Live Review: Boy & Bear, Art Of Sleeping

Art of Sleeping caused the punters to rush towards the stage upon beginning their set, opening with 2012 release Empty Hands. They wonderfully entwine folk and indie rock with track Bleeding Out showcasing their heavier rock sounds.

Art of Sleeping gave us a heads up that the Boy & Bear show was incredible, with lead man Caleb Hodges telling us, “You’re in for a real treat.” Ending with Crazy, Art of Sleeping changed the song up a little for the live set, slowing down the tempo right down.

An extended intro of Limit Of Love was played as Boy & Bear took to the stage, while the spectacular lighting matched the beat. The lights opened up to reveal the Sydney quintet as they smashed out the track. Early on in the piece, Boy & Bear threw it back to the early years with Rabbit Song, exciting the original fans — the sharp guitar riffs filling the room dramatically. These guys are completely flawless live; not one thing, whatsoever, was out of whack.

They played tracks from all three of their albums over their 90-minute set, every song was soaked up by the punters, as the singalongs turned into a choir-like effect with the hall’s brilliant dynamics. Boy & Bear took a moment to commend their support acts, showing that they’re a bunch of really down-to-earth guys. They even treated us to their Winehouse cover, Back To Black — making it uniquely their own.

Everyone was relieved to hear that there would be no encore, with David Hosking announcing they think they’re weird — who actually likes encores anyway?! They gave us three favourites as a finale, bringing a saxophonist to the stage for Harlequin Dream and ending with The Wire. Boy & Bear have come so far in their six years of existence; it’s no doubt they’ll be classics in years to come.