Tue 10 Nov – Birds of Tokyo, Glenn Richards

QPAC’s strict walls and ceilings cannot seem to contain the vibrant atmosphere as punters of all definitions fill the venue. And while not everyone has bothered to dress for the occasion – there are plenty of faded tour T-shirts and thongs on display – tonight still carries a celebratory air and the place radiates excitement.

The announcement rings three times and we proceed to our seats. In a fine voice and in less grumpy mood than usual, Australia’s favourite prickly pear Glenn Richards performs a brief opening set that could be alternately described as being enjoyable if a bit boring (if you’re not a massive fan) or spellbindingly gorgeous (if you’re a diehard devotee). Here Comes The Night is given a deft, fingerpicking-accompanied reading, There Is No Such Place is similarly dreamy and half-sedate and This Train’s Not Taking Passengers proves surprisingly effective in a bare-bones, natural reverb-assisted dimension; we don’t get the early Augie March highlight Asleep In Perfection but make do with a sonorous “medieval metal ballad” instead. Upon exhausting his supply of self-effacing jokes, the leprechaun-like troubadour bids us adieu with the crowd-pleasing One Crowded Hour.

Being one of the most popular rock acts in the country, it may have initially seemed a touch… ambitious of Birds Of Tokyo to rework their repertoire into acoustic format, but in the words of golden-voiced Ian Kenny, “it’s the coolest thing we’ve ever done” – and the Perth four-piece deliver the goods with an aplomb matching their Splendour 2009 triumph. The setting and the famed cavernous acoustics add theatrical grandeur to the show, which indeed starts on an impossibly COOL note; the lights dim, the accompanying string quartet walk out from the aisles and launch into an urgent reworking of Broken Bones (Apocalyptica who?) to collective thrall. No longer than this fine overture ends, the Birds and pianist Glenn Sarangapany surface and the Concert Hall explodes – the Broken Strings tour has landed in Brisbane.

After Ian greets us and the band take seats, it’s time for the music to do the talking, Armour For Liars, Train Wrecks and Off Kilter following in a quick succession. Belongil Fields this might not be, however the zapping lights summon the images of the Super Top tent in July in my mind as the musicians work their mojo; guitarist Adam Spark is concentration personified, pummelling his 12-string with steely intensity while Kenny admits to resisting the urge to jump up from his stool and start rocking out. Day One’s radio hit Black Sheets is given a loose, funky treatment before Spark and Sarangapany blend their harmony vocals for the monolithic chorus; rare early B-side Rose serves as the surprise inclusion and the dramatic Wild Eyed Boy gets a C&W-tinged treatment. Much to Kenny’s jovial befuddlement, an audience member correctly guesses the pre-interval number – Universes’ bona fide epic The Baker’s Son, which then wraps our collective ears in all its symphonic glory. Post-finish address? “Get some more booze!” The majority of the crowd don’t need an encouragement and the bar area duly gets swamped again.

Not long after, the show resumes with Kenny and Spark’s haunting, stripped-down recital of Marvin Gaye’s perennial I Heard It Through The Grapevine. Not looking one bit like someone who hates his melodies because “they’re all the same”, Spark employs a ukelele on Head In My Hands, which takes off in a familiar anthemic fashion without the need of a loud electric guitar. Stay, Violet and Rest Here My Brother follow suit on the strength of Kenny’s soaring tones, surging strings and Sarangapany’s towering piano arrangements, but the chills and the urge to sing along on top of your voice hit on the ever-gigantic Wayside and Broken Bones. Exit stage left – however it’s not over yet as the overpowering response brings BoT and the classical co back for an encore consisting of “the prettiest song we’ve ever written” Medicine and a slowed-down, menacing Silhouettic which reveals a previously imperceptible, very Bad Seeds-like quality.

And thus the MTV Live & Unplugged-recalling experience ends – however we’ll all get the chance to marvel at it again in the comfort of our loungerooms as the night was being recorded for a live DVD. As a conclusion, Kenny’s cohorts prove the time-honoured sentiment that if a song’s any good, it will work in the acoustic mode. Now who said a radio-friendly Aussie rock band couldn’t reach symphonic heights?

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