Excuse the crap photo. Birdy's Sydney showcase was a camera-free event but I managed to snap this stunning image with my phone after the show. It's fuzzy but you get the idea. The 16-year-old Brit performed an impeccable five-song set on an intimate stage covered with flower bouquets and flickering candles. I'm still not sure if the mood was more romantic or funereal but the sedate atmosphere suited the teenager's bleak ballads perfectly.
There's been no stopping Birdy since "People Help The People" was featured on Neighbours. Her album flew to number one and "Skinny Love" sold triple platinum after some flop destroyed her Bon Iver cover on X Factor. It's a little undignified that someone of this calibre owes her popularity to a pair of shit TV shows but I like to think it would have only been a matter of time before Australia woke up to her terrifying talent. She's destined for great things and everyone at Studio 303 last night knew it.
After the quickest of nods to the audience, Birdy sat behind her piano and casually belted out a goosebump-inducing version of "Shelter". Her voice is every bit as sublime live as it is on record and there was something otherwordly about her ability to imbue lyrics with raw emotion. Next up was "Without A Word", followed by her Hunger Games contribution "Just A Game". The prodigy hasn't mastered the art of conversation - simply introducing each song with its title - but nobody was there to hear her talk.
The aforementioned "People Help The People" was ridiculously heartfelt, while her gorgeous rendition of "Skinny Love" makes Justin Vernon look like a bald busker. I would have loved to hear "Terrible Love" - my favourite song on her debut - but something tells me it's only a matter of time before I hear it when she tours the country in massive venues. I'll be waiting.
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