Aussie indie-folk band Boy & Bear have finally made their return to the UK after a two and a half year hiatus for a string of headline shows; tonight, they brought their rich and captivating sound to Bristol’s Thekla.

Stu Larsen and his band opened the show. The set began with a quieter audience, with many of them at the bar or yet to arrive. Stu’s incredible vocals and the bands lively riffs meant the space began to fill up rapidly. He delivered songs that utilised all the instruments available and others that were incredibly raw both acoustically and emotionally. His passionate vocals and array of songs was a beautiful addition to the show as a whole and got a lot of love from the audience.

Stu and his band were a perfect support act for this tour, they had a similar semblance to Boy & Bear, with the Aussie indie and folk undertones clear in his performance. Yet offered a slightly different take on this style.

Boy & Bear opened their set with ‘Lordy May’; Tim Hart (drums) instantly engaged everyone with a single beat, even those of us less familiar with their work could give nothing but our full attention to the band. Echoes of fans singing along was instantaneous, making what already felt like an intimate space feel even more immersive. Dave Hosking played the guitar with a tenderness that was really quite mesmerising to watch, but the band as a whole collectively nailed the song’s chilled out vibe which ultimately set the tone of the whole upcoming performance.

‘Feeding Line’ followed the opening number, a clear fan favourite, with immediate head bobbing and a chorus of ‘whoops’. The song offered a slightly different vibe to the previous one, however, still aligned with their distinct warm folk sound. The atmosphere, which was already charged from the amazing support act, was only becoming more energised at this point, something the band successfully maintained throughout the night.

The audience were blessed with old songs, fan favourites, some material from their newest album Suck On Light (which was unfortunately never toured due to covid, but therefore made an exciting new live performance for fans) and even a cover of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Games’, a song beautifully executed in true Boy & Bear style. Throughout the night, the band displayed some entertaining crowd engagement, there were jokes being thrown about between the band and the loyal fans, just adding another layer of intimacy to the performance.

Each member played with an unmatched dedication to their creative work and their joyful dynamic was a pleasure to watch. Particularly the bands melancholy and chilled frontman (Dave Hosking), who seemed at home swaying along with his eyes closed to the music as he was behind the guitar, delivering a truly passionate performance which captivated the whole venue. His dynamic banter with Tim Hart (drums/vocals) ensured no gap in the performance was left unfilled, whether that was with a witty comment or heartfelt appreciation to Stu Larsen and his band.

While the band joked about not knowing how to do an encore ‘properly’, after having been known to speak out against playing them in previous tours, the crowd was far too eager to let them escape without delivering one. They returned to the stage (after a large amount of chanting and aggressive foot stomping from the audience) with ‘Walk the Wire’, a tune that had everyone dancing once more. ‘Southern Sun’, which had been requested multiple times throughout the night by enthusiastic fans, obviously finished what had been an incredible show. And despite the very warm venue, the band kept everyone happily dancing until the very last note rang out from the stage.

Words & Pictures by Brianna Williams