Live Review: Bernard Fanning, Big Scary, Vance Joy

The vibe among The Tivoli masses tonight seems to be a mixture of anticipation and curiosity; the latter emotion pinned to the two supports for the evening, with Vance Joy channelling the bright lights early. Wearing a loose flannelette and a charming smile, the Melbourne songwriter quickly shows why he's one of the most talked about new artists in the country. Songs like Emmylou and From Afar are utterly arresting in solo mode, with Joy's voice swelling through the venue, holding power and tenderness in equal measure, while his turn of Springsteen's Dancing In The Dark makes sure everyone is holding full attention when he rounds things out with a ukulele-driven Play With Fire and Riptide. Making flawless look effortless, it would take a brave person to bet against Vance Joy utterly exploding in the next 12 months.

After a welcoming stanza of Invest and Luck Now, it's clear that no one told Big Scary they weren't the headliner this evening. Tom Iansek and a bleach blonde Jo Syme, along with the assistance of a bearded bassist/synth slayer, genre hop with freewheeling abandon, make completely intricate parts look simple and throw choice banter in between it all that moves from obvious inspiration behind their track Phil Collins to eating from Bernard's cheese platter. Their latest Not Art material is presented across the front of the set, while older cuts from the canon are delivered late, with elements exaggerated: the bouncy soul of Leaving Home; the shoegaze shredding of Gladiator. It's the garage funk punk freak out of closer Purple that sets the stage alight, though, with Iansek's chords dancing like a prize fighter while Syme channels her inner Bonham with bombastic crossovers on the skins. Phenomenal stuff.

Adulation rains down and Bernard Fanning can't hide a smile as he strolls out on his lonesome, reacquainting himself with a home crowd for the second time in three nights with Wash Me Clean. A limited backing band then appears in the shadows for Hope And Validation before the full five-member spread is making noise on Battleships. Featuring members from his old solo ensemble, Powderfinger's extended touring group and local roots rockers Band Of Frequencies, the group lock in with Fanning tight and true, and on songs like Inside Track and Here Comes The Sadist, they are shaking their leg with swagger, breaking up delicate odes like Departures (Blue Toowong Skies) perfectly. Watch Over Me and Wish You Well are met as rapturously as you'd expect late in proceedings, before the night concludes with a cover of George Harrison's What Is Life, a song title answered by the evening played out before it.