To download our current album’s EPK please click here
Live Reviews (2013):
Feast of Hammers Press (2011-2012):
SIMON PRICE, THE INDEPENDENT
BEN GRAHAM, THE QUIETUS
BEN GRAHAM, MUSIC WEEK/THE STOOL PIGEON
THE BRIGHTON SOURCE
THE BRIGHTON SOURCE (LIVE REVIEW)
SOPHIE ROBERTS, 405 MAGAZINE
CHRISTOPHER NOSNIBOR, WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN (album)
CHRISTOPHER NOSNIBOR, WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN (single)
ANDREW NICHOLLS, SQ MAGAZINE
MASSIMO ZEPPETELLI, FRESH ON THE NET
MAARTEN SCHIETHART, PENNYBLACKMUSIC
BRIAN BLOCK, POP ROCK NATION
SAM, SLOUCHER
TONAN, SLOUCHER
ROSS CONDIT, IN YOUR SPEAKERS
FAME MAGAZINE
JONATHAN MUIRHEAD, IS THIS MUSIC
ALTSOUNDS
NICHOLA EASTWOOD, MORE THAN THE MUSIC
JASON’S JUKEBOX
DOMINIC VALVONA, GOD IS IN THE TV/MONOLITH COCKTAIL
GYPSY DEATH AND YOU
KIMBERLY RICHARDSON, STEAMPUNK CHRONICLE
BRIGHTON UNSIGNED
JON GORDON, TASTY FANZINE
BEN ERRINGTON, LIVE MUSIC SCENE
LUCI HERBERT, AVE NOCTUM (LIVE REVIEW)
LUCI HERBERT, AVE NOCTUM (ALBUM REVIEW)
JOACHIM ‘JOE’ BROOKES, ROCKTIMES
LAURA WASSON, FEAST OF MUSIC (LIVE REVIEW, NYC)
Bigger Teeth EP Press (2010):
JACKIE HAYDEN, HOT PRESS
NICK COQUET, BRIGHTON SOURCE
POP CULTURE MAGAZINE
Here She Comes-a-Tumblin’ Press (2009):
ORGAN MAGAZINE
THE 405
GOT SEEN
ALTERNATIVE ROCK PIT REVIEW
LUCI HERVERT, METAL TEAM UK
BLUESBUNNY REVIEW
ANNA MARIA STJARNELL, COLLECTED SOUNDS
THE 405 REVIEW (live)
LIVE MUSIC SCENE REVIEW
SEPIACHORD REVIEW
VANGUARD ONLINE
STREET VOICE UK
SURFACE UNSIGNED
China Doll EP Press (2008):
THE BRIGHTON SOURCE (LIVE REVIEW)
This tiny pub, hidden amongst the cabaret and karaoke bars of St James’s Street, usually puts on blues, country and folk, with the likes of Oysterband and the late Gary Moore amongst those to have graced the small corner that passes for a stage. Tonight is something of a change from the usual fare, and the staff have had a tough week explaining Wednesday’s band to the regulars.
When mention of ‘dark cabaret’ and the Dresden Dolls draws a blank, how then do you explain Birdeatsbaby’s music to a fan of conventional, dare we say old-fashioned, music? “It’s a mixture of Weimar cabaret, like in the Liza Minnelli film; Gothic punk, like Siouxsie and the Banshees; violin-led classical music; and klezmer, which is the sort of stuff clowns in circuses fall over to.” Heck, they’ll either turn up to the gig intrigued, or move out of town terrified. Especially when they clock the mannequin guarding the merchandise table. It’s safe to say this weekend’s blues acts won’t be selling branded hot pants.
First up is Annaca. Not to be confused with local dance vocalist Anneka, Annaca plays what she herself describes as ‘shadowy gypsy jazz’. Supported by acoustic guitar and male backing vocals, her husky voice and intricate piano work provide a gentle appetizer, a lighter take on the dark cabaret genre – twilight cabaret, perhaps? Tracks like ‘Haunted’, a tale of psychological scarring using the language of horror movies, set the table well for Birdeatsbaby’s set. Indeed the two bands are later seen talking about booking further gigs together.
On to the headliners then. This is the official Brighton launch party for their second album ‘Feast of Hammers’. In many ways it’s a live dress rehearsal for the weekend’s London launch, but friends and fans are out in force. One committed soul is undertaking a 350 mile round-trip from Bristol for tonight’s gig, and will be getting back home when the milk floats are out. Fellow dark cabaret darlings Bitter Ruin are in the front row.
BEB open with the new album’s title track, a brooding slow-build number that will forever bring to mind its accompanying blood-splattered retro horror music video. Across a twelve song set, thunderous rhythm from the boys on bass and drums blends with pointed orchestral stabs from the girls on piano and violin, giving the band a wide dynamic range that at times struggles with the small size of the venue.
In a few of the louder songs, Charlie’s drums wrestle with Mishkin’s vocals from some vantage points, whilst sounding perfect from elsewhere in the room. That’s a small price to pay for the intimacy of the setting, and indeed gives added edge to the more powerful musical sections, which feel at times as if the music is trying to burst out through the enclosing walls.
New single ‘Incitatus’, with its overlapping voices-in-the-head lyrics, is particularly menacing tonight. As is closer ‘The Trouble’, an orchestral maelstrom (un)hinged around one repeated riff that burrows ever deeper into the brain; this has never sounded tighter than it does tonight. Even the support act mouths a breathstruck “fucking hell” at those stood behind her as the final chord reverberates around the room and the queue for signed CDs starts to form. Scary stuff. But in a good way.
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BEN GRAHAM, THE QUIETUS
There was a time when pop music projected a certain strangeness. Not necessarily in terms of musical experimentation, but through a look, an implicit lifestyle, and an attitude that suggested the possibility of escaping from the urban / suburban / rural routine that most of its audience would inevitably be born into. Pop music that was a gateway- via the sounds on your stereo, the posters on your wall- to a freer, heightened existence, charged with meaning and myth, style and subversive sexuality. It was certainly the case in the heyday of Bowie and Bolan, and continued right up to the mid-nineties, when Brett Anderson or Brian Molko regularly smuggled a certain romantic otherness into the Top of the Pops studios. Not just celebrating glamour – an empty word in itself – but shouting that you could live in your imagination, and that this wasn’t just escapism, but the tool with which we actively perceive and create reality. That we don’t have to passively accept the consensus that is forced upon us, and the roles it’s assumed we have to play.
You don’t see so much of that in pop music anymore. But you do get it with Birdeatsbaby. Though still unsigned, and releasing records on their own Dead Round Eyes label, the Brighton quartet nevertheless make Pop Music- albeit of a slyly subversive nature. Melodic, confidently arranged and powerfully performed, and with a sharp, clean-edged production job from Jason Rubal – whose CV includes the Cure and Dresden Dolls – it’s possible to imagine Feast of Hammers infiltrating the daytime Radio 1 playlist. And indeed, Birdeatsbaby are already starting to reach the right people, having played at the Secret Garden Party, been tipped in The Independent by the esteemed Simon Price, and most recently featured in session on Tom Robinson’s 6music show. But most importantly Birdeatsbaby inhabit a clearly defined world of the imagination- dark, sexual, vulnerable yet strong- and, like all the best bands, exist in a wider artistic, cinematic and literary tradition that they invite their audience to explore further.
Playing out like a self-contained gothic opera, Feast of Hammers is burlesque classical in every sense, driven by Sondheim-esque piano melodies, Brecht / Weill song structures, a chamber-rock rhythm section and a recurring psychosexual obsession with water and drowning. ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’ is a song that Nick Cave could’ve written for Freddie Mercury; a Grimm tale of love, obsession and revenge. On the title track taut, descending guitar arpeggios give way to Psycho stabs of violin and drums and finally an eruption of orchestral violence. Released as a single, it’s a high-class anthem for fetish freaks and the S&M set, a ‘My Way’ for the bondage and blowtorch crowd.
Throughout, singer-pianist Mishkin Fitzgerald’s vocals are the centre of attention, softly seductive yet fiercely demanding you keep your distance, shifting suddenly from a whispery falsetto to a deep menacing growl on ‘What the Water Gave Me’ and ‘The Sailor’s Wife’, where her stately keyboard arrangements and filthy-pure vocals are reminiscent of fellow Sussex band The Indelicates. ‘Incitatus’ is a stomping nightmare nursery rhyme, everything blurred and shadowy then rushing and intense, while ‘Double Nine’ morphs from straight-forward cabaret vamp into a concoction of tribal drums and savagely scything strings, reverting too soon to type.
If there’s one criticism that could be levelled at Birdeatsbaby, it’s that they’re working within the limits of a style, with strictly defined conventions; within those boundaries they do innovate and experiment, but never to the extent of stepping out of the dark cabaret genre that defines them (and of which Dresden Dolls and the Tiger Lilies are probably the most well-known exponents). In some ways though, this adherence to the rules of the form serves them well; they know exactly how to manipulate the expected props, use the stylistic shorthand, how far to twist the knife and how far they can surprise without alienating their audience. And if I personally would like to hear more dirt, more genuine psychosis and desperation in what’s a pretty slick finished product, then it seems churlish to criticise ambition in a band for whom DIY needn’t necessarily mean lo-fi. Birdeatsbaby celebrate the strange and obsessive, the freakish and the free-thinking, and in so doing open a door in the most shadowy corner of the listener’s imagination. We should fling this filth at our pop kids, and we should do it now.
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CHRISTOPHER NOSNIBOR, WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN
The latest single to be culled from the dizzying rollercoaster that is the album ‘Feast of Hammers’, ‘Anchor’ begins as a brooding, rolling piano-led ballad with a twist, in that it builds pace and sound and emotional intensity, until Mishkin declares ‘everybody has to die some day’. At this point, gentle strings carry things back to a more sedate play-out. Put simply, it crams a whole heap of drama into its four minutes. It might be less wildly boisterous than some of the other tracks on the album, notably the single ‘Incitatus’, but ‘Anchor’ is still entirely representative of the immense scope of Birdeatbaby’s theatrical multi-angled compositions.
B-side ‘Hanging Tree’ isn’t a cover of the Queens of the Stone Age track, and captures the band in a reflective mood, with just Mishkin’s voice accompanied by piano and the most abrupt ending to a song I’ve heard in a while.
8/10
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DOMINIC VALVONA, GOD IS IN THE TV/MONOLITH COCKTAIL
Brighton’s BirdEatsBaby, latest release, ‘Anchor’ builds from a plaintively mournful walk along the gravelly beaches of their hometown, to a rambunctious My Life Story-esque crescendo. A strange concoction of Dresden Dolls, George Grosz etched Wiemar Cabaret, Burlesque and after-hours theater; BirdEatsBaby somehow navigate their way around pastiche, with a quality and musicality that singles them out from the numerous Gothic-pop acts that litter the scene. Taken from their recent, Feast Of Hammers, album, Anchor’s flip side features the somber pining balled, Hanging Tree.
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NEMESIS TO GO
Stop me if this doesn’t come as a complete surprise, but Birdeatsbaby have yet another electrical piano on stage. Birdseatbaby also have bass, drums, violin…no guitar, though. Before they’ve played a note we can guess that the band station themselves outside the usual parameters of ye olde rock ‘n’ roll.
As a matter of fact, Birdeatsbaby station themselves outside the usual parameters of almost everything. Their songs are weird, witty, punky-cabaret things that sometimes take off on classical tangents, but always with the rhythm pushed more to the fore than any of the other bands we’ve seen tonight. That’s a key element of Birdeatsbaby’s appeal: they don’t default to piano-ballad conventionality. They’re very much a band, rather than a singing pianist with some backing musos, which, by and large, is how the others presented themselves.
Birdeatsbaby are almost like a gang – a disparate gathering of those geeky, freaky kids who’d spend their school lunch breaks making weird noises in the music room, until a teacher came along and ordered them out into the playground to kick a football around like normal kids, for goodness sake.
BirdeatsbabyBut now, at any rate, the geeky kids rule the music room.
Birdeatsbaby take their art for a pirouette, from the shouty-crackers ‘Flog That Horse!’ to the wry, jaundiced ‘Anchor’, and the stroppy soap opera of ‘I Always Hang Myself with The Same Rope’, a kind of domestic riposte to David Bowie’s ‘Always Crashing In The Same Car’.
The songs are wordy things – not for this lot the brusque four-line verse, two-line chorus and repeat to fade of mere pop music.
Birdeatsbaby songs are sagas, but, delivered as they are with a certain spiky assertiveness by the band’s puckish, punky vocalist, the lyrical drama never tips over into melodrama. I don’t quite know if Birdeatsbaby are indie noir, but I do know that they’re idiosyncratic fun.
LINK
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JASON’S JUKEBOX
I’ve touched upon the years I was in high school in earlier posts (1991 – 1995), but certain other details are worth mentioning. When I initially started high school, kids who had their heads shaved, wore punk rock clothing, and generally strayed from the “norm” were labelled as ‘sub-humans’ (aren’t kids the best). There was no Hot Topic, no commercialization of punk (at least not in the way that would become so prevalent). If I wanted to get really cool (to me, that is) golf pants I had to go to Village Thrift on Broad Street (in Philadelphia). If I wanted a pair of Doc Marten combat boots, my best bet was to go to Zipperheads either in New Hope or on South Street. I kind of straddled the line between looking like everyone else, while sometimes throwing in some punk flair.
A funny thing happened as the high school years progressed. What was once ‘sub-human’ became the fashion of the day (thank you, Mr. Cobain). Suddenly, every kid in school was wearing some combination of ripped jeans, boots, striped shirts, funny nostalgia shirts, etc…What happens when the outsiders become the popular choice? I’m reminded of the saying “I’m different…just like everybody else”. At a party my good friend (If you are reading this Sean, I love you) and I thought it’d be hilarious to point out this contradiction by wrapping sweaters around our necks and really prepping ourselves out (cue Brett Easton Ellis reference). At some point, I became somewhat tired of the scene and decided that to know what I like – well – you would just have to get to know me. A turning point of my youth, and something that has guided my fashion choices ever since (although I am known to rock a DeLorean hat and Joy Division shirt on occasion). That’s not to say I don’t admire true punks and goths – I do.
This brings me to the UK band Birdeatsbaby – a band that inhabit a special space with both their fashion and music. This band is the real deal, and the authenticity shines through. The press release for the record describes them much more eloquently than I ever could:
“Brighton based Birdeatsbady inhabit a world far, far removed from the mundane, scuffed-Converse drear of contemporary indie rock. Imagine Zola Jesus meets New York Tenderbury era Laura Nyro via a Tim Burton film soundtracked by Diamanda Galas and you’re close to the vampish, deathly serious, chamber-goth romp of a noise they conspire to create.”
With that being said, let’s talk about some highlights on this masterpiece of a record:
“Intro” starts off the album with a Tori Amos-ish instrumental piano piece. Evocative and short – it sets the tone for the record.
“Anchor” begins as a piano piece, sounding like something out of an old western. Beautiful female vocals come into play as the piano refrains become more and more dramatic. Mournful violins uh…anchor down the proceedings. How can a piece of music that feels like an accompaniment for a funeral also sound so uplifting? The drums kick in about 2:20 into the song and suddenly we are dancing and singing along, embracing these dark lyrics and emotions. Key lyric “It’s a long a way to the anchor / fathoms under water / you are running out of tricks to tempt me / even if you move me / I’d still be a greedy little thing to have around and watch you drowning”
“Incitatus” is a very unique sounding piece – call and response female vocals with the music sounding like something out of a gothic-victorian party. The drums have a militant feel to them, with abrasive guitar coming into play around the 1:30 mark. Everything fades away and we are left with sighing violins and heartbreaking vocals….until the militant drum kicks back in and it starts all over again. Lovely. Key lyrics “Watch in the sky for the wrath of your captor / You’ll fall flat if you run any faster / Don’t look back for the fear of their laughter / They’re laughing, they’re laughing”
“Tastes Like Sympathy” begins with just vocals before the piano joins in after 20 seconds. It slowly builds until the full band comes into play after 50 seconds or so. The strings in this song have to be heard – simply stunning and really lend to the atmosphere. Key lyrics “I was once a child of God but then the devil kissed me / He gave me fear, and he said my dear / ‘God will never miss thee’”
“Finale” ends the album on a very high mark. Sounds like something off of an early Tori Amos record, straightforward chamber / piano pop. A very welcome song after the preceding emotionally exhausting tracks. Key lyrics “You’ve always been such a contradiction / And I dare not tell you every affliction / That borders on madness and keeps us from speaking / Keeps us in moments that keep repeating my memories / Never ending”
This is a stunning record from Birdeatsbaby – I highly recommend you buy a physical copy OR download a copy (through legal means). In this day and age I find that a lot of indie and / or critically acclaimed bands sound similar. With this band you can be certain – you haven’t heard quite this flavor of goth-indie-chamber pop. The album is produced by Jason Rubal who offers up a clean production style, allowing each instrument to be heard clearly – which is a very effective style for this music. I will have a chance in June to sit down with the band and talk about the album and what inspires them – stay tuned for that feature to come. In the meantime – get yourself a copy of this album, light some candles, and allow yourself to be transported to the world of Birdeatsbaby.
Verdict: Sub-humanly divine
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LAURA WASSON, FEAST OF MUSIC (LIVE REVIEW, NYC)
On Monday night, I found myself at the ramshackle Goodbye Blue Monday, which looks like a creepy T.G.I.Friday’s with just as many tchotchkes on the wall, but with a gaggle of be-hooded hipsters smoking out front.
The setting turned out to be perfect for Brighton UK’s Birdeatsbaby: a pseudo cabaret-punk act currently on tour in support of their latest album, Feast of Hammers. Refreshingly, they don’t neatly fit into any particular genre: a rare treat in a musical landscape that feels increasingly derivative. At times, they call to mind Dresden Dolls or Gogol Bordello, even a little Foxy Shazam. But, their sound is distinctive, fusing everything from traditional classical melodies to folk and Eastern influences.
Whatever it is, it was exciting to listen to and watch. Lead by Mishkin on keys and vocals, Katha (drums), Garry (bass), and Keely (strings) make a solid group. As they plowed through somber-yet-catchy songs like “I Always Hang Myself with the Same Rope” and “Miserable,” the audience seemed genuinely excited, if a bit stoic. (It was almost midnight on a Monday after all.)
After the show, I went and spoke briefly to Mishkin, telling her how much I enjoyed the set. She thanked me, but admitted that the band couldn’t hear anything from the monitors. “We really had no clue how we sounded,” she told me. You would have never known it: they were spot on throughout.
BRIAN BLOCK, POP ROCK NATION
Birdeatsbaby play outgoing piano-rock with cabaret aspects. With Amanda Palmer now a solo act, Birdeatsbaby (led by singer/pianist Mishkin Fitzgerald) are the obvious nearest successors to the Dresden Dolls for me; they also suggest Stephanie Rearick with a full band and a birdeatsbaby_feastconfident strut. Feast of Hammers has several impressive singles, smart and catchy. Love Will Bring You Nothing and Anchor have nimble tempo-shifts; elegant violin; long looping melodies; dramatic choruses; and piano playing that veers from the ambitiously melodic to the demonstrated power of a single note repeated at just the right level of firmness. Incitatus is savage, rising from sinister whisper, to domineering chorus and urgent group shouts, retreating into lulling “ooh”s only to roar back into force; the fiercest of tribal beats, the most powerful of that world-colonizing 19th-century technology the piano, the most de-inhibited of oom-pah beats, and just enough of the trickiness of progressive rock.
The closest thing to a negative I can say about Feast of Hammers — and we’ve reached the point in the countdown where I want to rank everything in the top 10, and am mad that mathematics won’t let me — is that while all the other songs are good, they show you the same tricks the singles do. Well, the Sailor’s Wife does sound like a dinner-party ballad from early last century, playing through an old Victrola. Through Ten Walls and Victoria start out prettier than the singles, the former almost classical, the latter nearly pop-jazz — but they give into temptation, and surge into heavy drums and pounding piano and gracefully keening violin solo, and eventually Fitzgerald’s singing takes on its shouter aspects. (Her singing voice is classy, expressive, and theatrical, and I like it, but it’s thin and quavery at her quietist, and it slips off-key at her loudest).
The lyrics could distinguish the songs, and if you’re really into goth-y (or Nick Cave-y) tales of relationship derangement, they will. To me, there’s a tendency for the adultery, despair, and arson of Love Will Bring You Nothing to blend in with the murderer’s declaration of love on Victoria and the admission of betrayal and “a price upon my head” in Tastes Like Sympathy, but they’re well done. Incitatus is a standout here as well, ruthless advice inspired by the viciousness it would claim to save you from: “Swim, little fish, get away from the lobsters/ Quick, here they come, they’re relentless mobsters/ Drown, if you have to, don’t share the secret … Rich men walk through the eye of a needle/ poor men limp on a dog that is feeble/ I know a path that is quick and evil”. Anchor too: “Come home to me. I won’t be grateful but I will not leave your side… So now you’ve won, let the water fill your lungs. I’ll watch and pray, cuz I know that everybody has to die someday”.
The worst thing I can say about Feast of Hammers, really, is that I’m still fond of my wife and my former girlfriends. How is that Birdeatsbaby‘s fault? Clearly, it isn’t, and they’ve made a heckuvan album.
- Brian Block
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MASSIMO ZEPPETELLI, FRESH ON THE NET
Encounter those rare moments you come across a song that is just perfect and you can’t help but have it on repeat? This happened to me today when I got an email from Birdeatsbaby‘s mailing list saying that their video for their new single ‘Anchor’ is available to watch on YouTube today. I had already heard the song as it is on their latest album ‘Feast of Hammers’ which was released in February but having the visuals in front of me added a profound dimension to the song and made me listen to it about 20 times today and counting. I previously thought it was a brilliant song, but now this is my favourite song of theirs.
Mishkin Mullally, front lady and songstress for the band is my favourite emerging songwriter… From the first time I heard her music I’ve maintained the same level of confidence and desire to evangelise people to see and hear that her songwriting is as good as Matt Bellamy’s from Muse and to love it just as much. I’m not alone in thinking this as Tom Robinson recently pulled her into the BBC 6 Music studios to talk about the band’s latest album.
BEN GRAHAM, MUSIC WEEK/THE STOOL PIGEON
Imagine Brecht and Weill scoring a contemporary Japanese splatter pic, and you’re halfway to Birdeatsbaby. Their gothic nightmares are as stylish as they are surreal, and as classically cultured as they are emotionally twisted and tormented.
JACKIE HAYDEN, HOT PRESS
Birdeatsbaby do a neat line in the kind of madcap cabaret beloved of the French and Germans, but often thought a bit unnecessary by people round these parts. Fans of the late Agnes Bernelle will love ‘The Devil so Charming which shifts from a bit of a knees-up into heavy metal mode and back. The frantic ‘The Replacement’, driven by Mishkin Fitzgerald’s piano, brought Frank Zappa to mind, never a bad thing in itself, and the female harmonies are chillingly spot on. ‘Enemies Like Me’ opens with military drumming and a crazed violin and stomps all over your head. It’s refreshing to see a band stepping away from the obvious, and it works best when they avoid mad bastard syndrome.
Jackie Hayden
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NICK COQUET, BRIGHTON SOURCE
Self confessed avoiders of musical trends that come in and out with the tides, the ‘Birds instead take a decidedly theatrical route, with lush string orchestration forming the painted scenery backdrop to the performance pieces that make up this EP. Production by Eighties Matchbox’s Marc R Norris lends the set an inherent darkness – eerily effective as it deliciously taints the initially apparent sweetness of the songs. We haven’t seen them live but we can imagine the gigs being a blast.
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ANNA MARIA STJARNELL, COLLECTED SOUNDS
Birdeatsbaby hail from Brighton and they play a kind of dark cabaret music that’s very appealing. Frontwoman Mishkin Mullaly has a captivating style.
I Always Hang Myself with the Same Rope sees Mullaly and the band perform a quirky and theatrical tune worthy of Dresden Dolls. Mullaly’s vocals are smoother than those of other divas in the genre, and it helps her stand out.
Shiver Up the Spine is equally good, and sees the singer use her piano in a fascinating way. The staccato tempo is compelling.
The title song starts with some accappella harmonies and it has an air of innocence that must be deceptive.
The next song has a weird but compelling sound; Mullaly’s vocals sound especially good here.
China Doll is a stunning song, the band playing like there’s no tomorrow. The sense of drama feels real rather then overstated thanks to Mullaly’s subtle delivery.
It’s a debut that can stand proudly as one of the best albums this year.
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POP CULTURE MAGAZINE REVIEW
The dark Brighton-based quartet, Birdeatsbaby, are back with Bigger Teeth and an arsenal of songs! Following their 2009 release, Here She Comes-a-Tumblin’, and chomping at the bit, is their new six track EP. It’s a melancholically fresh and frantically energetic collection of the best music you haven’t heard yet. The EP is vengeful, hyperactive, haunting, joyous, and soulful and has just the right amount of humour. Having already listened to this on their bandcamp a ridiculous number of times, I can assure you that this bite size offering will both satiate and leave you hungry for more.
The first bite comes in the form of The Devil So Charming, which weaves its way around you and invites you to sit back and listen. It’s a perfect first song with its gentle plucking and haunting harmonies that sing of “hearts so cold” and the “darkest part of town”. It pulls you in slowly then, just as soon as it’s got you hooked, it changes up. The atmosphere darkens following a charged count of “one, two, three, four” from guitarist and bassist Garry Mitchell. After some impressive and impossible lofty notes, the song eases off to silence. It certainly plays the part of the record’s mood setter but there are still plenty of surprises ahead.
Track two, The Replacement, hits the ground running and comes at you out of nowhere. It’s bouncy rhythm and punchy lyrics, courtesy of Mishkin Fitzgerald, make it an instant favourite. It’s also the catchiest song of the bunch. The chorus of “Say it, say it, say it, say it, say it, say it!” is still stuck in my head since the first listen on Sunday. The Replacement builds steam all the way to the end, until it trickles off with the last few strikes of the keys.
A steady drumbeat from Philippa Bloomfield sets Enemies Like Me in motion. There is a very military feel to the music on this song which seems fitting with the theme of a battle between two people, “Every day I’m losing and you win”. The fierce fight has gone on too long and near the end the wind has left its sails. Instead of bitterly questioning, “Why don’t you beg”, the music takes a step back while the vocals soften and admit that “I could be forgiving, if you’d only oblige me”.
Anybody following Birdeatsbaby on Twitter or Facebook would have heard about their free download of Gone, via ‘tweet for a track’ (I believe you can still get a download code off them on Facebook). If you missed your chance then don’t worry because it’s on the EP! The piano is playful and Keely McDonald’s violin is hectic. This is one of the cheeriest revenge songs I’ve heard; I mean the chorus features lines like, “Happy Girly, get up early. Paint my face, my hair is curly”. The song’s vigour keeps it from being mired down in the anger of the subject, which is a nice change from the severe mood of most songs with this theme. Before you know it, Gone is just that. It’s over. It’s a nice and fast track – so you can listen to it twice as much!
Bigger Teeth closes with the poignant Rosary. The melody is strong and gentle all at once, the piano and strings playing beautifully off one another. The lyrics are some of my favourites; moving and exquisite, “They were so proud when I learned how to walk, but since then I just lay on the floor”. Just shy of four minutes, Rosary both intensifies and strips back the instruments all the way through, leaving you unsure of how to feel.
I know it’s an EP and not a full album, like their previous record, but it’s all over way too soon. You’ve only hit play and it seems like a distant, giddy memory that’s whizzed by. But that’s not going to sully the enjoyment, just do as I’ve done any times over the past few days and go back to track one. If you need any further encouragement to give it a listen, it was launched on 42 Day (10/10/10). Do you really need more of a sign than that?
Bigger Teeth is now available to download from Bandcamp and physical copies are on sale from their site.
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GOT SEEN REVIEW
For something completely different to anything you’ll ever hear, you have to check out Birdeatsbaby.
This mostly female line up from Brighton, England have fused violins, cello, and piano to create a very different sound to most of the modern guitar based music we hear today. Add to this though a sprinkle of Caberet and Theatre and you begin to get the feel of what this band are about. Even the lyrics mix darker, serious comments, with lighter, funnier moments.
To see how clever the band are at songwriting, ‘China Doll’ could have been a Queen track, you can just imagine Freddie Mercury singing this easily. ‘Miserable’ is a fast paced, jaunty trip into what sounds like the sordid, dark, damp streets of old Victorian London Town. Close your eyes and listen, you’ll see what i mean..
All in all, Birdeatsbaby are what you’d get if you mashed up Queen, Madness,Theatre, Caberet, 19th Century Vauderville that then evokes the feeling of spending a night sleeping rough behind a Victorian London theatre…….
This work really is the most amazing music i’ve heard in an age….
I can only imagine what Birdeatsbaby look and sound like live…
http://www.gotseen.com/index.php?c=digits_band_of_the_week
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THE 405 REVIEW (live)
Written by Danny Wadeson
Venue: Marlborough Theatre, Brighton
Support Bands: Bitter Ruin, Charlie Khan, Birdeatsbaby
Date: 30/05/09
The Marlborough is a small, cozy pub on a miniscule side street near Brighton centre. Strangely enough, it also has a small theatre upstairs, with the capacity to hold about 100 people max and with a charming little stage. It was also the venue for local bizarro-pop outfit Birdeatsbaby’s album launch party.
Birdeatsbaby began their set to a buzzing crowd, and behind closed curtains. Having sat down towards the end of the Khan’s set, the audience was promptly instructed by a disembodied voice to ‘stand up, right now!’, and minus one or two late adopters there was little dissent. As the curtains opened to reveal 4/5ths of the band, already striking up the opening melancholy chords, a musical Mad Hatter’s tea party unfolded. Behind the drums a Rabbit, a Cheshire Cat holding a violin, Alice on cello and The Mad Hatter on bass, and a big smile on my face.
Winding elegantly through the audience, singing sultrily the while, came The Queen of Hearts herself, (the golden heart on my hand! It all made sense now!) before taking up residency behind the keyboard, and thence Birdeatsbaby were assembled!
From the offset, unfortunately, Birdeatsbaby were beset by a few technical problems. Mishkin, after a few songs and the bass lead packing up, addressed this with the quip ‘We’re being attacked by technical Gremlins, and on our album launch party!’, in mock-petulance. Either way, the problems soon subsided and to no detriment; once into the swing of things the atmosphere became lightly entrancing and BEB put on quite a show.
Music wise, BEB are an intoxicating amalgamation of chamber pop, frantic classical and dark melodrama. Live, they stand out due to their attention to detail, twisted fancy-dress aesthetic and awesome arrangements. For a more detailed explanation of their awesome and original sound, you can check out The 405 review of their album.
Suffice to say most of the new, debut album was played. We were also graced with a hitherto unheard (one might say ‘new’) song, entitled ‘Victoria’ in keeping with the general BEB theme of character constructs in their songs. It was lush; and gave plenty of space in the intro to Mishkin’s fantastic voice, comprised of a hint of fragility, plenty of guts and a few drops of vibrato.
Comparisons to Dresden Dolls are inevitable but misguided; the reason being, one might say, that Burlesque-Core (or whatever you might call it) isn’t a particularly well established genre, and so frames of references are few and far between. I’m pleased to report that, as far as I’m aware, Birdeatsbaby sound utterly unique, and by dint of their consistently brilliant arrangements and compositions it’s originality in a good way.
For a 5 piece including violin and Cello, which are notoriously hard to get the levels right for live, BEB were technically very tight, minus one or two moments in the opening few songs. With a little much experience, and perhaps at better equipped venues, BEB live shows will be spectacular and rapidly garner a cult following.
As way of introduction to an encore song, Mishkin announces ‘We’re going to go happy now. Does everyone want to go happy? Well, tough, we’re going happy’ which stands as a good illustration of the way Birdeatsbaby take you on a roller-coaster ride of theme and emotion, coercing you to bend ear to tales of a desirable but miserable minx, only happy when gagged and bound, a china doll, and the brilliantly titled ‘I always hang myself with the same rope’. Birdeatsbaby’s unique brand of legitimate musical theatrics suited the intimate, dimly lit theatre well, but hopefully they won’t remain a dark little secret for long; they certainly don’t deserve it.
http://www.thefourohfive.com/reviews/68
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SEPIACHORD REVIEW
Brighton’s Birdeatsbaby call themselves “Dark Cabaret”. It’s not a bad summation but it is shorthand so it does fall short.
Sure there are cabaret influences here (helter-skelter waltz on “Hymn” and “The Trouble…”, the gypsy twist of “Seventeen”), but there are also clear ringing pop/rock elements. With their non-traditional instrumentation (piano upfront, violin, cello, drums, some bass but scant-if-any guitar) Birdeatsbaby have carefully planted themselves between the cabarock of bands like Scarlett Room and the chamber pop of the Decemberists.
It is perhaps the “dark” part of dark cabaret that is the most off.
Yes, each song on the band’s debut full-length tells a story of dissatisfaction and/or frustration (which is a lovely and welcome change of pace from the angst and faux-rage of guitar driven rock). But these are not gut wrenching tales. The CD cover features the band’s vocalist Mishkin Mullaly still, pale and exquisite apparently wretching up flowers. As with all good products the cover is an augury of the contents- things are going to be dredged up from deep inside and they may be surprising but they are not vile, they are illustrative but not repugnant. And in the end they are tempered with such a pop spritely-ness Birdeatsbaby must find some kinship with Queen and ABBA. Like those two antecedents you will find yourself smiling as you sing along with tales of discontent and broken hearts.
Despite all of the variety influences and styles intermingled on “Here She Comes-a-Tumblin’” the result is wonderfully unified. This is the work of a conhesive band, a group of folks clearly on the same page and intent on finishing the story together.
I know that some listeners shy away from bands with cellos and violins, bands that toss around identifiers like “cabaret”. Some folks are afriad that they’re in for something “old timey”, dated, irrelevant. Let me put your minds at ease: Birdeatsbaby are a thuroughly contemporary band. The only “old timey-ness” here is that of timelessness. To wit: the only old fashioned element on this album is the fact that good song writting never goes out of style.
Recommended.
http://www.sepiachord.com/beb.htm
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MAARTEN SCHIETHART, PENNYBLACKMUSIC
Brighton-based combo Birdeatsbaby love a bit of dark cabaret and from the outset on this, their fourth album, their songs evoke strong imagery. Built on rolling piano play ‘n’ riffs, the general tone is one of light-hearted aural exaltation. The press sheet pours out a lot of name dropping yet there is no mention of Kurt Weill, whose influence continues to reach out well over 60 years after his death, and, perhaps unknown to Birdeatsbaby, is heard througout this album.
Singer Mishkin Fitzgerald’s voice suits the rather gruesome atmosphere of the lyrics. Swinging from sinister to funny, she reminds me too of the Bubbles character from ‘Absolutely Fabulous’, when she sets out to shout out loudly. Her elegant whispering vocals on ‘Sailor’s Wife’ show the many sides and ways in which she takes the band on to greater heights. The inspired ‘Incitatus’ offers the band the chance to showcase a little stage play of subtlety and heft at the same time.
‘Feast Of Hammers’ though is a bit too long. Running across three quarters of an hour in thirteen tracks, a few flaws can be found. ‘Through Ten Walls’ sounds forced and flat, but Mishkin’s mighty fine shrieking on the closing two seconds then again makes up for it a bit. ‘Victoria’ is a majestic composition, and Finale’ is also on par. Both these songs are beautifully sung and, full of suspense and joy, bring ‘Feast of Hammers’ to a fitting end.
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LUCI HERBERT, AVE NOCTUM (ALBUM REVIEW)
I’ve followed this quirky alt quartet since their debut album release landed on my doorstep back in 2009 and I straight away saw they had something special about them. It’s been good to see them progress through an EP and now a second full-length, especially as they have managed to retain a highly distinctive trademark sound without growing stale. Feast Of Hammers does show a level of progression and maturity for the band in a very subtle way which comes across most prominently on the fabulous title-track which sends a shiver down the spine. I would say the band have put a lot of effort into this album, from the lush packaging down to the production and most importantly the music itself.
Following a brief intro we breeze into ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’ which frolics along with a spring in its step and a clickity clack rhythm over a dark, brooding bassline. With its dramatic, overblown chorus this soon is imprinted firmly in my head and it isn’t long before I’m shouting along and giving it the old knees-up in the cabaret-esque spirit of things. ‘Anchor’ is more reflective and subdued after all the brashness that foreran it, rolling forth at a steady pace building in power and volume as it progresses. Vocalist Mishkin is not what you might call a technically brilliant singer but she makes up for it with her fiery angst and tempestuous vocal style which quite honestly is more important than being note-perfect and I rather like the rawness of her voice. At times she broaches a softer tone, namely on ‘The Sailor’s Wife’ which rows ashore with a subtle, minimalist keyboard and hushed vocal, carrying a wistful oceanic sway. There’s definitely a nautical theme on this album with recurrent mentions of water, anchors, sailors etc. ‘What The Water Gave Me’ plunges in with a playful piano melody while Mishkin emits a tone of bitterness and angst; it’s a quirky little number and I love the warbles and the dramatic shrieks on the violin.
Marching in with a powerful and heavy drumbeat, ‘Incitatus’ has an incredibly infectious stomp as it rattles and rolls along with a dark undertone and boisterousness. There’s a sense of urgency in the hurried vocals and way the music pounds away, and the chorus is as subtle as a smack around the face. This is easily one of my favourite tracks on the album, insanely catchy and full of passion and aggression. It’s easy to see why this number was released as a single along with ‘Feast Of Hammers’ which also has an excellent video accompanying it. This one is rich with dark, moody textures while there’s something incredibly haunting about the melody especially when it’s in its more mellow moments that contrast the screeching, bludgeoning chorus that breaks loose in a Bjork ‘Oh So Quiet’ manner. The vocals are warm and rich at times yet the singer really shows off her powerful lungs when she wants to.
This is a fantastic album filled with seriously catchy songs, each one as good as the last. If I’m nitpicking then I don’t think ‘Double Nine’ and ‘Through Ten Walls’ quite match up to some of the stronger tracks on the album. Here is a band that are going from strength to strength and are genuinely one of the most interesting bands in the UK right now.
(8/10 Luci Herbert)
THE 405
BIRDEATSBABY – HERE SHE COMES A-TUMBLIN’
May 30, 2009, 0 comments
Written by Danny Wadeson
Label: Self-Released
Release date: 30/05/09
Website: Bird Eats Baby Myspace
Bird Eats Baby (BEB) sound original, look bizarre, would probably taste exuberant. ‘Here She Comes A-tumblin’, The Brighton quintet’s debut album arrived in a jiffy bag filled with, amongst other things, plenty of feathers and bits of red ribbon. I found myself very quickly absorbed into their shady, eccentric universe.
‘I Always Hang Myself With The Same Rope’ starts with grand pomp, swelling strings and thumping drums. The chorus keeps up the pace, and it’s when the bridge in the latter half of the track, the eponymous lyric sung over the ever-present string section, that BEB becomes a truly compelling force.
Thereafter BEB prove to wield dynamics quite masterfully. Following song ‘Shiver Up The Spine’ is in turns sparse and mad, then dense and gothic, with lilting melodies infrequently raising the mood to wistful and gay. Thence, ‘Miserable’ makes the lyrical quality quickly evident with opening line: ‘Well it’s good to be a little open minded/to the way that other people see the world/but I can’t get by your obsession with leather/and the way you think it’s fun to hurt yourself.’
BED is comprised of Mishkin; lead vocalist and pianist, and is completed by bassist Garry, violinist and backup vocalist Keely, Philippa who is credited with Drums (as well as the artwork/photography) and Ella handling Cello. The lineup is a talented one, the instrumentation near faultless and the mood swings manic depressive.
There are tracks that would benefit from being a little more concise, and others that would similarly be tightened by a little more minimalism, yet on the whole the track listing is accomplished and confident. As a self released album the production is competent, although upon first listen there are a few moments that seem a little abrasive, fewer still that remain so after a repeated listen; occasionally however there is a vitriol that will always be divisive.
A sinister streak runs strongly through the entire LP, a tongue-in-cheek fascination with macabre shrieks of strings, snarled vocals and unconventional albeit maturely handled lyrical content. Refreshingly, BEB pull off being dramatic and wry without being tongue-in-cheek, or Queen-esque camp. It’s not often that a band or one of their albums conveys such a strong sense of personality, not contrived, just an unchained force of eccentric passion, and rarer still on a debut. What Birdeatsbaby accomplish with seeming ease, is a distinctly unhinged brand of burlesque freak-pop.
Rating: 7.5/10
MP3: Birdeatsbaby – China Doll
http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/64
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ORGAN MAGAZINE
ALBUM REVIEW: BIRDEATSBABY – Here She Comes-a-Tumblin’ (Self Release) –
They’re from Brighton, and their album arrived here in a shower of red
feathers (and who’d going to clean up this mess?). A shower of red feathers
and swirling burlesque and confident brightness. And violins and always
tying themselves up in the same ropes and… Now if you like those Dresden
Dolls and a touch of Danny Elfman or Tiger Lillies or poppy Lydia Lunch and
a touch more of those Dolls and Amanda Palmer’s breezy drama queen antics
and loads of eyeliner and bold classical baroque swipes. Four girls, one guy
and loads of refined string driven energy. Yes they are very Dresden Dolls,
not too much though, they have their own delightful character and their own
smudged lipstick and most importantly, their own delightful songs. All very
much worth your time if red feather showers and the drama of those Dolls is
your poppy kind of thing…
http://www.organart.demon.co.uk/neworgan302.htm
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STREET VOICE UK REVIEW:
BIRDEATSBABY – Here She Comes-A-Tumblin’: This is one of those releases that
you’ll either love or hate. There’s no inbetweens. My partner hated it! I
enjoyed it! What you get for your money is a refreshing twelve track album
which sees this five-piece breaking away from the norm and doing something
that is very cool. Birdeatsbaby blend Classical with Riot Grrrl influenced
Punk Rock giving you the listener a real musical experience. For me too many
British bands have played it safe for years but not these folks. Gone are
the traditional guitar which is replaced by a number of instruments
including the cello, piano and violin. Fusing all those instruments together
has paid off and they sit well with the three vocalists who’s voices
compilment their instruments. The proof of this can be heard throughout this
album and tracks to really listen out for include ‘Seventeen’, ‘I Always
Hang Myself With The Same Rope’, ‘Jim’ and ‘China Doll’. If you’re looking
for something original and cool with it then Birdeatsbaby might be the band
for you!
8/10
Street Voice UK
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=22963792&blogId=485548266
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LIVE MUSIC SCENE REVIEW:
By Dave Urwin
Now, I don’t mind admitting that I found the experience of listening to this album almost frightening in places. The slightly unsettling band name notwithstanding, a number of these tracks evoke the kind of images that usually only appear when you drift into a light sleep and experience vivid and kaleidoscopic dreams. A dizzying range of influences is apparent, ranging from prog to gypsy jazz to classical via a whole lot more. My one problem with ‘Here She Comes a Tumbling’ is that many of its tracks are mini symphonies featuring constant tempo changes and genre hopping and ironically this starts to become a little predictable over the length of the album. However, the world can be a deeply confusing and nonsensical place and Birdeatsbaby have captured this mood in an enchanting manner.
To list the number of genres we hear a twist of would be pointless, but if I was to attempt to pick stand-out tracks the haunting ‘Jim’ would be an obvious first choice. The lyrics possess wit of the kind Morrissey is best known for and are set against a backdrop of understated violin, crashing and tumbling piano and a pinch of military drums. ‘Jacqueline’ is a kind of 80s Eastern European folk pop gem that really shouldn’t make sense but is all the more wonderful for doing just that. The effect is akin to that of a laughable cooking experiment that somehow introduces a delectable new dish to your repertoire.
A couple of the most beguiling tracks here are the most simple. The title track, made up entirely of intertwining Celtic harmonies, is just over a minute in length but is absolutely spellbinding. Album closer ‘Letter to Charlie’ is just guitar and voice but still manages to transport the listener to the end credits of a particularly memorable American arthouse film. It could almost be a long lost Sonic Youth b-side – ‘Tie me down Charlie Brown, wrap me up in a hospital gown’ anyone?
Birdeatsbaby are clearly absolutely exploding with ideas and at times I felt like they tried to cram too many into a single song but overall this is an undeniably magnificent album and one that will probably be loved by anyone who appreciates interesting music. I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that they should rein themselves in but I see them as a band driving on a Romanian country road and having to swerve almost constantly to avoid potholes. If they are able to cross the border into Hungary and save the swerving for an opportune moment then I really believe that the results could be mind blowing. Definitely a band I will be keenly following the development of and for my money certainly one who are worth checking out.
http://www.live-music-scene.co.uk/cd-reviews-content.asp?id=54
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ALTERNATIVE ROCK PIT REVIEW:
zynne.com reports: I must admit this band triggered my curiosity just by their appearance. The immediate theatre-burlesque associations that came to mind by looking at their band photos, -and even stronger when opening their press kit to find an explosion of red feathers, was made a reality by the first note stroke of the second track “Seventeen”. More…
BIRDEATSBABY has, like most bands, had a rough start. But here the similarities end. BIRDEATSBABY is not like most bands. I don’t know where to start.
Take the combination of instruments for one; Cello, Fiddle, Piano, Bass and Drums. Not your average instrument combination, but it works and it works well!
BIRDEATSBABY does not leave things to circumstance and with their first studio album “Here She Comes-a-Tumblin’” they prove this with confidence. The album is, according to the band themselves, “…a blend of Weimar cabaret, Baroque Classical and Melodic Rock –a collection of songs that touch on the subject of feminine innocence and sadness; thoughts and muses on failed relationships; and accusing outburst of betrayal.” The band definitely thinks outside the box and their flavor is one who will grow on you like a fine vine.
So, where in the musical landscape do we find this band? A tricky question to answer; just when you think you have them all figured out the music turn directions and leads you in a completely different direction. This is the key and also the spellbinding trademark to BIRDEATSBABY; the constant shifting in expression.
“Sweetheart, my darling, slightly charming, wrap me in nettles and thorns…”
Considering this is BIRDEATSBABYs first album one must admit it is a solid one. That being said; this album will never be played in elevators or waiting rooms, this is for listening. The album is taking you on a dreamy journey and just like having dreamt you can’t really recall what you have experienced, nor what the lyrics was really about.
If I should put my finger on something it must be the production work. Sadly first albums often suffer from poor engineering due to a tight budget. I think BIRDEATSBABY deserve a deeper, darker sound image and the vocals would really stand out spectacularly with a better mix.
I can’t free myself from wanting to experience BIRDEATSBABY live; I think this act first and foremost belongs on a live stage. The tracks all have elements of the utterly fragile and the insanely strange. This is Nick Cave and Tom Waits in a Brighton-girly-grotesque-rehab-center and it’s great!
http://www.zynne.com/birdeatsbaby.html
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BLUESBUNNY REVIEW:
“As you might imagine, Bluesbunny receives a lot of albums through the post. The vast majority of them come (unsurprisingly) in Jiffy bags. This EP from Brighton band Bird Eats Baby came in a black envelope. Opening the envelope with our customary disregard for technique caused the room to fill with black and red feathers. As we picked said feathers from our plate of chocolate digestives, we pondered the previously unconsidered health and safety issues of being a reviewer.
Safety issues were soon forgotten as we put the EP into the trusty CD player. Well, you get three tracks on this EP. Each one of them could be part of some deranged cabaret show at the Kit-Kat Club. Dramatic, even camp, these three songs show an imagination so often lacking today. The first song, “China Doll”, is powered by a pumping piano and features a remarkably effective and melodramatic use of dual female vocals. Likewise, “I Always Hang Myself” is cleverly and subtly arranged but still manages to reek of cigar smoke and decadence. Going wildly over the top in best show tune fashion is “Shiver up the Spine” with the clarion call of “… a man is just a man” fading us out into the deathly silence of the night. That mournful violin just seemed so appropriate too.
It is good to see a sense of the dramatic in a band. Too often these days style is confused with expensive haircuts and Rolex watches. Bird Eats Baby have style aplenty and the musical abilities to back it up as well. Bluesbunny is very impressed both with the band’s music and even with the actual recorded sound. Perhaps there will be an album soon? We hope so. For now, surely it is time for another bottle of champagne. And another song.”
http://www.bluesbunny.com
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THE MOOSE FACTORY REVIEW:
“Birdeatsbaby is a young, mostly female, dark cabaret act with a classical rock opera slant from Brighton. Think what Queen would have done if they had been Absinthe drinking pals with Van Gogh at the Moulin Rouge and you won’t be too far off.
Their debut EP, ‘China Doll’, was sent to me with a collection of red and black feathers, which was a nice touch. They weren’t to know that my cat has a lethal allergy to feathers. Never mind. I never liked that cat anyway.
The title track most suits the dark cabaret rock opera tagline, with its various changes and piano-driven forward gear and powerful singing. Very dramatic and I’m sure Freddy Mercury is crying somewhere with the pompous beauty of it all. Only sometimes do I feel that the storyline just has too many syllables for the music to keep up with. For the most part, I’m there happily for the ride.
More successful, I feel, are the other two tracks on the EP. I love the title of track 2, ‘I Always Hang Myself With the Same Rope,’ which I can relate to somehow. The track itself is more rock then the others, but the piano and string backing give it that cabaret feel that threads its way through the whole recording.
The EP ends with the lilting off-kilter waltz, ‘Shiver up my Spine.’ I can’t help but imagine an Adam’s Family sing-a-long around the piano. Cousin It, Morticia, et al could only dream of this passionate sound, however.
All in all, Birdeatsbaby tread that dangerous ground of music versus theatre; camp versus passion; humour versus quality, and they do it rather well. I’m very curious to see what they’re like live. This is something you can do at the Purple Turtle in Camden on June 1.”
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SURFACE UNSIGNED
Birdeatsbaby is an eclectic ensemble of cabaret types that would look perfect at home at a burlesque show. But the weird and wonderful is something to be admired by everyone. With classical influences like Queen and Dresden Dolls, the bizarre but beautiful band delivered a powerful heartbreaking set of emotionally enthused orchestral sounds. A cello, a violin, a bass and drums coloured gorgeous lead singer Mish’s pianos and vocals, completing Birdeatsbaby truly unique and stunning melodies.
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MTUK METAL ZINE REVIEW:
This may well seem completely unrelated, but I had an e-mail through recently for a band dubbed by their PR folk as “Brit-School Rockers,” which had me doing a double take. Then it occurred to me that what they meant was not a mistype; no, these lads’ background resided in powdering their nostrils and chortling over bank-of-daddy tales with the Lily Allen’s and Kate Nash’s of the music world. Chances are you can already see vaguely where this review is heading, and it ain’t into strictly metal territory (you have been warned!) I wracked my brain over this one trying to decide whether or not this ought to be rejected for our fine publication; having already put a maniacal grin on my face it suddenly hit home that this isn’t going to every readers’ cuppa Darjeeling…but then again, what is?
More RADA that BRIT, this just has that vibe of a bunch of fame-school rejects extracting their revenge on their pushy mothers who are simply horrified to see their sweet little angels grow into wild, promiscuous whores overnight. You can imagine lead vocalist Mishkin rocking the leading role in the school production of Cabaret, before getting kicked out and forming a band where she can put her theatrical mien to more creative ends. On tracks like ‘I Always Hang Myself With The Same Rope’ she really pulls off that bratty-girl scorned demeanour as the track gets in more of a strop than you’d see in Kevin & Perry.
It’s all very theatrical and over the top; simply put, these twelve tracks make up a delightfully dark stage show, lubricious in manner and acerbic in tongue. ‘China Doll’ is gothic and sensual, while on the chorus there is an air of fragility that comes off as breakable as china. Lyrical themes are rarely delivered with more raunch than in the kinky and twisted romp of ‘Miserable’ which plays like a warped theme to a fetishistic burlesque house. ‘Shiver Up The Spine’ comes waltzing in with its haunting violins, while Mishkin’s delivery is every bit as fiery as her flame coloured hair. Vocals range from impassioned cries to hushed whispers, reminding of Regina Spektor, while she gives the impression of a weathered woman who has given up on men.
There is such a seamless flow that links together the tracks that it really is hard to tell where some of the tracks are coming to an end. With its brisk violins and rumpapump drum beats, ‘Jim’ marches through a couple of tempo changes, slowing into a soaring chorus with a quirky Shirley Manson afflicted delivery, before a ferocious yell brings the track to an unexpected end allowing it to tumble down into the wondrous a-capella chorals of ‘Here She Comes-a-Tumbling,’ which subsequently opens into the fierce and angst-ridden ‘Hymn’ with its lullaby-esque calm.
If you enjoy quirky sounds with something a little unusual on offer then you’ll love this! It’s as raunchy as a 1920’s brothel, as bitter as a woman scorned and as damned well danceable as it gets! Just make sure you remove any breakables before it has you doing the can-can!
Luci Herbert
2010 review:
It’s not every day that I open an envelope and a pile of red feathers fall out, but that was exactly what happened in the case of this EP. This was an unexpected pleasant surprise to receive, having thoroughly enjoyed the debut album from these Brighton minx’s back at the start of 2009 and it’s great to see they are still working at it. Despite something of an initial debate about whether or not this band really fit the criteria for a website geared by and large towards a metal audience, their unique style won me over enough to waiver any regulations. Birdeatsbaby truly are a breath of fresh air; there is no other band out there quite like them and aside from all else I respect them for doing something interesting and creative in a world filled with 1001 bands that want to look and sound exactly like Kaiser Chiefs or Iron Maiden or Nightwish and are doing nothing especially noteworthy.
So if you heard the album Here She Comes A-Tumbling, you will have a rough idea of what to expect here. This five track EP has a sound that will be instantly recognisable to you from the opening track ‘The Devil So Charming.’ This one starts off with a gentle waltz that slowly works its charm on me, while the layers of vocals definitely add texture. There’s a classical influence to the vocals in places, and I love the operatic trills that emerge on ‘The Replacement’ which demonstrates that front lady Mishkin is rapidly growing as a vocalist and expanding her range. There’s a bit of Jessika (Jack Off Jill) in there, mixed with Lydia Lunch and Kate Nash. This one rolls along at a calamitous pace, drums crashing and vocally full of scorn. The violin adds a certain streak of colour to proceedings as well, and is even more prominent on ‘Enemies Like Me’ which has a low-down, seductive melody and some emotional touches.
‘Gone’ has to be my personal favourite; with lyrics like ‘Just to clear up this confusion, We, Hate, You’ there is a dark sardonic tone to be felt here and the cheeky wink at the beginning is a nice touch. It’s a feisty and rather bitter anthem of riot grrl power, pretty and feminine but aggressive and vengeful without a hint of self pity. There’s a good time feel in fact, and leads into the kind of punchy rhythm that makes you want to move, I can imagine this being sung at a burlesque bar complete with dancers in suspenders and high heels and not very much else and being highly entertaining at that. This is certainly going to be a love it or hate it release again, and I think anyone who enjoys something a bit out of the ordinary will really dig this. The tunes are as contagious as the flu and actually think they have gotten stronger as a band since the album in 2009. I’d really like to see these get signed up, and a full UK tour would be nice too!
Luci Herbert
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ROSS CONDIT, IN YOUR SPEAKERS
The new single from Birdeatsbaby, “Feast of Hammers”, is dark, atmospheric, moody, and filled with sinister theatricality just in time for Halloween. This is the title track from their upcoming second full length album, Feast of Hammers, due out in Feb 2012. The band describe it as their darkest track so far and I would certainly agree. It’s perfect for the season.
Birdeatsbaby worked with producer Jason Rubal, who’s also done some work with the Dresden Dolls and The Cure. It shows, because you definitely get an Amanda Palmer/Dresden Dolls vibe on this track. “Feast” is rich in layers of 50’s style big band lounge music, masked with an ample string section, gorgeous, melancholy piano, guitar shred, a layer of feedback, and of course, Mishkin Fitzgerald’s eerie, powerful vocal.
There’s a video, too. Birdeatsbaby worked with Second Mouse Media to turn “Feast of Hammers” into a mini, musical “The Hills Have Eyes”, where a group of freaks living in the woods discover Birdeatsbaby watching TV. It devolves from there into mask wearing freaks and gruesome, surreal horror film mayhem.
Birdeatsbaby is the quintessential mix of edgy rock French can can, carrying on an almost vaudevillian or “dark cabaret” tradition. Mishkin Fitzgerald (piano/vocals), Garry Mitchell (bass/guitar), Keely McDonald (violin/vocals), and Charlie Reith-Pert (drums). The band has had some turnover since their 2009 debut disc, with Philippa Bloomfield (ex drummer and founding member) and Ella Stirmey leaving the band.
Feast of Hammers is the follow-up to the 2009 critic’s love child, Here She Comes-a-Tumblin’.
Ross Condit
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FAME MAGAZINE
Brighton-based Birdeatsbaby release the title track from their upcoming album ‘Feast of Hammers’ on 7th November 2011. Inspired by The Hills Have Eyes and Sleepy Hollow, the video for ‘Feast of Hammers’charts a collective of ‘freaks’ living in the woods who somehow discover Birdeatsbaby using a TV they’ve acquired through nefarious means…
Watching the band playing in masquerade masks sparks an obsession that consequently sees them fashioning their own distorted, horrific versions of the masks and then capturing the band, dragging them into their woods to torture and kill them off one by one. Gruesome, surreal and not for the faint-hearted.
Working with renowned producer Jason Rubal (Dresden Dolls, The Cure) helped Birdeatsbaby to exercise their dark musical demons in a bigger, more defined and confident way.
‘Feast of Hammers’ brings epic-scale visions to life, adding sonic layers to the music through the use of guitars, feedback and brilliant arrangement. Combined with singer Mishkin Fitzgerald’s ethereal vocal and neo classical instrumentation, the resulting track is eerie, delicate and beautiful, yet powerful in equal measure.
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IS THIS MUSIC?
This is a very grungy, dirty-sounding introduction to the latest Birdeatsbaby full-length offering. Apparently, one of the band’s main sources of inspiration is horror movies, such as The Hills Have Eyes and this shines through in the grand guignol of the music.
This is, therefore, not an album for the fainthearted – it takes a strong stomach to hit the play button and an even stronger one to keep it depressed, due to all the horrors, turmoil and psychodramas that play out herein. What keeps one listening is the sheer tunefulness of it.
These are songs that have obviously been brewed up over a long period of time. Every vocal swoop is perfectly placed; every riff has been tweaked and then tweaked again until it is absolutely note-perfect. This means each song has its own distinct identity.
Far from making this sound like an arrogant record though, the air here is one of black comedy. These guys obviously know just how prone to pomposity their chosen genre is and neatly sidestep this trap by adding a warped humour to their lyrics and delivery.
Undercutting the humour also, along with the confidence, are lots of nice big fat riffs, which work up a slow, steady wave of sound that carry both the song and the disc as a whole to a steady conclusion, leaving you wanting more. Bodes very well for the album.
Jonathan Muirhead
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ANDREW NICHOLLS, SQ MAGAZINE
Brimming with haunting vocals and ghostly piano playing that almost gives you the chills “Through 10 Walls” by Brighton band Birdeatsbaby, with its multiple layers and well written lyrics, is very close to being perfect. Mishkin’s voice wouldn’t be out of place in the score of a hammer horror film, and the song’s backline, its simple but driving drum beat and elaborate mixture of strings, only add to that idea. “Through 10 Walls” comes out at you; you can almost feel it watching
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TONAN, SLOUCHER.ORG
‘Feast of hammers’. It has been always said that the simplest thing is always the hardest to achieve, as it becomes even more complicated to do it, and this is indeed a proof that simple is better. Without much ado, the song starts with a song that seems made out of suede, accompanied by a guitar distorted but producing a soft sound. After a little explosion, piano and violin are incorporated. Riffs develop like the natural current of a river but feels somewhat hindered in the bridge, and then comes back to normal flawlessly.
The minimalistic atmosphere hosts lyrics that truly follow the gothic school, creating images that become somewhat unspeakable. The lyrics / music contrast becomes a delight, choosing the flat notes to create always a downward sensation. The quiet threat of a hurricane with words that remind me of Poe’s literature: it will always depict your greatest fears, giving words to your quiet nightmares and unthinkable scenarios (I mean it in the good sense).
‘The Sailor’s wife’ is an acoustic scene telling a rather sad story, assimilating more to those little surprises destiny has prepared for us, and we know we are aware we can’t hide from it. There’s again this dialectic motion between music and lyrics, as this can be mistaken with a lullaby if no attention is paid to the words stringed in this song.
One piano and two voices, times 2, that result in 2 perfect sharp and 2 deep sounds. The story unfolds and is linked between episodes through figures that remind me of baroque structures and silences, and even when this includes a piano only. Enough suspense is conveyed.
To conclude, you have then two intangible products for the price of one: a story and a song. Excellent! – Tonan
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ALTSOUNDS
Brighton’s very own purveyors of chamber-goth Birdeatsbaby, will be delivering another slab of classic shock-pop with their new single ‘Incitatus’ in the lead-up to their sickeningly gorgeous new album ‘Feast of Hammers’.
Birdeatsbaby up the ante with this, their third single ‘Incitatus’, taken from the forthcoming album ‘Feast of Hammers’. Described by the band as “a very schizophrenic fast-paced progressive tune, with the usual dark birdeatsbaby edge”, ‘Incitatus’ shifts the band’s sound into a more experimental realm, showcasing their unique crossover versatility Working with renowned producer Jason Rubal (Dresden Dolls, The Cure) helped Birdeatsbaby to exercise their dark musical demons in a bigger, more defined and confident way.
‘Incitatus’ is released in the lead-up to Birdeatsbaby’s eponymous album, following on from singles ‘Through Ten Walls’ and ‘Feast of Hammers’. ‘Incitatus’ contains all the trademark nightmarish vision and nerve-shredding drama we’ve grown accustom to when thinking of this four-piece. However, the introduction of Bristol producer Avon Bosco’s epic, electronic vocal cut-ups, jagged beats and soaring synths on the remix version of the track, transcend it to a new level. Adopting a go-big-or-go-home production doctrine, Avon Bosco sculpts remixes rich in harmony and texture, all the while aiming to harness those flashes of brilliance hiding in the original and bring them out onto a different stage, hitting you right between the eyes.
Having graced the cover of Brighton’s very own Unsigned Guide, performed at this years Secret Garden Party and had radio features on BBC Sussex and BBC 6 Music, Birdeatsbaby prepare to take their Grand Guignol-inspiring theatrics on the road. Performing a number of shows throughout the UK in November and December, the band have also been invited to perform at Juice FM’s showcase at The Green Door Store in Brighton towards the end of November.
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NICHOLA EASTWOOD, MORE THAN THE MUSIC
Birdeatsbaby will surprise you. Their sound is far from what you might expect, given their gruesome choice of name; you could be forgiven for assuming this is some brand of screaming, thrashing, hardcore metal. Nothing however could be further from reality. Instead, Birdeatsbaby are dark, gothic cabaret, full of ethereal vocals, brooding piano and violin. This is still not music for those who like to play it safe – it features an experimental twist at every turn, dragging the classical kicking and screaming to a melancholy modern day.
February 2012 sees the release of Birdeatsbaby’s second album Feast Of Hammers. The title track is now available on Youtube with a video that makes for unusual and somewhat disturbing viewing. For this macabre video, the band have teamed up with producer Jason Rubal, who has also created visual work boasts the likes of Dresden Dolls and The Cure.
Birdeatsbaby have some seriously impressive credentials under their belts. They have received airtime on both Radio 6 Music and BBC local radio, and they also performed at this year’s Secret Garden Party festival. Not ones for resting on their laurels, this Brighton quartet have also just completed a mini tour of Ireland as well holding a few UK dates. Among the band’s already steadfast fans are BBC’s Tom Robinson and The Independent’s Simon Price.
Birdeatsbaby will be a treat for those who crave something different and dark, cabaret and noir. As for the rest, it is a case of Marmite syndrome; you will either love them or hate them.
CHRISTOPHER NOSNIBOR, WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN (album review)
From the opening chords of ‘Intro’ and the first track proper, the piano-led ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’ that romps through at least four movements over the course of its three-minute duration, it’s immediately and abundantly clear that Birdeatsbaby are a different kind of band. And so the curtains raise on what promises to be a lavish and thrilling production.
From quirky chamber pop to lusciously orchestrated baroque bombast, the songs are at once dramatic and extravagant. Presenting themselves as the sonic equivalent of a Tim Burton film and aligning themselves with Diamanda Galas and the goth-tinged sounds of Zola Jesus, the Brighton quartet don’t readily conform to any clear genre: their neoclassical orchestral-led mini-operas are simply too grand to be confined by something as self-limiting as genre.
Title track begins quietly and then bursts into a crescendo, while single ‘Incitatus’ is a veritable rollercoaster of dramatic peaks that at times is almost overwhelming. The album progresses to add layer upon layer sound on sound until it towers skywards. ‘Double Nine’ is a full-on belting show-tune performed with a cabaret-style archness . Obsession and loss provide the basis of the sweeping ‘Anchor’ and brooding pianos roll across the bulk of the tracks, strings soaking the rarefied atmosphere through which tension crackles and ideas explode faster than the flicker of a collapsing synapse. Vocal interplays and epic vistas sweep and soar here, there and everywhere to breathtaking effect. ‘The Sailor’s Wife’ is perhaps the most conventional-sounding track, but even then there’s a twist in the delivery that brings an edge to the atmosphere.
As much suited to the theatre stage as the gig-venue stage, this is extrovert music for introverts: flamboyant yet dark and touched by a hint of mania, ‘Feast of Hammers’ is an insanely ambitious work of high drama on a colossal scale. By the time the curtain falls on the surprisingly simple and reflective ‘Finale’.
I expect they’re a band that will be divisive, but that’s no bad thing. Better a powerful positive or negative reaction than none at all, and they’re the type of band who will build themselves an extremely devoted following, and deservedly so, because there’s a lot to like and the imaginative scope of the songs is undeniable. Besides, going this far from the norm takes a lot of bottle, and they do it brilliantly.
GYPSY DEATH AND YOU
I love music that just has this feel about it that is different to anything you’ve ever heard before. You know what it’s like when you hear something so powerful and raw for the first time? It just stays with you. You compare it to anything and everything, because you want to feel that way again. You want that sense of, “My god what is this? What am I feeling!?” It’s like some kind of outer-body experience. I’ve felt this with a few bands. More recently, I felt it when I had the honour of listening to Birdeatsbaby. Before I even listened to them, I knew I would love them because of the name. If you’re one of these people who judges bands based on their name- listen to Birdeatsbaby. Their insane name matches their insane sound.
If you love bands that have a stunning frontwoman that hypnotises you and makes you want more, and more. You know like Garbage, No Doubt, Doll And The Kicks (why did they have to split..I’m still hurting over this)- then you again, will love Birdeatsbaby. If you’re a fan of Dredsen Dolls, you will also love this band.
They come from the best place in England- Brighton. Okay, maybe Manchester is, but still- both are amazing cities. Which, as you know, Doll And The Kicks were pretty much from Brighton. I’m trying my best to not mention DATK but, I’m not over the split at all.
Frontwoman, Mishkin is stunning. I’m only going by the music videos that I seem to have ritualistically watched over the past 24 hours, but she is so stunning. Her voice is strange, but in a good way. I don’t mean that she warbles like a cat being stood on. Oh no, far from it. She has such a powerful voice that you just want to hear again and again. Which is why, I’ve been listening to their music non-stop.
They have an album that is out next month, that obviously I am going to advise you all to purchase. I reckon they’d be amazing to see live. I’m sick and tired of seeing bands that have so much talent being forced to call it quits because Society is so fucked up- they buy into gimmicks such as the X-Factor. Bands that work hard are overlooked just so some twat can have a Number 1 single then go back to being a cleaner. It’s not fair nor is it right. It needs to be stopped. Hopefully, and maybe Birdeatsbaby are one of the many bands that could change this. I don’t have much faith in people anymore, but I do have faith that music can be saved. Especially when bands like Birdeatsbaby exist.
It’s dark, twisted, creepy and just strange; and I love it. I absolutley love them. Everything I look for in a band is what I have found in Birdeatsbaby.
BRIGHTON UNSIGNED
Birdeatsbaby has been a part of Brighton Unsigned in the past, with playing on the Launch Night and being a featured cover for November issue. It is no surprise they’ve received a huge following with their very specific genre of “Dark Cabaret”, gaining over 100,000 viewers on YouTube for The Trouble music video. Now, they are due to release their second album, Feast of Hammers on February 20th. It consists of 13 tracks including an intro, interlude and a finale, which treats you to the bands talented instrument plays.
Keeping their signature sounds of the talented electric piano and violin, Birdeatsbaby has vastly improved with experience and giving themselves a more trademark sound that you would pretty much won’t be able to hear from anyone else currently. Most noticeably, the track (and their first single) Feast of Hammers stands out the most. It is gloomy and with the whisper-like singing at the introduction, it brings you in yet it is so catchy at the same time bringing in dark beats that is almost tribal but makes you want to join in. To keep up with the theme, the music video for this track is just as creepy in 70s horror B-movie style. For an unsigned music video, it may get a bit too much for those with weak stomachs, therefore offering a censored version! The track and video alike, it’s one of our personal favourites within Brighton Unsigned and our top favourite in this album.
Incitatus is another noticeable track on this album (and is also Birdeatsbaby’s next single), which treats to impressive bass riffs at the introduction. The collaboration of singing with Keely (violinist) and Mishkin (keyboards) makes you want to sing with them also. For this track, a music video will be released too and from the looks of it, it will be just as creepy as Feast of Hammers in a similar theme, perhaps more so! Either way, we can’t wait for it.
Birdeatsbaby will be holding a Launch night on 18th February in London (details on Facebook fan page and official website). Details on how to order/download Feast of Hammers, check out www.birdeatsbaby.co.uk. Especially if you’re bored of the sounds of mainstream genre, you will not be disappointed with this album and of course, the talents of the band. Another band that we are proud to have with Brighton Unsigned.
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JON GORDON, TASTY FANZINE
Their second album, ‘Feast Of Hammers’ is in every way the continuation of the gloriously deranged and bleakly humourous musical which Birdeatsbaby aren’t quite done with composing just yet. A second act, if you will, complete with intros and interludes amid the tales of relationships and lives going helplessly out of control, performed with a mix of barely contained desperation and frenzied near panic as a wife nearly strangles her husband towards the finale of first track ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’. The piano jingles, the violin screeches, but it was only a bad dream after all, and a suitably melodramatic introduction to the Jeremy-Kyle-Scored-By-Tony-Hatch world that Birdeatsbaby know every hidden corner of.
Birdeatsbaby set their sights high. Unafraid of leaving themselves open to accusations of elitism, they write songs which are literate, allegorical, and some of which require a knowledge of classical history to appreciate fully, such as ‘Incitatus’, which takes its title from the name of the horse which Roman emperor Caligula had elected as a senator, on the grounds that it could speak more sense than his opponents, and the song this ancient anecdote has inspired is probably the album highlight although the actual lyric is, like a lot of Birdeatsbabys songs, a bit obscure, it’s togas a go go with a generous dash of vitriol throughout, replete with barbed witticisms and a lot of tuneful shouting. There’s much to like about Birdeatsbaby, their gothic musichall style and tales of suburban madness are of a kind that isn’t much heard, and their songwriting talents belong on the stages of the West End, let alone the speakeasy cabaret circuit they currently inhabit.
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NICK COQUET, THE BRIGHTON
From gaudy gloom-core to chamber goth, the suggested
superlatives helpfully included with this album invite the
listener to a decidedly dark party. Eerie folk tales are loaded up
with musical melodrama as sinister pianos chime around
power chords and percussive bombast; an immersive
experience that suggests live proximity is probably necessary
to fully take it all in. And people certainly are; dates preceding
this release have seen a rapidly growing audience of vaudeville
shadow dwellers and inveterate gloomists.
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SAM, SLOUCHERZINE
A couple of blood drenched moons we mentioned this band and their gothic waltz (review). Flashforward a few victims later (none of them looking like Peter Cushing) and now Birdeatsbaby offer their finalised product, the supremely catchy and lush Feast of Hammers.
Wonder if it goes well with a Hammer film? It actually did. Muted one film and left the music as the only sound. No syncronising with the images like Pink Floyd and The Wizard of Oz supposedly do, though, but it went well with both Dracula AD 1972 and Quatermass and the pit.
After a very quick introduction, ‘Love will bring you nothing’ opens the gloomy parade. “Love will bring you nothing but despair”, laments singer/pianist Mishkin Fitzregald in this gorgeous track. Love the rhythm changes, from a frantic lamentation that finds no consolation in the darkened skies, to a thundering, expansive sound.
The little touches of classical music give it an extra air of panache. ‘Anchor’, with that back and forth between piano and violin, is rich in flavour and feelings. The music sometimes borders into prog, and by that I mean, it goes through the frontier, kicks a few picts and recovers the eagle of the lost legion. Add a distorted, overdriven guitar to ‘Feast of the hammers’ and you have a classic prog rock track. Replace it with a mournful violin and you have this band, with a clear, rocking sound. Not what you’d expect but it’s these little surprises what gives them a clear, defined style.
Want Birdeatsbaby in a very rocky, powerful mood? Listen to ‘Through Ten Walls’ (pretty cool bass) and the intense ‘Tastes like sympathy’. Want them really peaceful and quiet? Tough beans, only ‘The Sailor’s wife’ will be your haven of respite. Want some of that air like, proggy sound while invoking a couple of Outer Planes aberrations? ‘Incitatus’ will do wonders for you.
A very well defined sound for a band giving a layered & dark atmosphere, like a musty old Estate that’s now in decay. Arm yourself while you wonder what ever happened to ‘Victoria’ and face the fears, as the Feast of Hammers has been served and it’s time to pay the orchestra.
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SIMON PRICE, THE INDEPENDENT
Life is a dark cabaret, old chum, and Birdeatsbaby are high-kicking their way through the ashes and dust with the best of ‘em.
The second album from the Brighton “alternative-classical punks”, led by singer-pianist Mishkin Fitzgerald, carries heavy reverberations of the Dresden Dolls. But it also has an operatic quality which elevates it above mere pastiche, and on tracks such as “Incitatus” they attain the nightmarish atmosphere of the Brothers Grimm.
RATING: 4/5
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BEN ERRINGTON, LIVE MUSIC SCENE
Brighton’s insanely dark and original four-piece Birdeatsbaby ‘inhabit a world far, far removed from the mundane, scuffed-Converse drear of contemporary indie rock’, or so we are made to believe with the press surrounding the band’s new album, ‘Feast of Hammers.’ The sound created by this group of musicians is unlike much else out there, despite the comparisons they will draw (including attempts from this review), their brand of gloomy pop drenched in black Cabaret and immaculate quirkiness. It’s all heartfelt and powerful vocals, jangling pianos and jaunting strings, which combine in such a way that it’s hard not to get swept along on a delightful journey.
‘Feast of Hammers’ starts with 30 seconds of delicate piano, which sets the scene for ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’, a slice of gothica that wouldn’t have been out of place on a 1920s big band stage, provided the club was owned by a Tim Burton type. The folk track bounces along, telling the tale of the perils of love, including great worldly storytelling in the lyrics and an undercurrent of despair. It is musical theatre at its best; a song full of drama and grand scale poetry. ‘Anchor’ is a quaint and classic sounding track with superbly layered instruments, the Brit twang of Mishkin Fitzgerald’s vocals shining through amongst the themes of love that coast along a nautical metaphor. It is indie revival with a bleak edge (imagine Arcade Fire jamming with a female Ian Curtis).
‘What the Water Gave Me’ is lo-fi, as cool as Kate Bush in full swing and full of showgirl vocals as a choir of strings provide elegant support. Title track ‘Feast of Hammers’ is effortlessly original, the breathy vocals whimsical and polished, once again the layered instrumentals working extremely well in their sustaining role. The scale is epic and as the song progresses something sinister about the dark beauty that surrounds it is highlighted. ‘The Sailor’s Wife’ is a heartbreaking ballad, with just piano accompanying dual vocal. It’s a stripped down folk dream with visionary lyrical themes (the story of a suicidal love at sea?)
‘Incitatus’ is a doom filled nightmare, the eccentric streak of the band coming to the surface as the vocals play along like a nursery rhyme, the melodies childish and playful. It’s vivid, rich and ethereal, and really is a joy to listen to. Slow paced piano provides an interlude before the Cabaret theme is revisited with ‘Double Nine’, a combination of driving chords and excellent strings, with the song channels musical demons. ‘Through Ten Walls’ is vampish and glamorous, all black lipstick and mascara. It’s the most downbeat song of the album but doesn’t feel too dreary, just coasting along at an acceptable pace.
‘Tastes Like Sympathy’ starts with soft spoken vocals before fading into a pulsating beat, the instrumentals swaying like the ocean tides. There is a cloak of elegance across it, the track feeling resilient yet fearful. It’s a great piece of fragile pop. The vast energy begins to fade by the time ‘Victoria’ arrives, this last push feeling like a big effort for the band. In places the song is triumphant but mostly feels lacking. The ‘Finale’ is an atmospheric waltz which ends the album on a powerful (albeit a dark) note.
‘Feast of Hammers’ is a scintillating release from an exciting and inventive release from Birdeatsbaby and will no doubt gain them a vast army of fans from across various genres, which will do them nothing but good. They have masses of potential, that’s no doubt.
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LUCI HERBERT
So tonight is the official launch event for BirdEatsBaby’s new album, entitled ‘Feast Of Hammers’ and it was to be expected that this Brighton quintet would focus mainly on their new material. Starting off with ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’ this is instantly recognisable and one off the new album that is gradually growing on me and gets their set off to a flying start. This lot are both dark and theatrical, welcoming you to the cabaret in style without having to retort to gimmickry. Sure, there’s a hint of glamour to their appearance and the stage decor frames them rather nicely too but the music mostly speaks for itself. Singer Mishkin is a flaming ball of passion, switching from feline saccherine chirps to wild yells of angst at the flick of a switch; there’s a touch of musical theatre to her delivery without being too over the top. ‘Feast Of Hammers’ comes across particularly strong with the violins screeching dramatically in the mix as the music sweeps up from a mellow intro passage to a fierce crescendo that attacks like a hammer bludgeoning its victim. It’s good to hear a couple of older tracks too such as the attitude-fuelled ‘I Always Hang Myself With The Same Rope’. The drums and guitars do a fine job of keeping things moving along; I had my reservations as to whether they could pull their songs off as well live or if it would come across as a bit shambolic on stage but they kept it tight and pulled it off with all the energy and panache demonstrated on CD. Despite a nightmare journey to get here due to the morons at TFL, the Birdies gave us a jolly good show. It’s about time they got a break too ‘cos they deserve to be much bigger.
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SOPHIE ROBERTS, 405 MAGAZINE
Sometimes, a band comes along and does something so bizarrely different that you aren’t sure how to categorise the music that they create. One of these bands is four-piece Brighton based band Birdeatsbaby. On their website, they describe themselves as ‘alt-classical prog-punk’. Others could classify them as cinematic pop. Some would describe them as classical with a rock aspect. A lot of people would say that Feast of Hammers sounds like it was created by some seriously odd people. However you choose to describe the music, one thing that is undeniable is that Feast of Hammers is a very intriguing album. Birdeatsbaby might be dark and occasionally creepy, but if there’s one thing they definitely aren’t, it’s ordinary.
The album opener is a song helpfully named ‘Intro’. ‘Intro’ is thirty seconds of piano music with just enough gloominess to suggest that the entire album could be the soundtrack to a particularly depressing period drama. The track is succeeded by ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’ which launches straight into the strong voice of lead singer Mishkin Fitzgerald, and brings the focus to the often quite morbid lyrics.
There is one song on this album that defies all the rules of simple music and is what makes this album so outstandingly, brilliantly strange. Listening to ‘Incitatus’ feels like being dragged head first into a horror film. It’s intense, fast paced and does not hold back. The song opens with a foreboding clanging like a child bashing on low piano keys which, alone, is chilling enough. If you add the ominous voice echoing stereophonically though separate headphones, it creates a track that will stop you in your tracks and make you check over your shoulder for any approaching shadows. The vocals make this song even more of a gothic masterpiece. Fitzgerald’s voice flickers between chants, shouts, whispers and unnervingly high, almost angelic notes. All of this is over an angry, constant drum beat which picks up at the end of the song.
The second half of the album is a lot calmer. ‘Through Ten Walls’ takes more of a listenable pop format and whilst there’s still a hint of darkness in the lyrics, it’s a lot less about concept and more about structure and quality. ‘Tastes Like Sympathy’ sees the album settle into a melancholy mood that’s both haunting and beautiful. With this and ‘Through Ten Walls’ you can truly appreciate the impressive vocals, not to mention some pretty theatrical violin playing.
Feast of Hammers is in no way a cheerful summer album. Neither is it background noise. Birdeatsbaby have taken the idea of being dark and weird and have gone absolutely wild with it. In fact, this album is probably the soundtrack to my five year old self’s nightmares. And, like any album, it’s not without its flaws. A lot of the songs are very similar in structure, and at times it gets tedious to listen to. Some people definitely would be put off by how dark the music is but if you can get past that, this is an album packed with a glorious overload of piano music, a lot of horror movie imagery, and tonnes of personality.
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JOACHIM ‘JOE’ BROOKES, ROCKTIMES
Mit dem Namen der Band aus dem englischen Brighton geht es schon los… Birdeatsbaby. Wer hat sich so etwas bloß ausgedacht? Sei’s drum, auf jeden Fall tragen solche Dinge zu einer erhöhten Merkfähigkeit bei. Birdeatsbaby ist ein Quartett, das seine Musik selbst mit »alt classical prog-punk« bezeichnet. Aha, sehr aufschlussreich. Die Genre-Umschreibung macht jedenfalls genauso neugierig, wie der Bandname.
Vielleicht wird “Feast Of Hammers” ja wirklich zu einem Fest der klanglichen Genüsse, die im Überfluss aus den Lautsprechern fließen. Mit Blick auf die Leute in der Gruppe bilden zwei Männer und zwei Frauen das Line-up. Einem größeren Kreis wurde Birdeatsbaby durch ihr You Tube-Video “The Trouble” bekannt. Mittlerweile wurde es fast einhundertdreißigtausend Mal angeklickt. 2009 erschien “Here She Comes-A-Tumblin’” und 2010 folgte die EP “Bigger Teeth”.
Nun liegt “Feast Of Hammers” auf dem Schreibtisch und uneingeschränkt kann man bereits nach wenigen Tracks vorhersagen, dass diese Band auf gar keinen Fall in der Allgemeinheit oder Einfachheit versinkt. Die Platte ist gleichzeitig fesselnd wie auch verblüffend und definitiv auch noch ungewöhnlich. Kann so viel Drama, Melancholie, Traurigkeit gepaart mit klassischen Elementen sowie Rock überhaupt das Herz des Hörers erreichen. Die Birdeatsbaby-Musik schleicht fast unbemerkt unter die Haut und findet tatsächlich ihren Weg bis zur Pumpstation der roten Flüssigkeit und verteilt diese von dort aus in einer wohligen Geschwindigkeit im ganzen Körper.
In ihrer Hilflosigkeit nannte die Combo die ersten dreißig Sekunden schlicht “Intro”. Ein einsames Piano verbreitet schon zu Beginn eine trübe, nachdenkliche Stimmung. Das Ende der Platte steht am Anfang. Diese halbe Minute ist die Partitur eines im Nebel schemenhaft zu erkennenden Punktes, an dem unser Planet einen Schlusspunkt hat.
Durch die von Mishkin Fitzgerald komponierte Musik kommt zutage, was in ihren (und unseren?) dunklen Träumen schlummert. Dabei gibt es zuweilen dann doch Licht am Ende des Tunnels. Die insgesamt zwölf Songs sind realisierte Fantasien, die einer Art Endzeitstimmung entgegenströmen. So wirkt Birdeatsbabys “Feast Of Hammers” insgesamt. Weinen wird irgendwie zu einem Aktivposten der Platte. Die Stücke sind psychologische Epen und haben das Flair von Horrorfilmen aus den Zwanzigerjahren.
Fitzgerald ist nicht nur eine geniale Komponistin und Pianistin. Mit ihrer Stimme/ihrem Gesang trägt sie wesentlich zu den Stimmungen der Songs bei. Die Kulminationspunkte des Pendels sind Schreie und engelhafte Intonation. Im Schwingungsbereich kann man sich alle möglichen anderen Variationen vorstellen.
Eine solche Kreativität braucht Mitstreiter, die in der Lage sind, auf Augenhöhe agieren zu können. Mishkin Fitzgerald, Keely McDonald, Garry Mitchell und Charlie Reith-Pert bilden ein sich in allen Belangen ergänzendes Quartett und mit Jason Rubal (Bitter Ruin, The Cure, The Dresden Dolls, Killswitch Engaged, Mina, Over The Edge, Pandora, The Sugar Dames) hat man sich einen angesagten Produzenten an Land gezogen.
Songs aus der obskur-rockigen Ecke wie “Feast Of Hammers” oder “Incitatus” hämmern den Hörer mit purer Dramatik vom Hocker. “The Sailor’s Wife” und “Victoria” seien stellvertretend für die tränenreiche Abteilung von Birdeatsbabys Kompositionen genannt. Die Arrangements werden von Violine und Piano dominiert.
Als Finale gibt es den sehnsüchtig-melancholischen Track “Finale” zu hören. Diese Nummer bestreitet Fitzgerald allein und sorgt so für einen hymnischen Abschluss eines so etwas von gelungenem Album, dass der Hörer gar nicht weiß, wo er beginnen soll. Viellicht mit dem Ende namens “Intro”. Das äußerst innovative Quartett macht mit “Feast Of Hammers” ein sehr eigenständiges Fass auf und fesselt einen über die gesamte Distanz an die Lautsprecher.
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KIMBERLY RICHARDSON, STEAMPUNK CHRONICLE
If Edward Gorey had “theme” music, Birdeatsbaby would be the composer. The Brighton UK quartet led by pianist and singer Mishkin Fitzgerald is definitely not your average band, nor do I think they want to be. And for them, that is a good thing. Their newest CD, Feast of Hammers, is a journey that one will never forget. This CD is a good introduction into the world of Dark Cabaret for the uninitiated.
Intro begins with the entrance into the basement club filled with cigarette smoke, shady people dressed in outdated black clothing and secrets that are unwilling to be revealed. A simple piano welcomes you and informs you that the outside world is not the same as the one you’ve just entered.
Love Will Bring You Nothing is the first jolt disguised as Mishkin’s mocking, playful and dangerous voice mixed into a delightfully dark helping of dark cabaret music. This song is worth at least one glass of Absinthe with an old friend.
Anchor reminds me of the Gothic crooner Voltaire, music of the sultry tango laced with thorny roses that only the brave can handle. This dark yet upbeat song kept my feet tapping to the music till the very end with the solitary and haunting piano.
What The Water Gave Me has now convinced me that madness can be translated into music. Once again, Mishkin’s vocals along with the violin and heavy drums make for quite a blend. This song was one of my favourites!
Feast of Hammers reminded me of my nights spent in Goth clubs, when the music was laden with emotion and lyrics that speak of long ago yet not forgotten. This is a great song to play in a dark club or at home while reading a good book and dressed in a velvet robe.
The Sailor’s Wife is a lullaby tinged with a dark seafaring tale, one to surely keep the little kiddies awake all night! If you are a fan of the Decemberists, this song will not disappoint.
From the soothing sounds of the dark seas, we come to Incitatus, a jolt back into the throes of hammering piano, drums and violin. A great exotic song to play while dancing around a bonfire under a full moon. Suddenly, we the listeners are given another moment to rest during the Interlude and from there we slide to Double Nine, building in crescendo and momentum.
At this point, however, my attention began to wane somewhat, for the songs Through Ten Walls, Tastes Like Sympathy and Victoria really did not impress me as much as the former pieces. These three songs were my least favourite in that they sounded similar and did not leave much to my imagination. I felt as though the club had reached its plateau point and the members felt the heavy drain of fatigue.
Finally, we come to the Finale, the time when the club shuts down for the day and all her inhabitants must leave to return to the world above. Time to rest and savour our memories of the Birdeatsbaby Club . . . until the next night!
Dark Cabaret is a genre that is steadily growing: from the Dresden Dolls to Frenchy and the Punk to Jill Tracy to Veronique Chevalier, this genre has created its own niche in the music world of today. Birdeatsbaby has definitely made their mark, one that will last for quite some time.
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