Live Review: The Beards, Little Bastard, Enola Fall

25 June 2013 | 9:33 pm | Jazmine O’Sullivan

The Beards have provided a thoroughly entertaining set on many levels tonight – one can only hope that no one in the audience was silly enough to play the ‘drink-every-time-they-say-beard’ game, as they probably wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale.

More The Beards More The Beards

Hobart's Enola Fall are greeted by a substantial audience at The Hi-Fi tonight, a factor they take full advantage of with a highly committed performance. Frontman Joe Nuttall displays great versatility, singing with a strength that suggests training, while switching between guitar, piano and banjo duties seamlessly. Their set is brief, yet the trio leave a solid mark on the evening's proceedings.

Sydney's string-fuelled party posse Little Bastard are next to take the stage, and boy do they know how to throw down! Their sound blends Americana, country, folk and bluegrass in glorious splendour, with each band member evidently enjoying their time onstage, constantly sharing moments with one another to dance, yelp and croon while creating vivacious tunes. Little Bastard's set transports the audience from a venue in West End to a secluded barn out in whoop-whoop for one of the greatest hootenannies ever; thigh slappin' good times! 

There's a distinct increase in the amount of facial hair both in the audience and onstage as headliners The Beards command proceedings. Frontman Johann Beardraven says it right when he tells the audience, “If you don't like beards, you're at the wrong gig”, as no time is wasted in honouring the splendid fuzz that grows from a man's chin. While the concept of the band is centred around humour, the level of musicianship displayed is impressive; Beardraven's saxophone solos are on par with that of Bleeding Gums Murphy (that comparison can be justified because Murphy too, has a beard), and there's plenty of outstanding guitar riffs and solos throughout the night. The set has a great range of beard-inspired tunes, including No Beard, No Good, This Beard Stays, and Stroking My Beard, while the banter between songs is equally as amusing – the guys continually refer to our city as “Brisbeard” and tell us they're okay with the idea of people illegally downloading their music through Pirate Bay, because pirates have beards. As the quartet launch into the ballad There's Just Nothing Better Than A Beard, punters whip out their lighters and sway to the beat, which is refreshing to see, as modern audiences have been prone to using their phones as light in recent years. For the last song of the evening, a lady manages to crash the stage, and is shamed by the group for not having a beard, which is a wonderful note to end the night on. The Beards have provided a thoroughly entertaining set on many levels tonight – one can only hope that no one in the audience was silly enough to play the 'drink-every-time-they-say-beard' game, as they probably wouldn't be alive to tell the tale.