Boy & Bear, Oh Ye Denver Birds, The Chemist, Jive, 4/6/2010

A cold winter’s night greeted Adelaide’s live music-goers keen to catch Sydney band Boy & Bear on their first official headline tour of Australia in support of their debut EP ‘With Emperor Antarctica’. The sold-out sign adorning Jive’s frontage says just how quickly this five-piece have snuck up on the Australian music scene, with previous tours supporting bands like Laura Marling, Angus & Julia Stone and Lisa Mitchell helping to boost their profile substantially. However, this short trip around Australia as the main act proves their ability to draw crowds, with shows also selling out in other capital cities, and it promised to be an enjoyable night.

First up was Perth band The Chemist, who seem to be making a name for themselves as a solid opening act. Having seen them a couple of weeks back in support of Old Man River, I knew what to expect from the band’s live show. The more you listen to this group though, the more you have to wonder just when these guys will break out into bigger and better things. With their current EP ‘The Wolves’ Howls Shatter The Old Glass Moon’ making waves around the country, it is certain the band will tour the country at some stage this year, with their live show seemingly growing in confidence with every show.

Brisbane band Oh Ye Denver Birds definitely surprised me. They put forth a sound that I had not heard before, which is always promising. The band channels acts such as Yeasayer and were reminiscent of Adelaide band Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! In their more upbeat moments, though the lower aspects of their crescendos almost symbolized the sound that fellow Queenslanders The Middle East are producing at present. The band implements stilted melodies and woo-ing harmonies, together with a format that allows for jangly-sounding guitars and a wonderful inclusion of a live violin, which appears to be the instrument of the moment for many Australian bands. The use of the violin was particularly interesting, with Katherine Gough showing her talent in both picking the strings and playing in a more conventional manner that allowed the band to produce some quite worldly and atmospheric sounds. The employment of various synths and noise elements though did help to bring the party, which many in the front-row certainly seemed to enjoy. My only criticism is their constant hounding of the sound guy to keep turning up their instruments, which only managed to make their mix blend really poorly, and didn’t help to bring out the intricacies that can be heard on record. Their blend of atmospheric-electro-folk is certainly one to watch out for in the latter half of 2010.

Boy & Bear hit the stage to a rapturous reception from the Adelaide crowd and kicked off with the opening track from their EP in ‘Blood To Gold’. It was immediately noticeable how adept the band were in the live format, and compared to their support bands which tended to implement various forms of sound, the simplicity of Boy & Bear’s resonance showed that great music can be made with bare instruments. Most notable is the voice of front-man Dave Hosking, which really gives the band’s sound a form of authenticity in what they are conveying. The band continued on with ‘The Rain’ and current single ‘Rabbit Song’, which gained a massive reception from the crowd, happy to sing along where possible.

Next came ‘The Storm’, arguably one of the best tracks from the EP, which generally sums up the whole Boy & Bear sound. Although an older track, the song fits well amongst the others when played live, and that catchy-as-hell riff combined with the percussive elements of the song (shakers and hi-hats in full force) and brilliant harmonies. The band soon followed with a few newer tracks and a brilliantly executed cover of Bon Iver’s track Flume, which went down well with the large Adelaide crowd. It was unfortunate that the group could not play longer than they did, due to the fact they simply haven’t released enough songs yet, as they stated.

Finishing with ‘Mexican Mavis’, the track that “did everything for the band” as Hosking states, Boy & Bear leave everyone in a warm and energetic mood, with many still wanting to kick on and dance the night away. Boy & Bear have a sound that is warm, inviting, and quite simple; it is a sound that can be hard to find in amongst the overload of content we are graced with these days. It is good to know a band can stick to their guns and make good quality music using only the bare essentials, with Boy & Bear delivering a delightful collection of songs that left many wanting so much more.

Old Man River, Ernest Ellis, The Chemist - Jive, 14/5/2010

My first Old Man River experience was back in 2007, on a Sunday afternoon, with the band riding high on the back of their debut LP ‘Good Morning’. I remember the great joy and musicianship that Ohad Rein and the other band members conveyed through their songs and how comfortable the band was on stage. Fast forward to 2010 and, after topping the charts in countries as diverse as Japan, Italy, and Germany, Old Man River was at last back on the road 2 years after last touring Australia.

Perth band The Chemist appeared first and kicked things off nicely with their off-kilter style of indie-pop, showing they are a band to watch out for in future years. Their set built up gradually and finished with a heavy echoing conglomerate of noise that rang out throughout the venue.

Next up was Ernest Ellis from Sydney. This band has been making waves recently after receiving a large amount of radio airplay, so I was quite excited to view the band in the flesh. As it were, they were extremely impressive, even considering the fact they were without a keyboard player on the night, which Ernest did apologise to the crowd for. The apology was unwarranted though, as the band’s live sound in a 3-piece set-up made their show all the more dynamic. The thing that really struck me was the passion displayed by all three members, with pulsating drums and almost U2-like riffs, coupled with Ernest’s knack for writing thoughtful lyrics, particularly shining through on songs like Heading For The Cold and set-closer Loveless.

The PA system had a collection of songs from The Beatles playing during the interval that preceded Old Man River’s appearance, and suddenly the mood became a lot warmer. The band appeared and opened straight up with 3 tracks from their first album in Sunshine, Believe It and Better Place. Ohad then followed with a solo acoustic number that was played to a silent and attentive audience and, by the third chorus, the majority of the crowd was singing along with the heartfelt track.

Things soon kicked back into gear, with the band road-testing songs from their upcoming new album Trust. Many of the songs went down well with the small but enthusiastic patrons, with new single You’re On My Mind gaining a warm reception. However, the biggest response was left for the older songs, with the band playing Summer towards the end of the night. The encore was brief but the band’s rendition of La had everyone on their feet and jumping around without a care. Members of the other two support bands came on stage to help out by playing any instrument they could get their hands on, and the crowd’s participation was particularly useful when it came to creating a mash of animal noises and generally left everyone in an upbeat mood as they left Jive.

Although the set-up and band members had changed since their last trip around Australia, Old Man River still stayed true to their sound and filled the room with a rockier, more permeating sound that will surely be fulfilled in the group’s new album.