Boy & Bear

This was the final night of Boy & Bear’s 2024 European tour, and the fact that all five UK events sold out indicates that the men from down under may have underestimated their popularity and reputation here. They really should be playing bigger venues, and the cavernous hold of The Thekla really didn’t do justice to the clean sound of the band’s gentle, lyrical music. David Hosking has an extraordinary voice which beautifully expresses the of the band’s songs on recordings, but at times it was difficult to hear his words as the overall sound echoed off the walls. Nor was there room on the cramped stage for the five band members to be visible to all. Drummer Tim Hart was tucked away, stage right, behind a huge hanging amplifier, out of sight and a strange disembodied voice when he spoke. This allowed him to tell an amusing anecdote about how he blocked out a classmate in an old school photo, so maybe the universe was getting its own back on him tonight. The tour has been promoting the band’s eponymous 5th studio album, released in May last year, and many of the songs on tonight’s set list were drawn from that album, which I consider their most accomplished work to date. There were several requests from the audience for old favourites, which the band politely explained they couldn’t accommodate, but they did play a few classics from earlier albums and some old songs dusted down again. There was even a crowd-pleasing cover of Simple Minds’ “Don’t you forget about me”, although I felt this number showed up the limitations of the venue more than any other: it’s a stadium anthem, and felt diminished in the confines of The Thekla. Boy & Bear would make a great stadium or festival band. Their music would lift the spirits of any massed audience. Maybe someone needs to have a word with the Eavis family to invite the band to play Glastonbury … Finally, I must mention the support act, Boo Seeka, who got the party started with a rousing set of their electro-pop songs. While this isn’t really my genre of music, I must admit the duo engaged with the audience and got them dancing and singing along to some infectious rhythms. They later made some impromptu appearances in Boy & Bear’s set, joining in with some harmonies and generally having a blast. It was all part of the celebratory end-of-tour party atmosphere that pervaded the event. The Thekla may not have the best acoustics or facilities, but it is a great place for a party, and the 400 strong audience certainly had a hell of one tonight.