Fresh off the back of the release of Jonathan Sequiera’s fantastically insightful ‘Descent Into The Maelstrom’ documentary, Radio Birdman continue to defy the mainstream by pounding out gig after gig of solid rock and roll more than 40 years after they first came to light.
Not ones for ever following the crowd or really giving a shit, Radio Birdman were always a band that stuck to their guns and never pursued commercial success, a venture that they well and truly succeeded with. They were though, essential in the formation of other notable acts of their genre including the Saints, Celibate Rifles, Hoodoo Gurus, and many other bands to this day.
Their show at The Gov, a music icon in itself, was a testament to their tenacity and pure relentlessness as a musical force to be reckoned with. The support acts in the Sunday Reeds and Los Chicos (the Spanish MC5 as Deniz Tek referred to them) were a perfect accompaniment to a musical barrage of sound and energy cranked to the max.
The Sunday Reeds were reminiscent of The Cramps/5678s, a smooth punk/psychobilly blend that sounded great.
Los Chicos were off the hook with a channelling of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy on speed. These guys took it to the next level and managed to drink wine from the bottle without spilling a drop during hard ass guitar playing. They’re playing the Grace Emily on Tuesday night (2 Oct) so get and see them if you can.
Kicking off with Do The Pop, Radio Birdman threw it all out there in a non-stop barrage of energy and cool. The original trio of Rob Younger, Deniz Tek and Pip Hoyle are well supported by long term members Jim Dickson, Nik Rieth and Dave Kettley. Whilst nostalgic fans might yearn for the original line-up to give it ‘one last go’, it’s not gonna happen if you read into the commentary in the documentary from former and current original members.
Nonetheless, the music and songs don’t lose a thing and that’s what people come to hear.
Never ones to disappoint, the set was laced with not only songs you’d expect to hear, but a few surprises like The Doors’ Not to Touch the Earth’, which Younger sang exceptionally well. It’s hard to say how long Radio Birdman will be touring for, or if we’ll have any new material from them, (It’s been 12 years since Zeno Beach), but it doesn’t really matter. Their influence will keep going long after these guys hang up their guitars, we’re just glad that we had the chance to experience the musical Blitzkrieg that has been Radio Birdman.
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