The last couple of years have been nothing short of brilliant for the charismatic Sydney singer: Andy Bull. He released his critically acclaimed album We’re Too Young in 2009, not to mention his collaborations with Lisa Mitchell, a heavy touring schedule, appearing on Triple J’s ‘Like a Version’ and most recently releasing his new EP, Phantom Pains. This evening Andy and his band graced Adelaide’s hipster venue of choice in, Jive.
The evening’s show began like so many others in Adelaide, a small but dedicated crowd entered the venue early on; there was much anticipation in the air as punters talked about their favourite Andy Bull tracks or how they came to discover the artist, creating an almost family like atmosphere where every person was bound by their musical taste.
The first band for the evening were Adelaide favourites, 20th Century Graduates, who played through a set list of songs which seemed to sit well with the crowd. After a very short intermission Brisbane duo, Spring Skier, took the stage. The group themselves have recently received much praise and are also doing a slew of national headline shows.
They had a very dynamic sound, especially for a two-piece, resonating a beautiful folk sound, which echoed influences of Simon and Garfunkel and Neil Young. To add to the group’s strong sound were the combined vocal melodies of Kane Mazlin and Remy Boccalatte, which in themselves were magnificent and showed off the strong musicianship of the duo. The folk style music created a very tranquil atmosphere, which gave the venue a cafe feel, one where you could talk to friends whilst enjoying some striking music in the background.
The stage was now set for Andy Bull to take his well-deserved headline slot. Andy and his band received a very warm welcome from the crowd and instantly Andy’s charisma shone through. He started by introducing himself and his band, and had the crowd smiling and bedazzled almost instantly. Opening with ‘My Street’, the crowd started to dance and bop along immediately.
Andy’s songs in themselves have a very strong dynamic, where each is almost cabaret in the sense that it will never follow a typical musical formula, something which can surprise and amaze those who might not have heard Andy’s music before.
On top of very strong musical skills, Andy has a very strong and charismatic stage presence, always joking with band mates and often telling stories to the crowd. This was apparent just before he performed ‘Dog’, giving an explanation of how the song came about and how he tried to save a chihuahua from certain death.
Aside from dog stories, Andy also told the crowd how the group played Triple J’s ‘Like a Version’, leading to the group’s cover of the Tears for Fears classic – ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’. It was no doubt a treat for punters to witness Andy doing his own rendition of the song.
Towards the end of the show Andy was joined by members of 20th Century Graduates and Spring Skier on stage to play the crowd favourite ‘Last Waltz’. This collaboration was very well received by the crowd and a great way to finish the show. However, the show could not finish without an encore, and Bull finished off the night with a ballad, ‘Work is a Slow Way to Die’, from his upcoming EP.
Andy Bull is more than a musician or performer, he and his band are an experience. There is a well justified reason why Andy is critically acclaimed and gaining much popularity on the Australian music circuit. With the release of Phantom Pains it seems that it could be quite a big year ahead for Andy, hopefully it will not be too long before we see him and his band of merry men on an Adelaide stage again soon.
– Matthew Mercieca
