Little Birdy, Oh Mercy,Felicity Groom @ Hi Fi,(06/05/09)

Sun 10th May, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Check out all the pics from the show right here on FL.

The line for tonight was ludicrous – literally heading out across the road and down the footpath for a good 50 metres. This dedication meant only one thing: the sold out event was confirmation Little Birdy have a very devoted fan following. I skipped the ridiculous line so I wouldn’t miss the first act, however much to my disappointment it seemed I wouldn’t have been missing out on much.

Felicity Groom appeared on stage dressed in an unsightly red dress with a matching flower in her hair- alongside guitarist Andrew Ryan. First impressions are important to me, and the first I got from these guys was their music was, to put it simply, boring. Ryan’s electric guitar in the background was good back up, however a drummer was much needed to complete the mood. Run for Cover sounded as though the music didn’t match Felicity’s tone. Whilst she had a gorgeous voice, it just seemed like the whole time she sung in a monotone. The music had a dark, magic sense about it, however my fellow punters agreed the whole act was really lacking something. Although the lyricism was pleasant, it seemed her voice didn’t suit them chosen genre of music. Take You Home and Low were the first times Felicity showed she had levels in her voice. This was only a taste of her talent, and she really should have put in 110% into each song to highlight her somewhat concealed ability. It took me a long while to try and work out if I liked them or not – and to tell the truth I still can’t make up my mind. Whilst she had a nice voice, every song sounded very similar. However the music was innocence mixed with independence – which is something you don’t see every day. The crowd appeared to be chatting and not paying much attention to her, making it seem as though she was merely background music at a busy pub. Felicity tried to have stage presence and humour but it just seemed fake and staged. During Fine Boys Stay, she dropped her guitar and picked up some dance moves from the 30’s. Need I say more? Andrew’s last words before they left the stage – “Buy our CD!” It would be interesting to find out if this request was at all successful.

Triple J Unearthed winners Oh Mercy were a refreshing upbeat change from the previous dreary performance. I was instantly impressed to see guitarist Thomas Savage rocking the bowl cut! “We’ve driven a long way and you haven’t let us down!” exclaimed lead singer * Alexander Gow* before getting into the set. Seemed Like A Good Idea was a perfect song to get us in the mood for what was to come. Sounding similar to a young version of The Panics , Gow’s feminine voice went perfect with the country, pop indie blend of music. Gow joked the next song was about Canberra, because that’s where the stimulus package came from and they have a lot of roundabouts with waterfalls. Ha! This guy was evidently quite eccentric, and in-between songs he humoured us with countless stories that included Fortitude Valley police saving his life the previous evening. Bass player Eliza Lam, who looked rather bored for majority of the set, finally spoke for the first time – informing us that most of these songs were from their new album, In The Mood For Love. “Parents love us! We’re baby boomer friendly,” joked Gow. “We reworked this song only a few hours ago. So if you’re confused; so are we!” Lay Everything On Me has been on high rotation on Triple J lately, and played live it was even more marvellously catchy. “If you don’t die from Swine Flu and don’t starve from the recession, then make sure you keep an eye out for our album coming out in August,” teased Gow, before swapping his guitar with a harmonica. He rocked both equally well, and it was evident by this stage all members were extremely talented musicians and songwriters. Last song we waved good bye to drummer Rohan Sforcina, and slow acoustic sounds flooded through The Hi Fi. It was a very different paced song from the others, and showed how diverse they are. It seemed to be a slow way to end the set, but was still commandingly beautiful.

Katie Steele entered the stage by herself, welcomed by a profound applause from excited fans. Brother started out slow, but progressed faster as the rest of Little Birdy joined Steele on stage. She had amazing presence, and immediately got the whole crowd wound up. Come On Come On sounded exactly the same live as it did recorded, proof that this woman really does have one of the most amazing and unique feminine voices around. The atmosphere turned to its finest when the sounds of Tonight’s The Night filled our ears. By this stage everyone was up and dancing and Steele was alive and energetic. Her sexiness was rivalled by her dorky existence, making it engaging and fascinating show to watch. Little Birdy changed the melody from fast to slow perfectly, and Katie’s voice had a profuse amount of levels. This woman can sing! And more importantly, she can hit every note like it was moulded around her flawless voice. Her music was simply consuming.

It wasn’t until half a dozen songs into the set that she first spoke to us. Katie mentioned how stoked she was that tonight’s gig sold out. Stay Wild and Relapse were intensely powerful, and it was still hard to believe Katie can hit the notes she does. Several songs later meant the swapping of many instruments for all members, showing the versatileness of the whole band. After finishing Better Off Alone, Katie humorously admitted she forgot all the cords and simply pretended to be playing! She played Beautiful To Me by herself, engaging the whole crowd and making everyone sing along. Katie danced around the stage like a gorgeous dag, kicking the air and swinging her hair around. Finishing the set with Bodies, majority of the crowd left believing there would be no encore. However, Katie did return to the stage, playing an epic rock version of Don’t and Summarize. It’s no wonder tonight sold out, Katie puts on an amazing performance. She was undeniably loveable, refusing to escape your head and leaving you wanting more and more.