Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: David Harris
It was a stunning night to be outdoors seeing Boy & Bear headline Live at the Garden in Melbourne’s magnificent Royal Botanic Garden. On a beautiful balmy evening, picnic rugs were laid out on the lawn, food hampers and beverages were abound and everyone was soaking up some wonderful Aussie music at this fabulous event, which also featured Sarah Blasko, Augie March and De Porsal. The setting and vibe reminded us of the Melbourne Zoo Twilight sessions we use to attend years back.
As we wandered from Flinders Street Station to the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne was buzzing with the city hosting the F1 Grand Prix just down the road in Albert Park, the Hawthorn vs Bombers AFL match at the MCG along with this outdoor music event.
Melbourne rockers De Porsal opened tonight’s festival. De Porsal are four brothers (Cooper, Chay, Rory and Xander Willingham) from Geelong. All members are multi-instrumentalists and they played a wonderful 30-minute set of Lo-Fi Indie music which made quite an impression on the crowd. They performed tracks from their 2024 debut album, Dishlickers such as – PUNCH, FLAT OUT FUCKED, FILMS and DENSE DAYS. I can see this band gaining popularity fast.
Australian indie stalwarts Augie March (AM) were on next. AM formed back in 1996 and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. Tonight they put on such a great show. AM’s set was very laidback and had a mellow start that built up as they went. They played an 8-song set which included SUNSTROKE HOUSE, then WHEN I AM OLD, THE COLD ACRE, THE GLENORCHY BUNYIP, MAROONDAH RESERVOIR and THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Glenn Richards sings with confidence and the band play incredibly tight together. When they performed their biggest hit ONE CROWDED HOUR from the Moo, You Bloody Choir (2006) album, it lifted the crowd and got everyone singing along. They finished with THIS TRAIN WILL BE TAKING NO PASSENGERS which was an upbeat song finishing on a high.
We made our way up to the front barrier to get up close to watch Australian singer, songwriter and musician and record producer Sarah Blasko. Blasko came on and completely blew the audience away with her vocal versatility and distinct, powerhouse range. Blasko uses a double microphone set up with one providing an echo effect. Her stage presence is also mesmerising to watch. Dressed in a white jumpsuit, Blasko moves around the stage in her own unique way, looking a little awkward but cool and theatrical. Blasko’s band play a crucial role in her performance, creating a rich dynamic landscape mixed with synth strings, keys, bass and drums. This enhances her storytelling and deep emotional connection with the audience. The strength of Blasko’s voice is next level and often gives you goosebumps. Blasko played a 10-song set which consisted of 7 new songs from her recent 2024 release I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain. Alex Gow from Oh Mercy joined Blasko on stage to perform a wonderful duet of her new song GOODBYE! During EMOTIONS, Blasko said her favourite band Augie March’s performance left her in tears. Other songs from the 2024 album were – THE WAY, BOTHERING ME, I CAN’T WAIT ANYMORE, GIVE YOU UP and IN MY HEAD. This is an incredible album well worth a listen. Blasko’s set ended with 3 runaway classics – WE WON’T RUN, NEVER LET ME GO and I AWAKE.
Maintaining our prime position on the front barrier, we watched Sydney Indie folk rock band Boy & Bear perform their 90-minute, 18-song set providing an incredible mixed bag of all their wonderful songs from their back catalogue.
Boy & Bear band –
Dave Hosking – lead vocals / acoustic guitar
Tim Hart – drums / banjo / Backing vocals
Killian Gavin – Guitar / backing vocals
Jon Hart – Keyboards / Mandolin / Backing vocals
Dave Symes – Bass / Backing vocals (also plays bass for Sarah Blasko)
Boy & Bear opened with the gorgeous LORDY MAY from Moonfire (2011) with its soulful harmonies and poetic lyrics. From the moment Hosking opened his mouth and the first note rang out, the crowd was mesmerised. There is something about his voice that stands out and he sings so effortlessly. The tone quality, the edge and the richness captures the ear in a very special way. We could listen to him forever! They performed four songs from Moonfire with PART TIME BELIEVER, FEEDING LINE and JUST DUMB.
The cinematic arrangement and backdrop was dreamy and effective for this outdoor stage show. Boy & Bear’s sound has a bit of everything from the mellow ballads to the pummelling rhythms. The insistent electric guitar work of Gavin, strong basslines by Symes and Jon Hart’s calm and beautiful tones on keys are where the band’s stage strengths lie. Tim Hart on drums had a pared back kit, with 3 cymbals, two tom’s, snare and bass drum. Hart made full use of it with great musicality, playing hard, thumping beats in songs like STATE OF FLIGHT from their self-titled 2023 album and HOLD YOUR NERVE from Suck On Light (2019) and gentle rolls with the soft mallets during their ballads.
Much to the delight of the crowd, they sang six songs from Harlequin Dream. This included BRIDGES, OLD TOWN BLUES and the wonderful title track HARLEQUIN DREAM which featured a wonderful saxophone solo. Our three favourite songs were THREE HEADED WOMAN, which had the crowd all swaying along. The very moving ballad A MOMENT’S GRACE was definitely a highlight, showcasing just how incredible this band is with saxophone and banjo adding to the delightful mix. OMG, just stunning!
Boy & Bear included a few covers in their set. Their arrangement of WICKED GAME by Chris Isaak was heavy and accented, giving the song a grunge feel, totally different to the original. During their cover of FALL AT YOUR FEET by Crowded House, the lead guitarist (Gavin) got a few young children on stage for this song. They included HEART OF GOLD by Neil Young into the middle of this cover making for a very joyful sing along.
We really enjoyed watching how organically the band played together and how they played extended, improvised endings to several songs. Every band member can sing and they harmonise so well together.
The encore was SOUTHERN SUN from Harlequin Dream and Sarah Blasko joined them on stage. This was the icing on the cake and the perfect way to finish a perfect evening of wonderful Australian music.
If you are looking for something to do tonight, head out to the Botanic Gardens and enjoy some more live music as part of the Live At The Garden series and see Lake Street Dive, BATTS and Playlunch.
BOY & BEAR SET LIST:
Lordy May
Bridges
Old Town Blues
Part Time Believer
State of Flight
Harlequin Dream (sax downstage)
Three Headed Woman
Silvermoon
Limit of Love
A Moments Grace (Sax upstage)
Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)
Fall At Your Feet (Crowded House cover) / Heart of Gold (Neil Young cover)
Apex (Sax downstage)
Hold Your Nerve (2019)
Walk the Wire
Feeding Line
Just Dumb
Encore:
Southern Sun (Sax upstage & Sarah Blasko)
