After releasing his debut solo album Tea & Sympathy in October 2005, Bernard Fanning launched his album via a series of sold-out concerts in capital cities a few weeks later. At the Brisbane show at QPAC he promised the audience that as much fun as it had been, next time he’d play a venue where we can all dance and drink together and have a good time. He delivered and didn’t disappoint.

After playing many shows across the country, most sold-out, and the two previous nights at The Tivoli in Brisbane, it was time to wrap up the Which Way Home? Tour in his hometown. The first support act was Melanie Horsnell (so the sign at the door said) however by the time I had recovered from a huge drinking session the night before and managed to rip myself off the couch and seem presentable, I had missed her performance.

I did arrive half way through The Panics’ set where they were playing to a decent sized crowd. I can’t say I know much of The Panics’ stuff but the five-piece band did seem like a wise choice as a support act as they too have that laidback and casual rock sound yet can leap out at you with a hard rock riff any minute. I did recognise one if their latest releases, My Best Mistake, and they were enjoyable to watch on stage.

Then the much anticipated main act of the night finally came on stage. The back drop consisted of fairy lights and around eight cylindrical lamps that stood at different heights (some on the ground, some hanging from the ceiling) embossed with gramophones and drawings. Both the fairy lights and lamps changed colours throughout the gig which went well the music.

Bernard opened with an acoustic version of Wash Me Clean before casually greeting an energised audience. Here he mentioned that Andrew Morris was actually playing in the ‘School Boy Era Band’, or something to the like (a name I think he said in jest), when he wasn’t scheduled to play. Bernard and Andrew then briefly entertained the audience with their best Kiwi accents and phrases after explaining he had just arrived back from a wedding in New Zealand. Throughout the entire a gig it was clear that the whole band, but especially these two, have a close and brotherly relationship, even joking about their ‘homosexual relationship’.

Bernard seemed to be in a good mood as he entertained the audience all night with tracks that didn’t make it on to the album, some which he affectionately calls his ‘little red-headed step children’. Their was plenty of banter between Andrew Morris (guitar and backing vocals), John Bedggood (piano, mandolin, violin, what doesn’t he play?), Jerry Marotta (drums) and Keith Duffy (bass), but perhaps the most hilarious part of the night was when Bernard got the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to a friend in the audience who had been calling out between songs. After the crowd had sung Happy Birthday, in good humour, he then quipped “are you happy now? Can you shut the fuck up?!?!”

As for the music of the night, Bernard’s voice showed no signs of strain or tiredness as he belted out every note to songs such as Songbird, Thrill is Gone, Hope and Validation, Down to the River and crowd favourite, Wish You Well (no matter how many times you hear that song you can’t help but love it all over again when you hear it live). He even sat down at the piano and played his ‘little red-headed step child’ songs accompanied by Bedggood on violin. Some songs, such as Hope and Validation and Down to the River, were extended with rock’n’roll riffs which made the songs much more hard core than they appear on the album. And to finish with an encore of the night, Bernard, the whole band and the Panics all played the last song together, a cover of the Rolling Stones’ Dead Flowers.

The whole vibe of the night was positive as Bernard’s good mood and the banter with the band put smiles on everyone’s faces. He made a comment about the crowd being the best of the tour and said that the previous two nights at Brisbane had been awful as everyone was acting like drunken hooligans. I took this as a ‘you’re the best crowd I’d ever had’ comment that no one ever believes, but after speaking with a few people that went to the previous nights, apparently this was true.

All in all it was a fantastic night and I don’t think anyone walked out of that gig disappointed.