Birds Of Tokyo
w/ Midnight Youth and The Rockefeller Frequency
» Birds of Tokyo Announce Final 2011 Australian Tour - July 4, 2011
» Big Day Out 2011 - Sydney Showground, NSW - January 27, 2011
» Big Day Out 2011 - Gold Coast Parklands, QLD - January 23, 2011
» Birds of Tokyo - Set to Soar - May 2, 2007
» Birds of Tokyo - Palace Theatre, The (formerly The Metro), Vic - June 9, 2010
» Birds Of Tokyo - Enmore Theatre, NSW - June 5, 2010
» Modest Mouse - July 25, 2011
» The Dandy Warhols - May 29, 2011
After spending months abroad recording their soon to be released third album in Sweden and New York, Birds of Tokyo have again hit the road on 'The Saddest Thing I Know' tour, showcasing the epic new single from the 'Self Titled' album due to be out later this year.
The Enmore Theatre was packed on the calm but cold Saturday night. Unfortunately I did not make it in time to see the supports - Midnight Youth and The Rockefeller Frequency but I heard Midnight Youth had a strong following.
The Birds took to the stage with the tour's title track 'The Saddest Thing I Know', which is an epic spine tingling melodic masterpiece.
This was followed by two tracks from their 2008 Gold album Universes, Ode To Death and Armour For Liars.
Vocalist Ian Kenny was at his eccentric best, with Guitarist Adam Sparks delivering impossibly high harmonies and Keys player Glen Sarangapany adding enormous depth and flavour to the live sound.
They showcased three new tracks, which were a substantial step away from the hard hitting rock anthems of Day One or Universes, but still melodious and uplifting.
The set itself was a little bit of a downer, only two tracks were played from the debut album Day One; Wayside and Off Kilter. The band had taken some influence from their stripped back 'Broken Strings' release and moderated some of these variations into a few songs, notably Off Kilter, which for me wasn't as powerful as how they used to play it live.
Crowd favourites were the anthemic Silhouettic which they played as the last song before coming out for an encore, which featured Broken Bones.
All in all, it was a good show but it seemed to lack the big rock punch pre Broken Strings era, which seems to be influencing alot of the songs now. And the set went for just over an hour which seemed a bit short considering the $50+ admission. But when a band is showcasing an upcoming release, its to be expected that not all your favourite songs will be played.
I will commend Ian Kenny for his dedication to his fans - he spent about half an hour outside the venue after the show chatting, signing autographs and taking photos with starry eyed kids waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite rockstar, while keeping the music industry heads inside waiting to chat with him. A truly humble man.
