Little Birdy @ Fowler's Live(08/09/06)

Sat 9th Sep, 2006 in Gig Reviews

Little Birdy’s opening song ’Tonight’s the Night’ could have easily summed up the mood of the Adelaide audience. Apart from a few lone, loud fans, the majority of the audience seemed flat. Being only politely receptive to the first half of the Little Birdy set. Playing at Fowler’s Live, the sound was good and there was plenty of people out to see the band. New single ‘Come On Come On’ sounded retro 1980s, with keyboard whizzes and stomping drumbeats. It sounded heavy and is a fantastic live number, which I’m sure will become a favourite. The band also seemed happier performing this new song. They played with energy and confidence, which I’m sure will only increase as they continue to promote the new album Hollywood. Another new song ‘Bodies’ also sounded fantastic live.

There seems to be a much heavier sound to the new Little Birdy songs and it suits them. Reacting to the quiet mood of the crowd, singer Katy Steele pulled out her best rock ‘n’ roll stage moves. It was a delight to see a frontwoman so confident and willing to confront and enage with the audience. She lead the audience into hands aloft waving, high kicked across the stage and used her own body as a percussion instrument all in order to get a reaction from the crowd. It was difficult not to react to her enthusiasm and determination. ‘Excited’ did exactly that, it finally got the audience excited, joining into dance and sing along. This song was a highlight of the set. ‘Relapse’ was also performed and helped to improve the mood of the crowd. However, Steele saw fit to mention that we were a quiet crowd. In part it could have been due to the audience not wanting to look away from her. At times Steele seemed uncomfortable with being watched so intently, seeking at times to hide behind her hair. The rest of the band didn’t really do anything to take the attention away from her though. Perhaps this is something they could work on to relieve some of the pressure on the singer to engage the audience.

What really makes Little Birdy great live though is Steele’s voice. It has the ability to sound like an intimate whisper ranging to the loudest, rock ‘n’ roll yell. Drummer Matt Chequer was also a standout on the night. His drumming had the ability to really lift the songs and contributed to the heavy sound of the band. He was particularly good on the song ‘This is a Love Song’.Coming back on stage for an encore, Steele announced that it was only ten minutes until her birthday, resulting in the crowd wishing her a very happy birthday. ‘Beautiful to Me’ was a fitting closer. It united the audience in a beautiful sing-along. It was a pleasure to be a part of that moment.

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