Boy & Bear, Battleships, Dustin Tebbutt @ The Forum Theatre, Melbourne (02/11/2013)
The Forum Theatre was abuzz with small chatter as every waited for the first act to come on stage. The main topic was obviously the bands that they came to see and the magnificence of the venue itself. The stage was similar to a Greek/Roman style amphitheatre. The roof looked like the night sky. It was the perfect setting for the Indie Folk group, Boy & Bear, to hit off the Melbourne leg of their tour.
Dustin Tebbutt was the first supporting act to start the show off. With a small crowd and a number of light headed guests, they were able to bring about a very nice feel to the starry theatre. Normally a one man only show, he brought alone three others to play backup for a fuller sound. Tebbutt has a raspy but pure voice; he also gave a few smiles to his band members as he played his songs, looking like he enjoyed the company on stage.
Tebbutt built a good rapport with the crowd, talking of how he was recently in Geelong. Making a few jokes along the way, “you probably aren’t from there, you are all well dressed and behaved.” One song, Bones, was explained in a way that can only be described as “deep”. The track showed off Tebbutt’s falsetto voice. Where I Find You, which was recently released on his new ep in October this year, had a good reception with the crowd.
Next up was Battleships, who have been recently gaining a reputation in Australia. Tebbutt warned the crowd to watch out for their drummer, he was definitely right. He definitely had a fantastic sense of rhythm. Also a shout out to the keyboardist who was pulling some of the best concentration faces ever seen on stage.
The band kicked off to an explosive start, bringing quite a heavy set to stage. Coming Back To You was well enjoyed by the crowd and had everyone pumped. Collision (Head On) and Another Way really showcased the lead singer’s, Jordan Sturdee, sweet vocals.
Your Words was better received with more people knowing the track. While new single, Take Your Rest, was eagerly listened to by the crowd. The final song, In Retrospect, finished off the set with a crash and a bang. While it was a great set, it was not uncommon to see members of the crowd blocking their ears from the overpowering sound. Whether it was a technical issue or not, is to be debated. It was a bit odd to have such a heavy sound for the line-up, but needless to say the band did a good performance.
Finally, the eagerness of the crowd was electric, as everyone waited for the band that they had all come to see. With smoke machines running and soul music playing, Boy & Bear walked on stage with beers in hand. They cracked straight into the set, speeding through Three Headed Woman, which is off their new album Harlequin Dream.
The crowd was swaying to the folky sounds of the band they have been long awaiting for. The well-known favourite, Rabbit Song, was played with a fantastic transition into Lordy May.
Old Town Blues was played next, which showed everyone in the Forum Theatre that this band was definitely consistent and tireless musicians. Milk & Sticks came around, with two violinists joining the band on stage bringing a bittersweet sound to the audience. The title track of their latest album, Harlequin Dream, was a standout with an amazing 20 second Saxophone solo. One of the band members said “for 20 seconds of a performance, you really don’t want to fuck up.”
Back Down The Black and Big Man both slowed and calmed the crowd down, until they went into another crowd favourite, Mexican Mavis. This had everyone dancing and singing along. Next was with Bridges, Part Time Believer, Real Estate and A Moment’s Grace to follow. Even after this gigantic set so far, they haven’t made many mistakes at all. However, the crowd had to put up with a few people who were making a few bad life decisions. Especially the woman who was crazily dancing while nearby people eagerly moved away and her boyfriend pretended he didn’t know her.
Southern Sun and Golden Jubilee’s upbeat sound signified that the performance was indeed coming to an end. The band outlined that there was definitely not an encore, which the crowds sore feet may have been glad for, after standing for the long hour and a half. Feeding Line finished off the amazing set with a loud applause from all in the Forum Theatre.
Boy & Bear really showed their ability to not only play their fantastic music live but to also be able to play a gigantically long set with little to none mistakes. Boy & Bear are still touring around Australia so there is still an opportunity to see this band live before they head over to overseas. If you ever have the opportunity to see Boy & Bear live, take it.
Elizabeth Alderslade
Dustin Tebbutt was the first supporting act to start the show off. With a small crowd and a number of light headed guests, they were able to bring about a very nice feel to the starry theatre. Normally a one man only show, he brought alone three others to play backup for a fuller sound. Tebbutt has a raspy but pure voice; he also gave a few smiles to his band members as he played his songs, looking like he enjoyed the company on stage.
Tebbutt built a good rapport with the crowd, talking of how he was recently in Geelong. Making a few jokes along the way, “you probably aren’t from there, you are all well dressed and behaved.” One song, Bones, was explained in a way that can only be described as “deep”. The track showed off Tebbutt’s falsetto voice. Where I Find You, which was recently released on his new ep in October this year, had a good reception with the crowd.
Next up was Battleships, who have been recently gaining a reputation in Australia. Tebbutt warned the crowd to watch out for their drummer, he was definitely right. He definitely had a fantastic sense of rhythm. Also a shout out to the keyboardist who was pulling some of the best concentration faces ever seen on stage.
The band kicked off to an explosive start, bringing quite a heavy set to stage. Coming Back To You was well enjoyed by the crowd and had everyone pumped. Collision (Head On) and Another Way really showcased the lead singer’s, Jordan Sturdee, sweet vocals.
Your Words was better received with more people knowing the track. While new single, Take Your Rest, was eagerly listened to by the crowd. The final song, In Retrospect, finished off the set with a crash and a bang. While it was a great set, it was not uncommon to see members of the crowd blocking their ears from the overpowering sound. Whether it was a technical issue or not, is to be debated. It was a bit odd to have such a heavy sound for the line-up, but needless to say the band did a good performance.
Finally, the eagerness of the crowd was electric, as everyone waited for the band that they had all come to see. With smoke machines running and soul music playing, Boy & Bear walked on stage with beers in hand. They cracked straight into the set, speeding through Three Headed Woman, which is off their new album Harlequin Dream.
The crowd was swaying to the folky sounds of the band they have been long awaiting for. The well-known favourite, Rabbit Song, was played with a fantastic transition into Lordy May.
Old Town Blues was played next, which showed everyone in the Forum Theatre that this band was definitely consistent and tireless musicians. Milk & Sticks came around, with two violinists joining the band on stage bringing a bittersweet sound to the audience. The title track of their latest album, Harlequin Dream, was a standout with an amazing 20 second Saxophone solo. One of the band members said “for 20 seconds of a performance, you really don’t want to fuck up.”
Back Down The Black and Big Man both slowed and calmed the crowd down, until they went into another crowd favourite, Mexican Mavis. This had everyone dancing and singing along. Next was with Bridges, Part Time Believer, Real Estate and A Moment’s Grace to follow. Even after this gigantic set so far, they haven’t made many mistakes at all. However, the crowd had to put up with a few people who were making a few bad life decisions. Especially the woman who was crazily dancing while nearby people eagerly moved away and her boyfriend pretended he didn’t know her.
Southern Sun and Golden Jubilee’s upbeat sound signified that the performance was indeed coming to an end. The band outlined that there was definitely not an encore, which the crowds sore feet may have been glad for, after standing for the long hour and a half. Feeding Line finished off the amazing set with a loud applause from all in the Forum Theatre.
Boy & Bear really showed their ability to not only play their fantastic music live but to also be able to play a gigantically long set with little to none mistakes. Boy & Bear are still touring around Australia so there is still an opportunity to see this band live before they head over to overseas. If you ever have the opportunity to see Boy & Bear live, take it.
Elizabeth Alderslade