to matter anymore. With wine in hand, this girl confidently owned that stage.

Third in the lineup, to an increasingly growing crowd of bearded wonders, were The Good Ship. An 8 piece band, which included some rarely seen instruments such as an accordion and a mandolin. The band started slowly with their ‘family friendly’ songs, only to inform the crowd that this was just to ease us in. They continued on with their more favourite songs about killing children, prostitutes and some classic crude sea shanties. They brought a lot of energy to the stage and got a few people dancing, but I think this had more to do with the increased alcohol consumption and the crazy bearded member of their band who was egging everyone on.

And then, the four men that everyone had been waiting for strutted their beards on stage, to a warm welcoming cheer from their hometown crowd. The Beards were tonight launching their new iPhone application about, you guessed it, beards! With the aim of allowing all of those poor beardless people out there the opportunity to bask in their own bearded glory whenever they pleased. The band introduced three new additions to their exclusive hairy group, aptly named The Horny Beards. These tuxedo-clad, bearded men, sported a saxaphone, trumpet and clarinet. They definitely fit the part, but unfortunately were not seen to do much except some well synchronised beer drinking. The Beards delighted their fans with some new songs (about beards), but the crowd responded best to their old favourites, If Your Dad Doesn’t Have a Beard, You’ve Got Two Mum’s, A Wizard Needs a Beard and Born With a Beard to name a few. There were some moments of tender connections between the guys as they fondled each others beards, and one lucky fan even had their beard personally groomed by none other than Johann Beardraven. The Beards left their adoring fans contended after the standard encore, and all departed proud of their current stubble, or enthused to chuck their razor in the bin as soon as they got home.