Gig Review - Birds of Tokyo, The Cairos, 11/05/11

Birds of Tokyo have enjoyed immense success on the back of their self-titled 3^rd record over the past year and returned to Brisbane on Wednesday for the first time in 2011 to play to a sold out crowd at one of their favourite venues, The Tivoli.

The support act was local band, The Cairos who played a solid 45 minute set. They produced an energetic show with their blend of pop, rock and even some grunge elements sitting well with the over 18 audience.  The band were having fun and had some catchy songs with titles such as Warehouse Dropbear and even throwing in the live debut of an untitled track.

Birds of Tokyo strolled onto the stage 30 minutes later with smiles on their faces to a deafening noise from the crowd and launched straight into White Witch, an excellent opening track. It was apparent from the very start that this was going to be a fantastic show with lead singer Ian Kenny announcing that the band was here to play a “mixed bag of ours and your favourites”. It turned out to be just that, with earlier songs focused on in the 1^st half of the set such as Wild Eyed Boy, Ode to Death and Stay (a classic EP song). Not until the 5^th song (Saddest Thing I Know) did the latest album get a look in, but from there another seven recent tracks were featured including the live debut of Waiting for the Wolves.

The sound mix was perfect, where the vocals of Kenny and guitar prowess of Adam Spark (who was celebrating his birthday) shone through. It has become apparent just how good of a live band Birds have become and how many great songs they have in their back catalogue when they can play one hour and fifteen minutes of hit songs in one setlist and still have you wanting more. The only down point of the night was the stage lighting, with drummer Adam Weston and keyboardist Glenn Sarangapany barely noticeable near the back of the stage and sections with the audience in full light and the band in total darkness. However the musicianship of the band could not be faulted as they returned to the stage after numerous chants from the crowd to play an encore of The Gap, hit single Plans and fan favourite Silhoettic.

Overall, it was a great return to the club stage after playing many festival dates for the group. It’s easy to see why they have become one of the country’s most popular bands and it seems they can only continue to go from strength to strength from here on in.