Live Review: Boy And Bear The State Theatre NSW

The State Theatre is an imposing venue full of decorative ornamentation, thrones and one of the biggest chandeliers in the world. But this didn't faze Sydney locals Tin Sparrow as they started their set. The band's relaxed indie/folk sound worked well for a seated venue and singer Matt Amery's voice filled the theatre beautifully. Lead guitarist Dean McLeod, looking very grungy chic, added some fun funky riffs to the sound before being heckled by his own friends in the crowd.

The Jungle Giants' sound seemed a bit weak in comparison, but one song in and they started to pick up the pace. The young Brisbane indie band was obviously very excited to be there and bass player Andrew Dooris was jumping around so much he almost caused himself an injury. Tracks included the hit, Mr Polite, and a selection from their new self-titled EP, each one performed with great vigour.

To a huge round of applause and cheering, Boy & Bear took to the stage in dramatic darkened light and a haze of blue and green to the delicate country sound of Rabbit Song, which flowed seamlessly into Lordy May.

The musical genius of this band is startlingly apparent when seeing them live and the tightness of their vocal harmonies, sometimes five-way, is particularly astonishing. This is a band that also has a lot of fun together and the banter throughout the set was great, particularly between lead singer Dave Hosking and drummer Tim Hart, who had the audience in stitches on several occasions.

The majority of the set was very chilled out and the ambience of the venue allowed the crowd to sit back and soak in their relaxing, sometimes melancholic folk tunes. Big hitters Milk And Sticks and Feeding Line went down a treat and the beautiful cover of Crowded House's Fall At Your Feet was cleverly interpolated with Neil Young's Heart Of Gold, giving it a new twist.

What the band called a 'pseudo-encore' followed, consisting of the lights going down but no one leaving the stage for fear of being seen as too self-indulgent. When the lights came back up, three of the band members were dressed in Greater Western Sydney Giants footie shirts, much to the delight of the crowd. Mexican Mavis and Golden Jubilee then completed the set with a big rock finish.