Walking into The Forum theatre on Saturday night, one would expect the venue to be sold out, with barely any room to move. After all, the headline act, Basement Birds, features an ensemble of some of Australia’s strongest performers, made up of Josh Pyke , Kav Temperely (Eskimo Joe), Kevin ‘Bloody’ Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) and industry rising solo artist Steve Parkin.

So, sold out show right?

Wrong.

With what appeared to be barely one third of tickets sold, the first, and probably only Melbourne show for Australian ‘super group’ Basement Birds was essentially a one off experience, and those who witnessed the show, could be considered a very lucky minority.

Despite the lack of a crowd, Basement Birds performance was solid, mixed with highs and lows. The Forum looked the part too. Losing the conventional backdrop most bands have in large venues, Basement Birds’ set up consisted of what looked like large red, white and blue bird shaped kites. At least twenty were draped from the ceiling towards the stage.

Opening with single Waiting For You, they received a bit of a polite reception. No overwhelming cheers, just simple applause. With so much space on the Forum floor, there was plenty of room to dance or sway to the music. Not The One and Reasons continued the opening, before the band took a backseat to talk and thank the audience for coming along.

The band interacts so well on stage, like old friends reminiscing on tours together. After all, that is what the Basement Birds are; a group of old friends who created a band based on a tribute to their friendship, and musical companionship. The Forum, Pyke pointed out to Temperely, was the first place he shared the stage with Eskimo Joe back in 2006.

Unfortunately, the band’s album sounds incredibly similar, so many of the songs performed sounded quite generic. Heartache On The Radio was a standout, but there were more than a few surprises in store for tonight’s show. Steve Parkin provides the whistling vocals on Skin of the Sky, which raised some smiles.

With only one album to their name, Basement Birds cover of Sarah Blasko’s All I Want, did more than justice to the song. Quite frankly, a recorded version is needed as soon as possible.

Ghosts was another key standout from the show, but Kevin Mitchell announcing that Julia Stone was present for the performance of Bus Stop, provoked more than a little bit of excitement in the crowd. It proved a tease; with Stone unable to make the show, the opportunity arose for the female fans in the audience to come on stage and sing her lines with the band. The four lucky girls did a fine job on backing vocals, and were more than comfortable on stage, getting right into the performance with dancing and strong voices. The official set ended on a high with _Cinnamon & Smoke; the small crowd dancing away with the band.

Beginning the encore with the instrumental Hamilton Hill, Basement Birds pulled another sneaky on the audience, launching into a cover of The Presets My People. I’m really not a fan of the song or The Presets, but it was covered so well, and definitely provided a highlight of the performance. The final song of the night, Waterlines, was beautiful. ‘Sun will shine, leave behind, waterlines.’. The best was clearly saved for last.

Elements of the show worked well, and others didn’t. To be honest, the best moments of the performance come from the audience inclusion for Bus Stop, and covers of All I Want and My People. It’s not that the performance is lacking, it’s just the material is a tiny bit bland in sound. There are moments of greatness, but they are stretched too and far between. With four musicians coming together from essentially different musical upbringings, the initial expectations of a Josh Pyke/Jebediah/Eskimo Joe hybrid band fall flat.

Basement Birds are a fine band; don’t get me wrong. I just expected a bit more rockin’ energy from the show, especially from Temperely. It’s just a pity that Basement Birds don’t intend to continue as a band after this tour. Rather than cage the beast, they have the potential to spread their wings and soar high.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE