Birds of Tokyo @ The Metro,Sydney (15/9/11)

Mon 19th Sep, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Serving as their last she-bang before hitting the recording studios over Summer, this performance sealed the deal on what can only be summarized as a blowout year for Birds of Tokyo. With three chart topping albums under their belts there’s no doubting that the Birds are doing something right, but the past year saw them step into ultra league status when their self titled third album landed at a cool second place on the ARIA charts and three hits making the Hottest 100.

So it’s no surprise that expectations were high for this concert, and it’s an interesting position to be in as no matter what the boys laid out on the table there’s no doubting it would be well reciprocated, but there was also a component of expecting the impossible. It’s not that it wasn’t a perfectly synched, perfectly pitched, and, well, perfectly perfect performance; it’s just that… I expected more.

The atmosphere would pick up when upbeat songs were played, but with a meandering set of hands in the air to humdrum tracks that moved from one to the other at whiplash speed, it was impossible to maintain a growing energy. Their tasting platter of a couple of freshly whipped up songs did help redeem some of the (dare I say it) boredom throughout, with catchy tunes that piqued fans interest and excitement for what is to come.

But the no holds barred encore of the beloved hit Plans finally saw the crowd absolutely rip into and return the energy that Ian and fellow birds had been trying to maintain in the hour plus set. It would have been nice to see that momentum grow steadily throughout, but all is forgiven because, let’s face it, it’s Birds of Tokyo and nothing could slow these guys down.