Some goodbyes are tougher than others. And for tonight, maybe “goodbye” isn’t the right word. If we take the literal meaning of Holy Holy’s tour name - the “Grand Hiatus” tour - on face value alone, perhaps it’s more like a “bye for now.”

We obviously won’t know until Timothy Carroll and Oscar Dawson reappear on stage or in the studio again one day in the way we’re seeing them tonight. They’ve deemed that it’s time for a break and to split their focus across their respective projects and lives in different countries. And fair enough; together as Holy Holy, the duo have been hard at it for more than a decade now, with six albums under their belts and stages of all sizes in many countries conquered. 

It’s natural to wonder how tough this call is for any band to make – plough on with something that has kept the fire burning as artists in a collective, or flick the sparks elsewhere and see what catches on separate paths? It’s a tricky one, but it’s also not a sudden desire.

Holy Holy have always comprised producers and musicians working away on other projects, and even getting together to work as a band had its own challenges. Speaking with The Music in 2019, singer and lyricist Timothy Carroll said, “We're a bit of a crazy band in some ways – our drummer lives in Hobart, I live in Launceston, Oscar's in Melbourne and our bass player is in Sydney, so it can be a logistical mindfuck to get everything happening.” With these circumstances, and with all they’ve achieved in front of them, maybe the call to take a bow suddenly felt right.

So, saying staged farewells at a run of intimate shows around the country has now deposited them in Queensland to wrap things up. Warming the stage before them, however, is Melbourne’s Rowena Wise. Even though she’s backed by a full band, Wise is a commanding force and owns her spotlight with a sometimes fragile but mostly fierce vocal and endearing storytelling in between songs. She is a captivating young talent and worth keeping an ear on.

By now, this intimate little venue, lined with its dozens of Frida Kahlo artworks staring down from the walls, is well and truly stacked. When those first sparkling notes from Elevator strike, this particular Holy Holy show is just a vibrant, fun, wholesome place to be.

Carroll’s twirls do nothing but endear him, while Dawson’s ever-reliable guitar work cuts the air in between huge sing-alongs for That Message and If I Were You. Carroll gives us the rundown for the evening, while dipping in and out of their six albums and EPs across 12 years, “so if you get bored with any of them, go out and have a vape”.  

The vibe is nothing but high all night, there are no lulls in energy nor humility from the boys and their band, but you can also feel the bittersweet tinge in everything they do; those guitar shreds are relished, the high notes really hit those back-of-the-neck hairs, each grateful salute to the audience comes with a sad smile.

“Stopping for a while makes us realise how much we love this,” says Dawson. It was clear this wasn’t going to be just another show. The deeper cuts - like the rich and moody Sentimental and Monday, History’s lush arrangement of Carroll’s perfect vocal over jangly guitars, the almost prog-riff in Impossible Like You – truly highlight the breadth of Holy Holy’s outputs. Dawson’s intricate production and Carroll’s intimate lyricism feel timeless, resonating just as powerfully now as they did ten years ago.

Celebrating the songs that really amassed a dedicated following, they cement the four much-loved openers from My Own Pool Of Light before bringing Kwame on stage for Messed Up, followed by their Like a Version cover of Lorde’s Green Light while aptly framed beneath (of course) green lights.

After a short departure, the band rejoins us to play out some last gems like You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog (a distinct standout if not THE standout of the night) and the career-affirming True Lovers. Despite dancing the entire time and swigging from a bottle of red, Carroll remains note-perfect. He’s one of the hardest working vocalists around, but so damn proficient he makes it sounds like singing is as easy as using one’s regular old voice.

Whether this hiatus becomes a full stop or a comma in the Holy Holy story, one thing can be inked: this band has remained consistent and flawless from their beginning, all while exploring and evolving their sound. They didn’t fade out the way some bands are at risk of doing; they went out in complete and utter style. These final shows have been a celebration of everything they’ve built. And if they do return, the stage will be waiting.