Bernard Fanning, Big Scary, Vance Joy
Tivoli 18-07-13
In the first of two sold- out shows, Thursday night saw hoards of live music goers brave the chilly weather for Bernard Fanning’s first Brisbane performance since 2007- and I bet they’re glad they’re did!
Those who arrived as doors opened enjoyed the vocal earnestness of Melbourne singer-songwriter James Keogh aka Vance Joy wafting through The Tivoli. With a charming acoustic set showcasing songs from his new EP God Loves You When You’re Dancing and laced with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark,’ it’s hard not to love him- sensitive, genuine and a Bruce Springsteen fan, now who wouldn’t want that in a man?! Swapping between guitar and ukulele and polishing off with his new single ‘Riptide’ which has been making waves (excuse the pun) on the radio recently, Joy was a support act not to miss!
As the audience slowly grew in size, Melbourne duo Big Scary took to the Tivoli stage for the first time. Performing as a three piece and beginning with an ominous and quirky named song “Phil Collins,” the group were instantly hypnotic. Drifting through songs from their new album Not Art and older tracks including “Falling Away” saw vocalist Tom Lansek switch effortlessly between guitar and keys- this however would have been easy to miss since it seems all eyes, mine included, were on female drummer Joanna Syme. Navigating the drum kit with attitude, ease and undeniable skill and requesting the audience partake in a joint ‘drool over Vance Joy’, Syme emphasized Fanning’s ‘shit-hot band’ coming up next… and she wasn’t wrong.
After the immensely enjoyable hand-picked support acts, Fanning and his five piece band took to the stage with an almighty roar from the audience. Before launching into a high energy ‘Tell Me How It Ends’, Fanning’s first words ‘this is already markedly different to Toowoomba,’ caused the first giggle for the night. Followed by ‘Inside Track’ and ‘Limbo stick,’ Fanning and his insanely talented band went on to perform a combination of songs from his new album Departures and 2005’s Tea and Sympathy, throwing in a mid-way acoustic set and giving a shout-out to ‘four fiery ladies’- his sister, wife, mother and mother-in-law, all in attendance. Riddled with jokes about pubic hairs on his microphone, the streaker from the origin the night before and firing his agent because of the shows clash with the first cricket test match, it’s clear that Bernard Fanning is just your average Aussie bloke.. albeit a little more famous that most. Better yet, we are reminded by a stunning performance of “Departures (Blue Toowong skies)” of which he ‘dedicated to anyone from Toowong,’ that he is Brisbane’s own. Coming back on by himself with an encore of “Watch Over Me” found the audience silent for the first time, excluding one loud individual… tickling the funny bones of the audience yet again, Fanning dedicated the next song ‘to the fuckwit that talked through that whole song, I’m going to call this I wish you would shut your fucking mouth” before a sing-along bursts through The Tivoli for encore highlight “Wish You Well.”
I’ll tell you one thing, Fanning is as much a comedian as he is an incredible musician and he sure can pick his support acts well. For the love of great music and a good tickle of the funny bone, let’s hope Bernard Fanning doesn’t wait another 6 years for a Brisbane show.
– Charlotte Boumford
