Live Review: Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is so eccentric, and also so Chicago. He commences solo with that unique, looped, fingerpicked violin style. Sometimes he waves his bow around so naturally as he sing-speaks that you'd swear it was an extension of his arm. And Bird is such a proficient whistler that he would take out the whistling olympics with ease, probably for consecutive years. His three-piece backing band wait patiently side of stage and enter the space when Bird whistles during a song for the first time, but then back off obediently before returning to the stage at the desired time (which just so happens to be the next time Bird whistles).

The nonverbal communication and visual cues these musicians exchange reflect kindred musical spirits and we can't keep our eyes off the drummer, Ted Poor, whose deft touch is capable of evoking the gentle pitter-patter of rain on an aluminium roof one moment, and then the sound of Three White Horses galloping (during Bird's song of the same name) the next.

All of Poor's bandmates are spotted gazing admiringly his way at various points throughout the show. A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left is an early highlight. When Bird becomes an actor, speaking dialogue mid-song as if his audience is the co-star in a play, it comes so naturally that we reckon he has a promising future in acting if he ever fancies a change — Why ("Damn you for being so easygoing") is a charming, personable example. 

Bird tells us that he wrote the songs for his new album Are You Serious with a persona in mind, hoping it would give him the confidence to make eye contact with members of his audience during performances. But, alas, after we are treated to the title track, Bird confesses it didn't help since he still feels "uncomfortable" trying to do so.

It's utterly compelling to watch musicians whose every facial expression reacts to one of their bandmate's notes or seems to help wrench out one of their own - they all play their instruments with such feeling. After switching to acoustic guitars, Steve Elliott and Alan Hamilton join Bird on Poor's side of the stage and all share a mic to sing The Handsome Family's My Sister's Tiny Hands, ducking and weaving out of the way of each other's swaying instruments. Bird forgets some lyrics, but this band's camaraderie somehow comes to light during these moments and further endears us to the whole affair. 

After telling us he sat in the Royal Botanical Gardens to admire our birdlife, which he says rang out in stereo, we can't help but note that Bird — true to his name — is obviously a bird fancier. Before singing a love letter for his native Chicago, Pulaski At Night (which featured in Orange Is The New Black), Bird commends us as citizens of Melbourne: "Congratulations on your urban planning." Bird is never afraid to let his freak flag fly and we enjoy every moment of his performance; false starts and forgotten lyrics included.