Birds of Tokyo @ ThebartonTheatre, Adelaide (23/09/10)

Sat 25th Sep, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Birds of Tokyo are on the verge of taking the mantle from Powderfinger as Australia’s premiere rock and. The sold out Thebarton Theatre is evidence of their rising stature and huge profile, although it will be a while before they reach get the reach and scope that Powderfinger have. Greater commercial airplay is simply the missing piece of the puzzle.

Opening Band The Chemist mixed some strange eclectic pieces with some solid sonic elements,the first of which was Ben Witt’s silky Matt Bellamy-like vocals. He more than ably supported by strong striking backing vocals and great solid instrumentation all around although the arrangements as a whole verged on a little unbalanced in parts. The drumming was a little unorthodox and but along with the bass perhaps mixed a little too high at times. The band mixed things up a little with a polka influenced track and some strong guitar work. Whilst it’s an understatement to say the band has potential, something is missing in the mix. Perhaps The Chemist need to nut out a definitive sound or theme and pare back their arrangements to bring out clearer hooks.

The reality is this gig was almost a co-headline and whilst the majority of punters were here to see Birds of Tokyo, a significant number were here primarily and in some cases solely for the Silversun Pickups. A lot of people will walk away from this gig feeling the Californian alt rockers were the highlight of the night. With an air of mystique and a 90’s rock vibe the act have a beguiling and infectious sound.

Unfortunately slight mixing issues meant there were points when the guitar amp level was too low compared to the pedal configuration, so cleaner sounds were initially lost in the mix. The vocals also needed to be brought out more, especially during bigger singles. But overall the band’s performance was fantastic with engaging front-man Brian Aubert keeping the positive energy up and making sure the audience knew they were rapt to be in Australia. Drummer Christopher Guanlao was fantastic both technically and visually with a very animated style and high stick raises. The elevated placement of a crash cymbal was an added point of interest. The highlights predictably were the fantastic Panic Switch, Lazy Eye and Substitution. The reaction to the act was fantastic with plenty of fans singing along. No doubt the band will be keen for a return trip in the near future.

Even When the headliners hit the stage the crowd went up a notch. Frankly, aside from the relatively average drummer the musicianship of Birds of Tokyo was inch perfect. The act are easily one of the most professional in the country and will continue to build on their profile. The guitarist really shone on slower numbers, with reverb laden over driven guitars. Ian Kenny’s vocals were perfect, even if his stage movements were a little clumsy and off kilter. Whether the pianist was needed for live tour is a point of argument, but he did provide an extra layer. The LCD display behind the band probably blew the budget out a little but with a sell out Thebarton Theatre the move was more then justifiable, adding to the big gig ambience.

Some of the songs verge on epic especially given the resonance of the low end heavy guitar chords and the stadium rock choruses. This isn’t to say every chorus is fantastic and every arrangement
is striking as this is by no means the case. For the main many of the songs and the sound as a whole is poppy but still punchy – verging on commercial. Melodies were great in part and the band without doubt have their share of hits, but there were moments where the arrangements could have been sharper and more interesting. Recent single The Saddest Thing I know is far from the band’s best track and doesn’t match up to the infectious pace of singles from the previous album like Broken Bones, Silhouetted and Wide Eyed Boy. Plans from the new album, however, is a stand out and a massive crowd favourite.

The crowd walked away satisfied with not only the rising head liner, but without a doubt with vibey Californians Silversun Pickups who would have won over a number of fans.