Dash and Will, the two Melbourne girls dressed in t-shirt and jean basics, their single, Pick You Up, as featured on Triple J radio warmed up the growing crowd with their energy and striking chords. The fluid nature of their guitar based sing-a-long tunes represents the parred back style of song structure and the two personalities that accompany them. The young duo and their acoustic based players brought with them a slight blues and roots rocker sound and were strong on the guitars and sweet melody. It was sweet indeed and paved the way for a drinks break before Skipping Girl Vinegar entered the stage to continue the energetic vibe at the Hi-Fi bar.
Taking their name from the iconic Melbourne neon sign of Audrey the ‘Skipping Girl’ in Richmond, the Melbourne based quartet kept the crowd entertained with the likes of their single, ‘One Chance’ and news songs from their soon to be released album Sift the Noise. With their old world sound, it’s easy to see why this band garnered so much international attention when looking for a label. On close Mark on vocals gave one final sweet not singing the praises of Dash and Will and thanking Little Birdy. It was a big hi five to the Hi-Fi for keeping the sound quality up to scratch with a clear rock sound that showcased the support slot.
Entering the stage with a casual greeting before launching into Come On, Little Birdy made their presence known with a mix of old ( Big Big Love and Hollywood) and new songs from the upcoming album to get the crowd revved up. The brooding energy from the group was apparent especially Katie, who appeared in black rock get up, towering high heels and black cat ears. Little Birdy showed that they were eager to let it rip and they were soon soaring through their new song before landing safely into their sing-a-long stance of Beautiful To Me. The solid energy from the boys while Katy moved like a rocking rag doll and sang during Don’t and Bodies cemented how much everyone was enjoying the music. The rockier songs are backed by the strong beefy drum beats and electro guitar lines, while the newer songs like Brother take their cue from the softer side of their second album Hollywood. With Please Don’t Lay Me Down, you can see their admiration for the likes of Paul Kelly.
Throughout the performance it was a case of light and shade; big rock beats are contrasted with the light and shade of the acoustic base and stripped back vocals which sound like a mix of Dusty Springfield and Chrissy Heinz thrown in for good measure. A short break was soon needed and the crowd was left puzzled and wanting more after a supposed encore. Little Birdy closed with Don’t and encouraged heaving rock gestures from the crowd. They then showed their true melodic talent with a keys impromptu with the easy listening cover of Split Enz’, Six Months In A Leaky Boat.
It was standing room only for the sold out show and worth every minute of the extended encore. With their third studio album on the horizon Little Birdy is sure to deliver another mature, yet pop laden body of work soon.
