For the opening act was Sydney all female act All Our Exes Live In Texas. Their unique and quirky sound was the perfect way to welcome fans as the sun set over the prison. The band’s style was refreshing with their raw indie vocals and dynamic music.
Just after sunset the crowd began to gather in anticipation for the arrival of the main act. Their enterance was incredibly relaxed and calm, walking on stage slowly waving to the crowd. The set up their instruments and started performing immediately, their cool, collected style was instantly visible from the moment they stepped out on stage.
For one of the first tracks of the evening, Boy And Bear chose to inform the audience they would be taking a walk down memory lane performing Rabbit Song which they had just released when they first performed in Perth many years previous.
In one of the only times the band chose to talk they informed their fans about their brand of beer they had recently released. In their own words their beer was cleverly named ‘Boy and Beer’ and all the proceeds of sales go to farmers in need, an incredibly important cause for the band who chose to tour regionally as well as in cities.
Feeding Line, one of the bands more iconic tracks managed to evoke a strong response from the audience with people beginning to sing and dance along, this was the first time the audience seemed respondent to the music with the majority singing along to the lyrics. The song was perfectly performed the vocals remaining flawless throughout the entire performance. The musicians where all incredible their energy remained unwavering.
The band chose to take full advantage of the unique venue using the walls of the prison surrounding the stage to project moving lights. The bright yellow patterns being displayed complemented the light and lively sounds of the band.
The crowd was diverse made up of young and old, many danced by the stage whilst others enjoyed the show from a distance setting up deck chairs away from the crowds. The entire audience was relaxed and at ease enjoying the equally relaxed sound of the band.
Towards the end of the set the band decided to give a disclaimer that they do not give encores but if the audience wanted they could treat the three remaining songs as their much desired encore performance.
For their rendition of Crowded House’s Fall At Your Feet they chose to bring back to stage, All Our Exes Live In Texas, the performance was incredibly moving, the harmony of the female voices supporting that of lead singer Dave Hosking was almost haunting. They chose to slow down their interpretation making the lyrics echo throughout the venue. This would have to be the most well received song of the evening with the audience singing along to the well known lyrics. On two occasions the drummer started a clap that was quickly taken up by the majority of the enthusiastic crowd.
For the last song they chose Walk The Wire, from their album Limit Of Love another one of their most popular songs. If the man standing behind me was anything to go by this wasn’t a surprise to the audience. The energy from the crowd was electric in response to the anticipation of the final song.
CLAUDIA MOORE
Pics by Claudia Moore
