Little Birdy

Thu 7th May, 2009 in Features

From the guitar-laden BigBigLove to the synth-styled Hollywood and now Confetti, with its roots deep in surf rock and acoustic traditions, Little Birdy have made successful transformations from album to album. One of Western Australia’s most beloved exports, their unique brand of pop – led by the voice of Katy Steele – is one of the few constants throughout their career.

Testament to this is Confetti’s lead single, Summarise. Built on a heavy beat, it’s full of handclaps and highly melodic. Yet as the bouncy voice of Katy tells, the song was never always as lively as the version we hear now.

”[ Confetti ] went through lots of transformations. When I first brought it in I’d written it as a really slow, country, Hank Williams-esque simple kind-of song. And we just started playing it like that and it really didn’t seem like it had any vibe or that it meant anything.

“So the guys were like, ‘Let’s speed it up a bit’. And Matty [Chequer] was really influenced by Sly and the Family Stone, so it kind of got that drum beat going. We just kind of flipped it on its head I suppose.”

Musical transformations don’t just end at the songwriting level. Steele makes it clear that the band’s mission has always been to break the mould. “There’s always a conscious effort to do something completely different, because we’ve always said from the word ‘go’ that we don’t want to repeat ourselves and we never want to be predictable, I suppose.

“I think in the old days people thought – and probably still think – we’re just a pop band. But I like to think we’re a bit more than that. We push ourselves with every record. It’s always a challenge and we always push ourselves out of our comfort zone.”

As she reasons to the change in sound from album to album, Katy isn’t afraid to reveal plans for the next record. “Hollywood was something completely different again and it was very much something we had to get out of our system. And Confetti s a similar thing, where we wanted to just nail that classic sound. Then the next one I want to do a full-on rock record that’s based around groove.”

As she speaks in a small rehearsal studio, pausing to greet the young daughter of the owner, the conversation moves to Katy’s brother, Luke. In 2008, he gained the commercial success she once exclusively had through his work in Empire of the Sun. However, Katy is quick to debunk any rumour there may be of sibling rivalry. “There’s always been a little bit of competition in the smallest way in that we inspire each other and we always have and we always will. But him doing well makes my bones warm and I only have the highest amount of respect and love for him.”

One factor of the Little Birdy live show that draws acclaim from punters and critics alike is the stage presence of Katy herself. Seemingly possessed with the same charisma that makes Sharon Jones and Karen O such enigmatic frontwomen, she even admits to trying to “overcompensate sometimes with the stage performance” when faced with large or hostile crowds. That said, the preparation for it is peculiar, to say the least.

“I get really, really quiet. I can’t really talk for about two hours before I go onstage. I haven’t really worked out what it is. I guess I’m just preparing mentally for what I’m about to put out there. I have a really strange before-stage demeanour. And after the show as well. It’s a really straining process but that’s what I live for. It’s kind of like doing a theatre show.”

With such dedication, it’s clear to Katy at least that the live arena is a priority. “I think that in this day and age when you’ve got downloading and everything is so digital, we need to have our show far above anything else. We’ve always had a lot of pride in our show and still do.”

Reflecting upon how she was when the band first formed, Katy clarifies that she still holds many of the same dreams for international success, albeit with a more realistic outlook. “We wanna be massive. We wanna be massive everywhere. But it’s not really that simple. And when you’re 18 years old, you’re like, ‘I wanna be massive here’ and ‘I wanna go to New York’ and ‘I wanna do this and that and this’. It’s like ‘Man, just relax! Enjoy what you have!’”

It’s this level of patience that Steele values most at this stage in her life. “The one thing I’ve realised in my seven years – my long seven years – of my time in music is that every single thing that happens in your life is all about timing. And it’s all about meeting the right person and them coming into your life at the right time and things change. But I’ve got so many plans for the future, I’m just waiting for them to be shown up in my life.”

Confetti is out now on Eleven/Universal. Little Birdy have kicked off their national tour – the following shows are still to come.

Thursday 7th May – Hotel Great Northern, Byron Bay
Saturday 9th May – Groovin The Moo, Maitland
Tuesday 12th May – Baroque, Katoomba
Wednesday 13th May – Metro Theatre, Sydney
Thursday 14th May – ANU, Canberra
Saturday 16th May – Groovin The Moo, Bendigo
Thursday 21st May – Pelly Bar @ Pier Hotel, Frankston
Friday 22nd May – Hi-Fi Bar, Melbourne
Saturday 23rd May – Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully
Sunday 24th May – The Gov, Adelaide
Thursday 28th May – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
Friday 29th May – Prince Of Wales, Bunbury
Saturday 30th May – Capitol, Perth