Josh Pyke + Bob Evans

No expectations. That's how I'd describe my thoughts as I was driving to the Republic to check out Josh Pyke and Bob Evans. I knew one of them was from Jebediah, and Laura Imbruglia, is she related to Natalie?... And, as it was a last minute thing, my plus one ended up being a plus none – but that was fine. The gig was a sellout so I had the feeling that is was going to be a great night.

Laura Imbruglia kicked things off. For one woman and a guitar she commanded the stage and the audience. Her 40 minute set included the track 'My Dream of A Magical Washing Machine'. Today, a quick search on the Internet confirms that yes, she is Natalie's sister, but that is where the similarities end. Her music has been described as “a young woman playing her own blend of musical comedy armed only with an acoustic guitair”, with her quirky lyrics and comedic storytelling ability.

Bob Evans took the stage next – with a guitar and harmonica – after he'd sang a few lines of his first song 'Nowhere' I realised he was indeed the front man of Jebediah, Kevin Mitchells, with his distinct voice an instant giveaway. His next song 'Don't You Think It's Time' I'd heard many times on the radio, thinking I was listening to the band.

After a couple more songs, Bob was joined on stage by Josh Pyke and this duo sang a number of songs together including 'Silver' and 'Beg Your Pardon'. Then it was time for Josh solo. Standout moments for me was the song he has performed on Triple J's 'Like a Version', 'Pooh Corner' and his song 'Private Education'.

There were some die hard fans there – singing along at the top of their lungs, jostling the crowd to find the ultimate position to view their idols, mobiles and cameras madly snapping and recording the boys in action. My less than five foot height was frustrating me, where for some moments of the night, I was forced to look at the back of this very tall boy's stripey polo top.

The Republic was filled to capacity and the windows were fogging up with the collective joy of seeing these artists perform. Strange moments of the night included a boy dressed in a bear suit joining Bob and Josh on stage. For a moment there I was little uncertain about the meaning of the bear. Then it was apparent that the bear was not part of the show, with Bob and Josh handling this strange interlude expertly. The bear informed the crowd that this was one of many shows he had recently visited and then tried to touch Bob's guitar – to which Bob advised the bear “that only pro's can touch the guitar”.

As I was standing near the edge of the stage, trying to catch the perfect shot of the boys with my camera, as they left before their encore, I heard a boy ask Josh to kiss his girlfriend, to which he replied with something like 'no thanks'. Very strange!

Hobart was their final show of this tour and the night was laced with a few nostalgic moments. With the clock nearing One am, the boys ended the night with a couple of covers, Guns n Roses 'Patience' and The Beatles 'Two of Us' with the lyrics “We're on our way home. We're going home. We're going home.'. It was a perfect end to a perfect night.

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