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27 Sep 2023

The bassist's tiara and 4 other things which rocked Birds of Tokyo live (with the MSO!)

Bryget Chrisfield

STACK Writer

We take a look at the top five elements of Birds of Tokyo's smashing performance with the MSO in Melbourne last week.

Birds of Tokyo and the MSO present Birdsongs, Hamer Hall Melbourne, September 22, 2023.

It’s so wonderful to see rock and orchestra fans uniting to attend shows such as Birdsong, during which Birds of Tokyo fans are potentially discovering the majestic, emotional heft of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for the very first time... and vice versa.

During quite possibly the loosest MSO show we’ve ever witnessed, Birds of Tokyo’s super-chatty founding guitarist/keyboardist Adam Spark observes, “We started out as these hopeful young Perth rock boys, and now we’re just family dads.” Then, after pointing out they are about to turn 20 as a band this year, he jokes this means they can legally imbibe adult beverages in the States (where the minimum legal drinking age is 21) as of next year.

From the moment MSO’s 50-plus musicians start playing the intro from Birds of Tokyo’s Uno – an overture of sorts, during which the quintet enter the stage space and receive a rockstar welcome – we settle into our seats, safe in the knowledge that this combo is gonna work a treat. And thanks to conductor Nicholas Buc’s consistently inspired arrangements, Birds of Tokyo’s songs reach lofty new heights.

Here are the top five bits!

The lead singer

As soon as Ian Kenny opens his mouth to sing the opening lines of opener Broken Bones, accompanied by piano, we’re utterly captivated.

His vocals are simultaneously powerful and vulnerable, and every single lyric is delivered with such poignancy as if he’s recalling a story that happened just yesterday: “These broken bones/ This busted smile/ My head it hurts/ I should be leaving now…” – we need a sec to collect ourselves while applauding wildly at this song’s conclusion. Who knew we’d need to prepare for Kleenex moments during a Birds of Tokyo show?

My Darling My Son, which Kenny introduces as a letter for his son – “My darling my son you will always be loved/ My darling my son I will never leave you alone… You're the best part of me” – is so incredibly touching and further enhanced by Buc’s emotive string arrangement. Other highlight vocal performances from Kenny this evening include Anchor (“I never thought to hold you/ I never thought that you might need an anchor…”) – and his gobsmacking mastery of melisma throughout the dramatic Brace: “Brace for the eeeeEEEND!”

Kenny also bemoans his choice of black-and-white striped t-shirt for tonight’s performance; given that Collingwood are playing at the MCG (just down the road), this sartorial choice kinda makes him an accidental Magpies supporter.

The between-song banter

Even if some of MSO’s musicians remain expressionless (looking like they’d just prefer to get on with the show), Birds of Tokyo’s between-song banter is effortless and endearing, which is largely due to Spark’s effusive personality. It’s awesome to gain some insight into this selection of Birds of Tokyo songs, which the band admits they don’t often indulge in.

Although we never get to the bottom of what’s in Kenny’s thermos, Sparky’s tales of running a tattoo shop for a “motorcycle club” before things went bad and he ended up “on the run” for a spell have us in stitches; Never Going Back, we’re told, was inspired by the fact that he can never go back to Norway.

More LOL-worthy banter: after Kenny got mugged in Dallas and told the cop his iPhone had been pinched, he was casually informed he’d been “Applejacked”.

The cover version

After estimating they’ve only sung four or five covers across the course of their entire career, Birds Of Tokyo perform Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. This piano-driven song, elevated by Kenny’s impassioned portrayal and the MSO’s elongated strings and instrumentation, is an unforgettable show highlight.

The bassist’s tiara

When we glance over at bassist Ian Berney towards the end of the show, he’s suddenly sporting a sparkly tiara, which is a look we totally endorse. Teamed with his casual singlet-and-jeans combo, it looks hot as!

The audience involvement

Tonight’s crowd really gets involved, whooping and hollering from the get-go, then leaping to their feet to dance along with select fave songs throughout.

During This Fire – which is greeted by an enthusiastic sing- and clap-along (quite in time, actually, which tends to be rare at gigs!) – Spark jumps off the stage to wander down an aisle and into the audience. Meanwhile, back on stage, Buc replaces keyboardist Glenn Sarangapany on the piano stool while Sarangapany has a crack at conducting, and it’s all smiles on dials throughout Hamer Hall. Many punters are now upstanding, and when Spark spots an empty seat beside some dancing punters, he moseys on in there to get up close and personal.

At the show's conclusion, and after all onstage take their well-deserved bows, Spark spots a young fan on her dad’s shoulders who has materialised down the front and passes her a plectrum.

Did you know? Adam Spark released an incredible debut solo record – a neo-classical album, Snow vs Mountain – earlier this year.

take wing with birds of tokyo!

^Discounts apply to previous ticketed/advertised price prior to the discount offer. As we negotiate, products will likely have been sold below ticketed/advertised price prior to the discount offer. Prices may differ at airport stores.

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