Birds Of Tokyo, Sahara Beck @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 2/11/2024
Perth band, Birds of Tokyo, are a class act. A fully packed Hindley Street Music Hall confirmed the popularity of the band and every one of the punters hung on to every soaring anthem the band played throughout the evening.
Saraha Beck opened proceedings, standing by herself on stage with just a guitar for support. As her Indie/folk sound filled the room, the room was still filling with Birds of Tokyo fans. As such she became a lost in the constant buzz of people getting drinks and securing their spot for the main act. It was a shame as I really wanted to listen to her closely, having been listening to her songs online over the previous days and enjoying what I was hearing.
A phone rang through the P.A. with a voice giving three options “Press One for a good time. Press Two for a better time. Press three for some body rock. It’s time for everyone’s favourite nerd band Birds of Tokyo”. There was rapturous applause as singer Ian Kenny and guitarist Adam Spark came on stage. “There are only two of us’ said Ian Kenny. ‘The others are still getting drunk out the back.” The Birds of Tokyo split their set into two, opening with an acoustic set and their 2015 hit I’d Go with You Anywhere.
Ian and Adam were having fun on a brightly lit stage. Adam played a snippet of “the first song we ever wrote together”, then “We haven’t played this next song a lot, we rehearsed it, well a bit” he laughed before giving us Rose. The rest of the band came on stage, with all five members at the front of the stage for The Greatest Mistake, an obvious favourite with the crowd who in parts, out sung the band.
Sahara Beck came on stage to duet with Ian on Halsey’s Without Me, Saraha’s beautiful vocals complimenting the duet perfectly. Superglue, despite Adam’s “We really haven’t rehearsed this” sounded perfect. Wayside and This Fire closed out the acoustic set, a set which was about the band having fun, playing snippets of songs between songs and dishing themselves.
Set two was the serious rock set. During the interval, the acoustic instruments were swept off stage, drums and keyboards were bought into view on high risers. Lights dimmed, a siren echoes around the room and the band came out, launching into Silhouettic with a magnificent, bright, light show illuminating the room. Those lights turned moody, but still spectacular, for The Saddest Thing I Know, the band now in total control of the music and audience.
The rear video screen lit up for Lion, Ian Kenny dancing like a puppet on a string across the stage. Ian is the consummate showman out front, the band flawless behind him. Plans had the room lit up with phones and Anchor bought underwater sea creatures to life on the big screen.
There was little talking on stage, as song followed song. Never Going Back showed footage of the last twenty years of the Birds as a touring band, “fashion crimes and all,” said Ian.
The show was building with Brace and Unbreakable coming out before the opening strain of Good Lord took the crowd to a frenzy. Ian encouraged the audience to participate with the vocals, and participate they did.
The song closed; the band stood around looking at each other smiling. I am guessing at this stage they would have normally gone off and come back for an encore. Whether it was the vibe of the room or they just didn’t want to break the magic happening, they remained on stage.
The latest single Heartbreakers Bar did keep the magic going and Smith Street kept the magic high. However, it was opening chords of Lantern that had the crowd in The Hindley Street Music Hall erupt. Phones came out, people’s singing filled the room and as the music finally died away, the place exploded one final time.
Ian told the people one final time “Adelaide, your friggin’ awesome”. No Ian, it is your band that is friggin’ awesome.
The Birds of Tokyo are a class act. They have the songs, the musicianship, the stage craft, so why aren’t they playing the stadiums of the world? They certainly should be.
Live Review By Geoff Jenke