Instead of my usual reclusive tendencies for a Friday night, I ventured out into Fortitude Valley with my ticket to see Boy & Bear’s Brisbane addition to their Australian tour in my hot little hands. Despite being my first 18+ gig at the Tivoli, I headed straight past the bar and onto the floor. I certainly have my priorities in order unlike some of the other patrons. Acquiring perhaps the best spot on the floor, up against the middle of the barrier, I was ready for a long wait to see the headliners.

Due to the disappointing choices of support bands at previous shows I’ve attended, I must admit that I didn’t have high hopes for the support acts… but to be quite honest with you; I was utterly shocked and pleasantly surprised. So much so that I don’t even know where to begin.

First up was Tin Sparrow; a four piece band from Sydney featuring Matt Amery, Dean McLeod, Sonja Van Hummel and Mark Piccles. They were brilliant; introducing a glockenspiel to the mix half way through which added to their already unique sound. My only regret, and quite a rookie error, was not researching them beforehand so I could fully appreciate what I was witnessing. They were a perfect way to open the show.

The second support act was the Jungle Giants, a local Brisbane band made up of Sam Hales, Andrew Dooris, Cesira Aitken and Keelan Bijker. They were excellent, in fact, they were beyond excellent. Their songs were catchy and their stage presence was out of this world. The bass guitarist, Dooris, was cute as a button with moves (well, I guess that’s what you’d call them) that blew the entire audiences’ minds. I regret not whipping my phone out during their opening because the antics portrayed in the videos I managed to grab just don’t compare to his opening routine. It goes without saying that the rest of the band members were amazing as well.

I honestly cannot praise either of these bands enough, definitely ones to keep tabs on and with some luck, be hearing on traxx quite frequently from now on.

After about half an hour of watching Steve (Boy & Bear’s guitar technician) light incense sticks and place them all over the stage, Boy & Bear finally graced the stage. As soon as Dave Hosking, Jake Tarasenko, Killian Gavin, Tim Hart and Jon Hart wandered into view, the crowd went absolutely ballistic. I am honestly at a loss for words as to how to describe their set. It was both intense and light hearted at the same time. Hosking’s demeanour was passionate and concentrated, looking like a true artist on stage. Yet, between songs, the five of them turned out to be larrikins, joking around at the girl in the crowd who was relentlessly screaming things such as “Take your fucking pants off!” and other socially inappropriate expressions. It was also great to see older audience members ‘getting down with the kids’, dancing and perhaps having a better time than some of the younger generation. A few songs into the set, the familiar opening cords of their cover of Fall at Your Feet began to play. Some like it and some hate it but I adore it to bits. I felt like Kristen Bell when a sloth was invited to her birthday party. We were also lucky enough to hear two new tracks; Three Headed Woman (video below) and Boxer and they were brilliant, they would have been highlights of the show if the entire set hadn’t been a highlight in itself. Just proving that despite the roaring success of their debut album Moonfire, released in 2011, Boy & Bear have a lot more up their sleeves than what we’ve seen as of yet.