Bret Jackson, Editor-in-Chief of Billboard Philippines paints a visual only reachable when listening to the band bird.’s debut album, oshin. Jackson writes: “Sunbathing in sweet nothings, long drives, and experiences you can only access through memory, bird. has taken the best parts of their influences while still delivering a completely honest, salt-infused performance.” The last line of Jackson’s review of oshin takes the cake, though. “Mapapaheadbang ka sa lungkot and you’ll love it.”
On the night of September 14 at Cebu City’s Unity Coffee & Vinyl. Music lovers headbanged the night away, with some at the back jumping to the beat, as bird. took them for a ride of nostalgia and color.
Image courtesy: PR Works
Cebuano talents Awkward Dancer, Novacrane, K A N A, Coney Reyes On Camera, Cosmic Kid, The Midnight Greetings, Nina Turtle, and Popdaze opened for the Manila-based band, offering the crowd a variety of sounds throughout the concert.
The four-person band, consisting of vocalist-bassist Eco Del Rio, bassist Carlos Calderon, drummer Hannah Jabla, and guitarist Aaron Corvera, played every song from oshin (and a quirky rendition of the Bee Gee’s “How Deep Is Your Love”).
Image courtesy: PR Works
The evening performance bird. headlined is a clear demonstration of what the band itself wants its fans and concertgoers to know: it’s just four friends who want to give fun to the crowd with their music. “Whenever you visit a bird. show, I hope that people feel comfortable and relaxed,” Del Rio said in a mix of English and Tagalog when asked about what attendees should expect from their live performances. “It’s really just a vibe that’s steady… Actually, there’s not much to expect but good vibes.”
Those “good vibes” are certainly being showcased and shared in a specific fashion. During their performance at Unity, an eclectic set of visuals—like old Beavis and Butt-head clips and people on the beach—were displayed on the bare, white wall behind the band as they performed. This presentation is a key part of the tour.
Image courtesy: PR Works
“What we’ve done so far, at least for the tour, the majority of the time, we try to say a certain… I don’t want to say the word, but a certain ‘aesthetic’ or ‘vibe’ to when we present the show,” said Calderon. “So there’s constant pieces of art or pieces of furniture, I guess. So that’s part of the presentation when we perform. So when we talk to the organizers that we collaborate with, as much as possible, we want to make [the aesthetic] consistent throughout the tour, so there’s a look and feel of how we envision the songs, how we’d like the people to envision songs as when they hear our music.
Any places where the band wants to perform next? For the band, Cebu’s Sinulog Festival is on their mind, reminiscing the Sonic Boom Blast-Off concerts that used to be held in the city until 2015. They’ve got a lot of places on their list, actually, from the United States to several Southeast Asian countries. But wherever they’ll be playing their music, those who come to their shows will be headbanging, just like those who attended bird.’s concert at Unity.
