Oz music has never looked so good. On this Saturday night, Boy & Bear plus friends turned blood to gold, sporting the metaphorical green and yellow stripes showing the future in music is looking very promising in this fair nation. The first set was a short one from Melbourne’s The Paper Kites. They lived up to expectations that they will help fill the void left by The Middle East as the boasted at times epic folk rock tunes. They were basically a perfect choice of openers for the evening.

Next up were the zany but lovable Ball Park Music who seem to be flying a similar flag to the one flown by Custard in the nineties (and during the odd reunion show). Like their predecessors, this sextet also herald from Queensland and are all about shiny, indie rock tunes with a wit and cheekiness to boot.

They got the kids and hipsters bopping along from the get-go with “iFly”. The audience were essentially mirroring the energy dripping from every pore of frontman Sam Cromack who leapt and kicked around the Enmore’s stage with sheer glee. The power continued into “Shithaus” where you could cast your mind back to Custard’s “Piece Of Shit” and that was before Messer Cromack started singing about burning your ex-girlfriend. Has Dave McCormack been personally tutoring these kids or were he and Sam separated at birth? The jury’s not yet out...

The set was certainly a fun one but it wasn’t confined to simple bouts of silliness. “All I Want Is You” had the crowd clapping along to music that could’ve been by fellow shiny, happy band, R.E.M. “Alligator” had a soft start but when it was kicked up a notch came into its own as a soaring pop track with boy/girl vocals and tinges of Cloud Control. Rounding out the set were “Sad Rude Future Dude” and “It’s Nice To Be Alive”- the latter providing a crowd favourite that was a warm pop tune and an anthem-in-the-making.

But the band with the tidiest swag of anthems were headliners, Boy & Bear. The show was a homecoming gig for the triumphant Sydney group who has boasted a never-ending streak of home runs over the past 18 months. “My Only One” saw the band earn their first bout of rapturous applause (something that would continue through most of the evening) with their Mumford & Sons-esque folk rock. There was so much love in the room you could almost picture these guys becoming part of the Australian psyche and as popular as Powderfinger in the coming years, unless they crumble under pressures like the dreaded second album.

But tonight was all about their debut LP, Moonfire and their EP, With Emperor Antarctica. The boys performed at the front of the stage and during “Milk & Sticks” they were accompanied by two string musicians. The latter fought a losing battle to be heard above the volume being pumped out by the quintet, throwing up the question that perhaps an unplugged performance like Nirvana’s infamous acoustic one is something to be added to the bucket list.

“Blood To Gold” was a rocking ditty with retro guitars and the gorgeous five-part harmonies for which they have become known. “Lordy May” meanwhile, opened with a Triffids-like, wide-open road soundscape and elements of the Finn Brothers’ songwriting style punctuating the lyrics. Boy & Bear are obviously fans of the New Zealand-born family as they nailed their cover of Crowded House’s “Fall At Your Feet” both this evening and on the He Will Have His Way compilation. Tonight’s version was pure intricacy and atmosphere; it was so sweet it would’ve given some people chill-bones.

“Mexican Mavis” saw golden songs complimented by equally bright lights before drummer, Tim Hart admitted that they were fulfilling a lifelong dream by playing the Enmore. He also added that his grandmother was in the crowd, making you want to bundle up the boys and say, “Awwww” as you patted their heads. Their set proved that they’re down-to-earth musicians and accessible to young and old with the audience ranging from the barely teens right through to the silver set and just about everyone-in-between.

“The Village” saw the percussion elements amplified to the max with egg shakers and bongos complimenting the vocal acrobatics on display before the romper-stomper, “Golden Jubilee”. “Rabbit Song” was served next before the sitting on your back porch and admiring the world swagger of “Part-time Believer”.

There was a song dedication to frontman, Dave Hosking’s dad, Ian in “Beach” and an old school, community spirit in “Big Man” where the supports were invited to join in for one ramshackle choir of creatives. It’s a shame that we were then told as a general housekeeping rule that there’d be no encore as the group had agreed early on that they are lame. But it proved to be no bother because it just meant that the crowd savoured the finale that little bit more than they would’ve otherwise.

“Feeding Line” summed up the whole set as it got people clapping, dancing, with phones askew and just generally enjoying themselves. After an hour long set with plenty of gorgeously soft memories, excellent pop/rock numbers and sure-fire anthems Boy & Bear had put on one immensely pleasing show, as delightful as the best dream you’ve ever experienced in the land of Nod. In short, you would have been hard-pressed to find a punter that had left the venue without a gaping smile. Nice.