Boy & Bear- 16 Days Under A Southern Sun Tour

It's been over a year since I last saw Boy & Bear play live.  Last night was the first show of their three night stand at The Forum in support of their latest album Harlequin Dream.  Tash and I got there in time for the opening acts Dustin Tebbutt and Battleships, both from Sydney.  I really liked Battleships as they had a bit of a dark and industrial sound with hints of Interpol, and the drummer was an absolute machine.

Boy & Bear came onstage to the sound of ELO's "Evil Woman" before launching into their current single "Three Headed Woman."  The mix of songs throughout their hour and a half set was equal parts old and new.  It was great to hear "Rabbit Song" and "Mexican Mavis" off the first EP although I was a bit surprised quite a few people in the crowd didn't seem to know them.  "Lordy May" and "Big Man" off of Moonfire were lovely, and "Milk & Sticks" got a huge reaction from the sold out crowd.  The songs from the new album were also great and often included the backing of two violinists.  The stand out tracks for me were "Southern Sun," "Old Town Blues," "A Moment's Grace," "Back Down The Black" and "Real Estate."

The guys were grateful and appreciative of the Melbourne audiences that keep coming back to see them play.  There was also a running gag throughout the night about Killian's alter ego Neil Moon, named after his moon boot as he broke a toe right before the tour started.  "Harlequin Dream" featured a saxophone solo and the guys joked that it was a lot of pressure on the guy for those 20 seconds of work each night.  Dave warned the crowd about band's policy of not doing encores before launching into "Golden Jubilee" and the closing song "Feeding Line" which had everyone singing and dancing along.  It's always great to be able to see Boy & Bear live and watch as they become more popular each time they return to Melbourne.

Here's the video for the fabulous "Southern Sun"