Birds of Tokyo

Finally a warm night out, oh no wait, it's raining and getting cold. Where else could you be but Melbourne? And who else would be worth braving the multi seasonal hours of the tired end of a week? None other than Birds of Tokyo.

Catching the tail end of the set by first support act Daughters of the Rich, I felt the giddy rush of excitement that was rising in the room. The four piece alternative rock band from Melbourne were feeling the vibe too, though playing to a mostly seated nearly empty venue, it didn’t stop the guys from churning out the rock tunes in an attempt to gain attention of more than just the three or four people standing in front of them.

I’ve heard little buzzes around Calling all Cars (the second support act for the evening) for a while now around the local music scene, so I was keen to see what the fuss was all about and whether they would live up the hype. Touring with Birds Of Tokyo will certainly help the buzz continue. Microphone in hand, frontman Haydn took a wander through the crowd inviting the fans singing along to have 15 seconds of ‘fame’ by thrusting the mic in front of their lips. A brave, but well executed move, because everyone got into it. Meaning that Calling all Cars will stick in my mind for a while to come.

Book ending their performance with two of their biggest hits, Wayside and Silhouettic, Birds of Tokyo turned out a tight and rocking set for their second sold out show. Grabbing the attention of any wayside wanderers with the first chord of Wayside, the guys were off to a great start. Though not everyone agreed, midway through the set, during one of their more melodic songs I overheard one male audience member remark to his mate “they do have some kinda gay songs”. This mini-set of slower songs caused an array of movement in the crowd, who created paths to the bar to restock their beverages.

Building back into some chubbier rock sounds Birds of Tokyo proved their current popular status among music lovers Australia wide. They also proved their worth as live entertainers with just enough chats to the audience coupled with a well chosen song list.

There is a lot of merit in a band who performs such a tight set, and feel the vibe to play a couple more sings and then cut it. Rather than the tired and overdone ‘encore set’ Birds Of Tokyo climbed to a new level of artistry for their end of show, with enough enthusiasm in the last songs that you knew it was ending on a note that would be hard to top.

I believe the guys are still touring their latest album Universes until the end of the month, though you’ll need to get in soon, because most of the shows are sold out. If you have your ticket in hand already then get ready to see why they have sold out most of their tour.

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