Boy & Bear, Ball Park Music,The Paper Kites @ HerMajesty's Theatre, Adelaide(16/11/11)

Fri 18th Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

In 2010, Boy & Bear released their debut EP ‘With Emperor Antarctica’ to a warm and receptive audience. It was one of the most complete sounding Australian EP releases for some time, and set the standard for the band’s future prospects. Fast forward 18 months, and with a timeless touring schedule, breakthrough commercial success, and that Crowded House cover under their belts, the Boy & Bear juggernaut rolled back into Adelaide, for the fourth time in this particular period. This time with debut album ‘Moonfire’ in the bank, tonight’s gig really felt like the culmination of a successful year for the folk troupe, who were ready to showcase their wares in the intimacy of Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Arriving to a sparse crowd, Melbourne act The Paper Kites provided the perfect introduction to a night filled with harmonies and lush arrangements. There was minimal percussion through the set, as much of the band’s work relied on space and ambience to be conveyed. Their most well-known track, Bloom, was a hit with many, with explosive drumming allowed to build the song from an acoustic ballad to a full-blown rocker. Their final track gained accompaniment from Tim Hart of Boy & Bear on drums, and displayed a style which contrasted their usual low-key compositions. Christina Lacy’s vocal comes to the fore on this one, possessing a cuteness that highlights the band’s sincerity. The ideal way to kickstart the evening.

If The Paper Kites brought sincerity, then Ball Park Music brought whatever the opposite is. Their style is unabashed, perhaps even ‘slacker folk’. Plenty of oohs and ahhs were exchanged between band members, with lead singer Sam Cromack possessing a voice in the same ilk as Dave Hosking from the headline band. Hailing from Brisbane, the 6-piece are clearly influenced by groups in the same vein as Custard and Regurgitator, evident in tracks like the uncensored IFLY and Sad Rude Future Dude. These tracks, complemented by the brooding Alligator and Western Whirl, showcase the talents of all band members, with a heavy focus on simply having fun. Let’s face it, Her Majesty’s was no place for these guys, but they still rocked it hard. Cromack resembled something out of Rocky Horror Picture Show at times, flailing about and kicking mic stands over in between sips of Red Bull. Their acoustic guitar unfortunately fizzled out, which luckily did nothing to dampen their performance. The set was book-ended by popular album cuts All I Want Is You and It’s Nice To Be Alive, tracks which neatly package the best aspects of the band’s sound and place them as one of the more intriguing Australian acts going around.

The darkened Her Majesty’s stage soon became filled with the sounds of Boy & Bear’s album opener Lordy May, leading straight into Milk & Sticks, one of the more successful cuts from Moonfire to date. I was surprised to look around and see a few unoccupied seats, not helping to wonder whether the band had overestimated their Adelaide audience (well, The Flaming Lips were on too). Nevertheless, it was an incredible experience to witness these guys in such beautiful surrounds, with the acoustics of the theatre suiting the lighter moments of the band’s set in earnest.

Those moments are certainly where the band shone the brightest. From The Storm, one of the group’s first releases, to My Only One, these songs allow every element of the overall sound to standout, and in particular, the voice of Dave Hosking. Backed mostly by Hart behind the skins in a harmonic sense, Hosking’s voice has become a uniquely identifiable one in Australian music, with a diction that is easy to connect with and a range that can span across any situation. It also became clear throughout the evening that Boy & Bear have their fair share of hoedown tunes under their belt. Golden Jubilee, Blood To Gold and Mexican Mavis all get the crowd “seat-dancing”, while some took to the aisles to let their inhibitions free. They were swiftly moved back by security, but were to return.

Rabbit Song got the crowd tapping and humming along, and the band was joined by Dave Powys from The Paper Kites on banjo for a very slow interpretation of Fall At Your Feet. Hosking was at one stage interrupted by impatient audience members yelling out during a pause in the song, but he carried the band through with complete professionalism. Following a rousing rendition of Big Man, featuring all members of Ball Park Music and The Paper Kites on additional percussion and vocals, Hosking reminded the audience of the group’s penchant for never playing encores. This was proceeded by a one-two punch of The Village and ultimate set closer Feeding Line. Did I mention those aisle dancers would return? Indeed, and this time, more joined them, forming a conga-like dancing train down the middle of the theatre to which there was no point in security intervening. You couldn’t help but feel a standing gig with the amount of upbeat songs that Boy & Bear now possess would have enhanced the atmosphere just that much more. Though there is plenty of time left for those kind of gigs, and this one, with the knowledge that bigger venues were calling, was a welcome reminder of the privilege that attending this event was.

This was the kind of show that made you want to head home, have a cup of tea and fade off into the night. And with each band offering slight variations on a traditional folk sound (Ball Park Music’s quirkiness perhaps being the most outstanding), it proved to be a good representation of Australian alternative music at present. It also made you proud to know that the headliners are beginning to take over the world, and doing a damn fine job of it too.