Live Review: Boy & Bear - Fremantle Arts Centr

Summer just keeps on going. It was refusing flatly to die this Saturday night, the unseasonably warm, clear and windless evening setting the perfect scene for an outdoor concert. Gigs at the Fremantle Arts Centre kick off early and Tin Sparrow launched proceedings right on dark, playing to a steadily growing crowd that would, by the time everyone finished shuffling in, be a sold-out 3,000 strong. Jungle Giants, for one, were a little overwhelmed by all the people. Up next, they got the crowd riled up for the main event with a bright, bouncy set, using the space between songs to nervously compliment their audience on their size and enthusiasm.

There was contrast in the assurance and onstage comfort of the main event, however, Boy & Bear entering in a haze of blue light and dry ice, giving us a gloriously full Golden Jubilee to start. It didn't take them long to comment on the size of the audience as well though, Dave Hosking insisting that this was the biggest crowd they've ever headlined for. Luckily, the Freo Arts Centre doesn't oversell. The pit was a comfortably-spaced pit and there was enough room on the hill up the back for those who wanted to sit back on blankets and sip wine. It was those skolling drinks down the front, however, that made for a talkative, restless sort of audience for the slower numbers and a great deal of excitement for the faster, more recognisable ones. Regardless of how anyone decided to enjoy the gig, it would be safe to say there were very few who left disappointed. Other than some incredibly annoying, way over-bright backlighting, which had many a retina nearly burned through by the end of the show, it was a damn good night out. The band played a solid, well-balanced set, keeping the crowd happy with favourites and interested with a couple of new songs. They were tight, sang beautiful harmonies and appeased the locals with a shout-out to Little Creatures. They even had an extra member: a skeleton Jake Tarasenko had found somewhere in the Arts Centre building. “Does your new friend have a name?” Hosking asked him, prompting Tarasenko to quickly dub the boney addition 'Fremantle Freddy'.