RADIO BIRDMAN
+ MODEY LEMON
Gaelic Club, Surry Hills, Sydney
December 12, 2003
WORDS & PICTURES: The Barman
First things first and this review is being written under extreme duress. There’s a loud ringing in both ears (it was a weird crackling sound in the left, as well as extreme deafness in both, immediately post-show). It’s a legacy of standing too close to the stack to capture the images you see here. Don’t ever say I don’t suffer for my “art” (or for that of others, the term being more appropriate in this context).
So, yeah, the homecoming show for Radio Birdman – one of only two in 2003, off the back of the mid-year European tour - was hell loud. In a pleasurable way. So, too, were support band Modey Lemon, although that opinion’s only second-hand. The much-feted Modeys (who I was dead-set keen to catch) started their set at the ungodly early hour of 8.30pm, at which time I was still tucking into pre-gig coldies with a few I-94 Bar denizens at the nearby Madison Hotel.
In my defence, one of them was Jelly, the Birdman fan from London who flew 12,000 miles to catch this gig before jetting home five days later, and the opportunity to catch up in person doesn’t happen often. Still, I should have known better (and manager “Brother John” Needham later reinforces the fact) that all good Birdman fans like to get home early to relieve the babysitter and get their sleep, hence the early kick-off. O, so the New Race is full of baby boomers. The young kids (mostly don't know) but the old men and women understand.
Those punters who were in place at the appointed time said the Modey Lemon were very loud and very energetic. The Iceman’s daughter Hana was also chasing an introduction post-gig, so I guess they must have had something.
Quick aside: Birdman bassist Jim Dickson had a speaker cabinet spontaneously combust at a rehearsal earlier in the week. Dr Tek wryly observes that he should have saved it for showtime but this piece of trivia sets the scene. See, it was a hot night in more ways than one; the mercury was in the low 30s (in Celsius terms), and the “house full” sign goes up a few minutes before the main act takes the stage. It's probably a might melodramtic to suggest that sweat and expectation are both thick in the air, but what the hell, I will anyway.
Radio Birdman sets the pattern from the get go, eschewing a mid-tempo icebreaker like “Smith & Wesson Blues” in favour of “Do the Pop” to head a set that’s high on energy and sprinkled with the odd unusual cover - just to keep it interesting for them and us. While many fans would be content to catch a “greatest hits” revue until we’re all rockin’ on the wrong side of 70, there’s a substantial core that isn’t. Indeed, most members of the band itself want to keep growing and moving. So while plans are afoot for recording a new album in April or May, we all have to be happy treading on (mostly) familiar ground tonight.
It’s tight, though not over-rehearsed, with no obvious mistakes. It’s also more focussed compared to some of the ragged shows that band members say were part and parcel of the experience in the ‘70s. The way Birdman operates these days (i.e. sporadically – a mode some would say they always adopted) does heighten the sense of occasion. The distance between where members (only Jim and Pip actually call metropolitan Sydney home) obviously does too.
But the real clincher is that they’re all more accomplished players. Fuck, it’s a no brainer that Radio Birdman couldn’t just fall all over the stage and thrash away in 2003 because (a.) of the risk of physical damage and (b.) since we’ve seen it all before. What they can do is be so intensely aware of each other’s styles and playing space that they turn songs like “Dark Surprise” and “Descent into the Maelstorm” into extended storms of sustained energy that younger pretenders can only hope to match. It’s not so much the speed that they play at, but the feel they impart to the songs. And that’s not something that you develop in six months of playing in your bedroom.
Tonight, Ron Keeley’s right on the money on drums, fluid and tight with his snap-of-the-wrist fills, and there’s ample Pip in the mix, both of which have been points of contention on past tours. Although all the parts work as a whole, for mine, drums and keyboards are at the heart of Radio Birdman – they’re what sets them apart from any number of other bands playing hi-energy rock and roll. Take either out and it’d still be good - but it wouldn’t be Radio Birdman.
And the “new” covers? “Don’t Look Back” is a song by Boston’s Remains and is included at Rob Younger’s suggestion. It’s probably been absent from a Birdman set list since late ’76. It’s great and provides a laugh when the microphone-less Pip Hoyle and Jim Dickson join the spoken word breakdown with unbridled enthusiasm. The Stones’ “Streetfighting Man” can sound horribly lame in the wrong hands (ever check out the Ramones’ B side?) but works fine. It went out, Deniz later says, to yours truly (although if it was an overt dedication, I have to admit I missed it, damaged hearing notwithstanding). “Cold Turkey” is tucked into the encores and uncoils with more menace than the original.
The "hits" - "Aloha" and "New Race" - are rapturously received (naturally enough). My bro's glasses ended up mangled somewhere on the bottom of the moshpit, as evidence of how raucous things became.
It all boded well for the outdoor show at the Meredith Festival in rural Victoria two days later (if you saw it, send us a review here).
I saw a couple of doctors and a naturopath immediately after the show. Couldn’t hear much of what they said but I understand tinnitus usually fades after a day or two.Hopefully, memories of this show won’t.
SET LIST
Do the Pop
Smith & Wesson Blues
Burn My Eye
I-94
Non-Stop Girls
Love Kills
Breaks My Heart
Don't Look Back
Anglo Girl Desire
Hangin' On
455-SD
Dark Surprise
Murder City Nights
Cryin' Sun
Descent into the Maelstrom
Alone in the Endzone
What Gives?
Aloha Steve and Danno
Man With Golden Helmet
More Fun
New Race
Street Fightin' Man
Cold Turkey
You're Gonna Miss Me
