Reviewed on Sunday September 21 (photo by Ashley Mar)
It’s a testament to the strength of a support act that even being fractionally late entails clambering over the indignant legs of 20 people before being able to take your seat. From go to whoa Holy Holy had the crowd energised, belting out tunes like it was their last chance to do so (which I suspect is what all of us are secretly hoping for in a show; that chance to claim attendance at the infamous Last Gig before the band was eaten by wolves on the way back to the van). They gave a tight set, full of snappy tunes and lyrics with the entire audience eating out of their hands. Fun fact: Holy Holy weirdly resemble a set of folk music action figures. Corkscrew-haired guitarist, beret-wearing lumberjack on keys. High school geography teacher on bass, crooked card shark on drums. Lead singer Timothy Carroll dressed as a kind of pirate dandy. You’d like to believe that when they aren’t performing, they’re off solving mysteries in abandoned amusement parks.
Boy & Bear’sDave Hosking makes for a very laidback frontman, swaying gently along to the music. Throughout the night it became easy to forget the crowd and find yourself picturing instead a much more intimate affair; chilling out at your mate’s place, say. That sounds quite pleasant – and it truly was – but the flip side is that at times things felt a little too casual. Several songs – ‘Harlequin Dream’, ‘Rabbit Song’, ‘Bridges’ – struggled to find any lift, and the energy of the night was somewhat patchy. Of course, not every song is intended as roof-raising, foot-stomping revelry, but it was difficult to shake the impression that there were times the band just wasn’t able to find the right connection.
Other songs, however, saw them throw off the uncertainty and deliver some truly exceptional numbers, including a rousing ‘Three Headed Woman’, ‘Back Down The Black’, the unexpected inclusion of ‘Fall At Your Feet’ (which midway drifted into ‘Heart Of Gold’ before returning), and captivating performances of ‘A Moment’s Grace’ and ‘Lordy May’.
Taken individually, each of these songs is strong and offers something interesting. Taken across a hundred-minute set, however, they tend to lose power and potency. You felt as though Boy & Bear weren’t really pushing themselves; that there is little challenge to be had. Nonetheless, it was a great gig that held the audience charmed.
