LIVE REVIEW: JOSIAH & THE BONNEVILLES @ OXFORD ART FACTORY SYDNEY 20/08/2025
PHOTO CREDIT: ADRIANNE ARMIDA
Oxford Art Factory has seen its fair share of rising stars, but there was something particularly special about Josiah and the Bonnevilles’ first-ever sold-out Sydney show. For an artist whose journey has been anything but straightforward, the night felt like a victory lap wrapped in vulnerability, wit, and an undeniable connection with the crowd.
Josiah walked onto the stage armed with nothing but his songs and a disarming humility. What immediately set him apart was the way he spoke to the audience – not as a polished frontman with rehearsed anecdotes, but as someone who had lived through the lows and was genuinely grateful to be standing in front of a roomful of people singing back his words. Between songs, he kept the atmosphere light, joking with fans and laughing at himself, but it was the moments where he let his guard down that hit the hardest.
After the first song, Josiah told the story of being signed to Warner Brothers Music as a teenager, only to be dropped by the label at 18. ‘Six Dollar Check’ is one for the OG fans. It’s all about looking forward to the checks he’d still receive in the mail from them, even though they were only six dollars, because they were enough to cover a bar tab. “I mourned the death of my music career at 18,” he admitted, with a half-smile that carried the weight of those years. The silence in the room was telling – a collective pause as fans took in just how close the world came to never hearing these songs at all. Yet here he was, thousands of miles from home, playing to a packed room in Sydney. I remember finding Josiah through TikTok when he released his cover of ‘Heat Waves’ and I became an instant fan, hoping one day, just one day he’d make it down under.
Musically, his performance was as raw and honest as the stories in between. His voice carried the ache of his lyrics, but with a resilience that made each chorus land like a statement of survival. Fans sang along passionately, creating a dialogue between stage and floor that blurred the line between performer and listener. It was such a sweet, supportive crowd; the kind that makes you feel proud of your city.
‘Stolen Love’, ‘Hey Violet’ and ‘Blood Moon’ were particular highlights, having every person in the crowd in the palm of his hand. It was a longer set than Josiah usually plays, but I can guarantee there were no complaints!
What could have been a standard debut was something far more meaningful. It was proof that an artist can build a career not through industry machines, but through perseverance, craft, and human connection. By the closing song, Josiah had turned Oxford Art Factory into a chorus of believers, united in the knowledge that his story is only just beginning.
For Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Sydney wasn’t just a sold-out show; it was the night an underdog finally stood tall, and an audience got to witness a dream realised.