Birds Of Tokyo @ HQ, Adelaide(27/09/2011)

Mon 3rd Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The cross section of patrons filling up HQ this evening really does represent the year that Birds of Tokyo have had. Coming from a background of loose-lipped, hard-edged alt-rock, the band have transformed into stadium rockers, largely due to the success of their self-titled album released last year. Tracks like Plans and Wild At Heart, displaying more commercial tendencies through their structures, have provided the group with the platform it needed to progress through the music industry and become the widely recognised band it is today. Yet there still lingers that feeling of a collective who, after years toiling away at the live scene, continue to remain an alternative favourite amongst the punters. The adult-contemporary punters mix with the young moshers to create a distinct atmosphere that demonstrates where the band has come from and where the band has since gone. This combination of fans, who on this evening completely pack-out the 300-plus venue, are a credit to the path which Birds of Tokyo have followed; they have never forgotten their roots amidst their overwhelmingly successful heights, an adage that their fans seemingly do not forget.

Openers Boy In A Box provided an already full venue with what can only be described as an explosive performance. On the back of tours with the likes of Calling All Cars, Alpine, and now this run of shows with Birds of Tokyo, the Melbourne 3-piece have become an incredibly tight live band. A self-description of their sound as “super happy power punk” is probably about spot-on, as the songs have this attractive, emphatic edge to them. Yet guitarist and frontman Tobias Priddle possesses an almost Mod-like voice that harks back to popular British sounds of the 80s and early 90s, probably encapsulating the “super happy” element of their music.

Success beckons when songs like The Longest Road and Glitter, Gold, Ruin gain the excessive radio airtime they have done throughout 2011, with the guys laying a solid framework to produce a successful debut album. As this set was predominately filled with all-out rock songs, it will be interesting to see what the band can deliver in a longer format, as some subtle variations in pace and edge could really help the band take that next step in their career.

It was strange seeing Birds of Tokyo wander out to an adoring venue on this occasion, with the lineup having changed markedly since their early beginnings. Multi-instrumentalist Glenn Sarangapany has been playing with the band live for a number of years now, but it now seems as though he has become a permanent member of the outfit, and along with new bass player Ian Berney of Sugar Army fame, they provide the band with a new lease on life in many ways. Opening with a triple barrage of tracks from second album Universes, Birds of Tokyo immediately played into the hands of their most loyal of fans; after all that was the overriding premise of this run of shows, dubbed the ‘Closer Tour’. It was interesting to witness Sarangapany’s guitar playing during Armour for Liars, something which he hasn’t taken to on previous tours but definitely adding that extra emphasis to the rhythm section and a further string to the band’s bow.

The set list played on the band’s more sinister side, with following tracks An Ode to Death, The Saddest Thing I Know and crowd favourite Wayside providing Ian Kenny with his moment to convey that conniving stare he so well possesses. He tones it down on Circles, as the guitar work of Adam Spark begins to shine; it was perhaps the one element that helped them distinguish their sound on their self-titled release from last year. The set list defines the success of tonight’s show, with a variety of great songs from all three of the band’s albums featuring prominently. Eduardo and Desperate provided older fans with a treat and further showed the great divide between these edgier, off-kilter tracks and the newer, more focused releases. One of the more pleasurable inclusions on the night was If This Ship Sinks (I Give In), a powerful number that opens with a bang and then slowly fades out into an ambient-style outro that involves Kenny taking the reins of an acoustic guitar and providing a particularly emotive vocal performance in accompaniment.

A cover of the Band of Horses track Laredo was well-performed and well received, as was a new song which the band debuted to the Adelaide audience this evening. It definitely pushed the group’s structural songwriting boundaries, with Sarangapany’s piano tinkering and Adam Weston’s pulsating stick-work creating a bright platform for any forthcoming releases. Birds of Tokyo close the main set with a one-two punch of Silhouettic and Wild At Heart, leaving many calling for more and some fans contradictorily booing as if they weren’t aware of the likelihood of encores these days. All five members returned for rousing renditions of White Witch and everyone’s favourite, Plans, which garnered immense levels of fist-pumping and emotive responses from the crowd. It’s fair to say that closing with Plans was incredibly fitting, as it represents the full circle in which Birds of Tokyo have come since they released the hit single well over a year ago now.

The whole Birds of Tokyo experience is an incredibly professional one. Ian Kenny is the perfect frontman, it is something we are well aware of. But to be supported by this talented and well-toured group of musicians is the element that really sets them apart from others in the same field. Every accolade they have received over the past two years is completely deserved, and future successes for Birds of Tokyo are inevitable.