Radio Birdman / The Bellrays

Andy J Ryan Mar 20, 2023

Radio Birdman - Centrury Theatre, 29 July 2006
One of Australia's pre-eminent acts Radio Birdman take leave of their legacy and tour their new album Zeno Beach across the country before taking on the world.†
Radio Birdman gigs that have been scattered over the last decade have been more about the sense of occasion, the shows branded and played more as reunions and comebacks than gigs in their own right. This time the band is touring the country with their first new studio album in over 25 years, and it could be said for a portion of the crowd that it has also been that long since they have been to a gig.
The BellRays as main support set the bar high, their explosion of rock & soul and the immense power of their singer Lisa Kekaula filled the stage, a daunting act to follow.
The red and black Birdman logo loomed large over the stage, the venue fairly bustling as the band arrived to a heroic welcome. Launching straight into Zeno Beach's opening track We've Come so Far the tone of the evening was set. The band were here to stand up and be counted for their new material, as guitarist Deniz Tek would later announce - "the classic hits Birdman has been consigned to the past". Whilst the core original members remain, the injection and influence of newest member Russel Hopkinson on drums to the band's sound is monstrous. His fierce drumming propelled the band along like some overbearing PE teacher overseeing errant students, urging them to keep up with his sheer insistence. The band's interplay of guitars between Tek and Chris Masuak still lift them above any of the punk rock mire the band was lumbered with. The infusion of surf music, a unique part of the band's sound still resonates. The spirited keyboard lines of Pip Doyle make for changes of pace within the set, with Heyday and Days Like April and the album's title track Zeno Beach almost jaunty alongside the riff dominated tracks Remorseless and Subterfuge.
With front man Rob Younger, the band and their songs will always have an impact. His commanding presence and (slightly diminished) howl bringing menace and melody in equal measures. As strongly as the new material stood throughout the set, the biggest response was for the older songs, with Do the Pop!, Alone in the Endzone and Hand of Law really shaking things up. The set drew to a close with a thumping Anglo Girl Desire and the new caustically rocking Locked Up which sits equally amidst the band's more historically dated high points.
The crowd bayed for more and were soon treated to a fiery rendition of Aloha Steve and Danno before a teasing If You Say Please, almost as a precursor as to what was to come, Radio Birdman's call to arms New Race, its chant "Yeah Hup!" resonating throughout the room as the Metro seemed to rise as one. The remaining tracks from the new album were played and lapped up, the crowd still buzzing to the end.
In what was a showcase for the new material, Radio Birdman showed they are still a musical force. While many boundaries have been pushed and stretched since their first blazing musical forays the band still strike a blow, even if it's impact is not as widely felt as the first time around.