Waiting, waiting, waiting…..that was the start of my Boy & Bear interview. Whilst the guys were smack bang in the centre of the country that has the magic button to have a nuclear war commence – telephone coverage seems to be an amazing non-event! No matter what I did, the call would not connect. 20 minutes passed and finally ‘the call’……My time was spent with a super laid back and chillaxed Dave Symes, the bass player.
During 2011 Boy & Bear’s debut record, Moonfire, established the Sydney group as one of the nation’s most loved indie folk bands. Since the release of their #1 album Harlequin Dream 12 months ago, Boy & Bear have been touring relentlessly around the world, their 86 performances so far this year proving just how high the demand for their live show has become.
Symes comments though “the group dynamic is as solid as it has ever been. We enjoy each others company and this is reflected in our music” He is quite right. After listening to the album on repeat in my office for a number of days; the melodies and sound of the album are quite harmonious. They are very relaxing and make work no longer a chore; but a less effortless task.
Travelling so much they’ve built up a healthy amount of frequent flyer points, having travelled through the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Copenhagen, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and France (to mention a few) to play sold out shows. Taking care not to neglect their loyal Australian fans, Boy & Bear have ensured they return to their motherland for not one, but two national tours, with their massive 30-date regional tour taking place earlier this year.
Never fear! They are coming home again! Australian fans will once more get their fix of Boy & Bear when the band return for the ‘Get Up & Dance Tour’ in September, before hitting the tarmac again for further US/CAN and UK/EU dates that will keep them in the spotlight from October right through to December.
Boy & Bear recently performed on the Conan O’Brien Talk Show in the States on July 23, which is no surprise given the local love for them. In the US, Southern Sun was the #2 most added track on release, the 5th most added to College Radio and the #1 most added track to non-commercial radio. The single spent 16-weeks in the Top 100 AAA, with five consecutive weeks in the Top 5. The album, Harlequin Dream, spent 11 consecutive weeks in the Billboard Heatseakers chart.
Symes had some parting words after we spoke everything tour related; “to the youth today starting out; enjoy your time, enjoy what you do and do it the way you want to do it. That is exactly what we have done and look at what we are doing now……….Living the Dream!”
Boy & Bear kick off their Get Up & Dance National theatre tour this Friday 5th September at The Palais, Melbourne. For ticket and tour information visit www.boyandbear.com.au and connect with boyandbear on facebook, instagram and twitter.
MELINDA RANSOM
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