2007 Jack Awards
Best Female Performer - Katy Steele
Best Dressed Artist - Katy Steele
Little Birdy - Bodies
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Let’s get it out of the way at the very start … Little Birdy got their name from a song by Ween, OK?
Now that that’s behind us, let’s talk about their music. The band has described it as 'melodic', 'emotional', 'sexy', 'textural' and 'honest'. The press have described it as 'innocent', 'quirky', 'gutsy', 'raw' and 'moody'. Why not give it a listen and add your own adjective to this list?
The Australian quartet is fronted by 24-year old singer/guitarist Katy Steele. Her vocal range, song writing, and sartorial splendour have attracted favourable comparisons to PJ Harvey and Chrissie Hynde. UK style bible 'The Face' called Katy 'a prodigy' and described the band as 'Lucinda Williams meets Kate Bush via Beck'. In an isolated Perth bunker, Katy, guitarist Simon Leach, bassist Scott 'Barney' O'Donoghue and drummer Matt Chequer have honed their unique sound since their inception in 2003.
You can never tell what lies beneath. Whether it's the bewitching sea of lights from the Hollywood hills, a fiery new rock'n'roll band on the radio or the perfect Happy Couple … we perceive them all through dark glass and imagination. It's best not to jump to early conclusions. In the same way, Little Birdy's second
album, Hollywood, is a mystery unfolding with its multiple layers clawing their way to the surface.
Recently elevated to Gold Record status, Hollywood makes good on the extraordinary promise of Little Birdy's certified Platinum album, the highly acclaimed debut, Big Big Love. You could call it a radical evolution from the wiry guitar-pop of its predecessor, which went top 5 and sold over 70,000 copies, but it's probably more accurately described in terms of a simmering, four-way chemical reaction.
The Hollywood recording process took a twist as the band found themselves amongst the real Hollywood Hills under the guiding hands and ears of John King (one-half of legendary production duo The Dust Brothers) and engineer Clif
Norrell.
With combined resumes including Beck, the Beastie Boys, You Am I, Garbage and Echo & the Bunnymen, they proved the perfect navigators on Little Birdy's night ride of exploration. 'We had the songs about 90 per cent sorted between the four of us,' says guitarist Simon, 'but John and Clif brought that last 10 per
cent where it all clicked into place.'
Little Birdy has revealed itself as one of a startling new generation of bands to explode out of the isolated musical hotbed of Perth, Western Australia. Their selftitled EP (featuring “Relapse”) was an unexpected Top 30 hit and the next three
Triple J Hottest 100 polls featured no less than six Little Birdy songs, including a 8 placing for “Beautiful To Me”.
There has also been a rocket ride of sold out club gigs and festivals along the way, including big buzz showcases in New York, San Francisco and London, as well as coveted slots at music conferences South By South West, CMJ and the
legendary In The City Showcase, Manchester.
Since 2003, the band has played the countries biggest music festivals with electrifying performances at The Falls, Homebake and both the 2005 and 2007 The Big Day Out festivals. Little Birdy has also joined some of the world's greatest bands, supporting the likes of REM, Bright Eyes, Placebo, Eskimo Joe and Tegan & Sara along the way.
As well as amazing audiences around the world, Little Birdy has also won over the critics, taking out WAMI awards for Song of the Year (“Andy Warhol”), Video of the Year (“Beautiful To Me”) and the Jessica Michalik Contemporary Music Award for Best Song (“Relapse”). Among their many achievements, Little Birdy has also received 5 ARIA award nominations over their 6-year career.
2008 will be a year to remember for Katy, Simon, Barney and Matt. In March they will begin work on their third studio album and in the later half of the year they will take their unique and blistering live show to the rest of the world. With over 40 songs already penned by singer/songwriter Katy Steele, Little Birdy is sure to deliver another sublime body of work to audiences everywhere. For more information please visit:
www.littlebirdy.net
www.myspace.com/littlebirdy
Or contact Matt Chequer (Management):
[email protected]
John Watson (Australian Label Manager)
[email protected]
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