Live Review: Birds Of Tokyo, Fractures

Diehard Zoo Twilights fans know the drill: Come early, or get a sore bottom sitting on the mulch. It's a sold out show tonight and not a decent patch of green lawn can be seen by the time Melbourne based supporting act Fractures take to stage. While young families and excitable tweens roam around the zoo enclosures, many more settle down to take in the five-piece band's slow burning electronic and synth rich offerings. Lead vocalist and band creator Mark Zito adds a sublime velvety layer to tracks such as Tizer, Twisted, and Embers. Having already amassed a swag of awards and commendations both here and abroad — and counting Gotye and Chet Faker among their fans — expect to hear more about Fractures and see them feature more prominently around the city.

As the coolness of twilight descends, Birds Of Tokyo emerge with bearded lead vocalist Ian Kenny cutting a towering, smoothly swaggering presence on centre stage. Adam Spark (guitars/vocals/keyboard), Adam Weston (drums), Glenn Sarangapany (keyboards/synth) and Ian Berney (bass) are all meticulously polished as they belt out a tracklist that closely mirrors their latest album Playlist. In between Broken Bones, Armour For Liars, Puzzle, and Weight Of The World, the band slip in the rare performance of Boy, and a moving acoustic version of Wayside, which serves as a veritable powerhouse for Kenny's passion fuelled vocals. So effective is he in fact, that one particular lion in the neighbouring Lion Park enclosure roars incessantly in a vain attempt at a duet.

In a nod to their surroundings, the band splices in the distinctive, hook-and-jab opening bars and a verse of Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger during a bridge in Plans. "It's our third time playing in a zoo, and we really have a lot of fun messing around with our songs and designing the stage [in preparation] for this," Kenny enthuses. Even so, he admits that the chilled out crowd today is different "in a good way" to the usual rock music fans the band normally fetes.

In a year that is sure to feature endless tributes to David Bowie, Birds Of Tokyo likewise tip their hat to the Starman as dusk closes in and the crescent moon hangs low in the inky western sky. Their faithful, lively rendition of Ashes To Ashes, refreshingly executed without any gushing preamble, warmly conveys their respect to the great luminary.

The staid crowd finally mobilises to its feet at the encore when the band bids goodnight with Lanterns and the anthemic This Fire. Barring the nitpicking of a few minor technical blips with the sound system, tonight proves that Birds Of Tokyo remain in prime form. Their performance leaves the audience with sated smiles, and one broken-hearted lion to try his luck at karaoke somewhere else.