How good is not having to travel more than 15 minutes to get to a gig after a long working week? In short, it’s pretty bloody good. Bringing world class acts to Western Sydney is well overdue, and having Boy & Bear, Middle Kids and Dylan Wright grace the impressive Sydney Coliseum in Rooty Hill is a perfect example of what can happen when bookers and bands are willing to head this side of the ANZAC bridge.
As part of GIG60, a 3-day mini festival celebrating 60 years of Rooty Hill RSL, the three acts all came to town ready to deliver to a part of Sydney long forgotten by the live music scene. And deliver they did.
Opening the night was Dylan Wright, the winner of the 2024 edition of Australian Idol. While not familiar with his music prior to the night, Wright leans right into the recent surge of alt-country that is sweeping the globe. Playing a mixed bag of covers and originals, he closed his set on the trio of Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis”, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” most famously recorded by Brooks and Dunn, and the Aus Idol winner’s single “Paper Heart”.
Next up was Middle Kids. Having managed to sell out the Enmore Theatre on their national tour earlier in the year, the Sydney band is no stranger to playing 2000 capacity venues. And while this Coliseum show may not have sold out, the band still know how to cater a set to masses.
Playing a mixed bag set that probably resembles something they’d play at festivals, it was hit after hit, with opener “Dramamine” getting a run alongside “Mistake’, “RU4ME” (pre-empted by Hannah Joy noting they’d never played a Coliseum before and was looking forward to fighting Boy & Bear to the death later) and newer singles “Bootleg Firecracker”, and “Highlands”. Evidently the highlight of the night was “Edge of Town” (honestly I could hear this song every day for the rest of my life and not tire of it), “Stacking Chairs” and closer “Never Start” (a song Tim Fitz preluded with a story of death, love, family and journeys). I’ll always have time for Middle Kids, so thanks to them for making the trip west.
The Sydney Coliseum is a genuinely lovely theatre. A cross between the Enmore Theatre and Sydney Opera House, I look forward to coming back some day soon. One thing I didn’t enjoy as much was the over zealous security down in the pit. I’m not sure if they were on a power trip or following very strict guidelines, but at any sight of people trying to have fun (for example a father lifting his teen daughter up to get a better view of the stage), they were quick to put a dampener on it. Seriously guys, read the room. The venue wasn’t close to capacity and the bands on stage weren’t inciting a riot. A little lee-way here and there wouldn’t go astray.
Closing the night was Boy & Bear, a band still at their peak after all these years. Noting they were going to play a set of “old ones and not so old ones”, the crowd frothed from start to end, with the most love reserved for “Lordy May”, “Walk The Wire”, “Feeding Line”, Southern Sun” and their cover of Simple Minds’ classic “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (featuring some subtle Breakfast Club imagery from frontman Dave Hosking). A suitable headliner for the show, Boy & Bear is welcome back to the Golden West whenever they like.
While the show might not have come close to selling out, from what I saw, the Sydney Coliseum isn’t far off becoming one of the premier venues in Sydney. Having been born, raised and educated in Penrith, I’ll always have a soft spot for Western Sydney. Here’s hoping the Sydney music scene also learns to show it a bit more consistent love.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Don’t miss Middle Kids as they tour regional Australia. Tickets and more details are HERE.
Sat 28 Sep – Newcastle, Civic Theatre, Newcastle, NSW
Fri 4 Oct – Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul, NSW
Sat 5 Oct – UC Refectory, Canberra, ACT
Sun 6 Oct – Beer Deluxe, Albury, NSW
Thu 10 Oct – The Shed, Sunshine Coast, QLD
Fri 11 Oct – Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads, NSW
Sat 12 Oct – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Thu 17 Oct – Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC
Fri 18 Oct – Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan, VIC
Sat 19 Oct – Civic Hall, Ballarat, VIC
Fri 1 Nov – Magnums, Airlie Beach, QLD
Sat 2 Nov – JCU Uni Bar, Townsville, QLD
Sun 3 Nov – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD
