Birdy
Hammersmith Apollo, London
23rd April 2023

Words & images by Josephine Best (@josephinexbest)

BIRDY MAKES HER TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO LONDON BRINGING WITH HER SONGS BOTH NEW AND OLD AS SHE PREPARES FOR THE RELEASE OF HER UPCOMING ALBUM ‘PORTRAITS’

With anticipation building around the release of her forthcoming album, ‘Portraits’ (out on 14th July), Birdy graced the Hammersmith Apollo last Sunday night with her ethereally dreamy tracks and powerful vocals. Taking a look at Birdy‘s discography it’s clear that her new album will follow in the footsteps of tracks like ‘Raincatchers’ and ‘Automatic’ in delivering another exceptionally emotional, but upbeat experience showcasing the singer-songwriter’s musical progression and lyrical capability.

Kicking off her much anticipated return to London, Birdy opens the night with one of her latest singles ‘Raincatchers’ which will feature on her upcoming album, ‘Portraits’. With ethereal vocals, the new song bares similarities to the Birdy we know and love with her impactful lyrics, but still serves as an excellent introduction to the next chapter of her musical career.

She takes a brief intermission before the next song to introduce herself and express how happy she is to be back performing on home soil in front of a sold out crowd. Seamlessly transitioning into the rest of her set, Birdy lets her enchanting music do the talking with a combination of tracks new and old. Effortlessly switching between playing the guitar and the piano, Birdy reminds that she is not only an incredibly talented singer and musician but what a talented songwriter she is.

Not forgetting what shot her to fame at such a young age, she included her iconic covers of ‘1901’ by Phoenix, ‘People Help The People’ by Cherry Ghost, ‘Young Blood’ by The Naked and Famous, and of course ‘Skinny Love‘, originally performed by Bon Iver which remained as powerful as the first time we all heard her sing it at 14 years old. Listening to Birdy cover so many iconic songs we all know and love, it would be impossible to deny that she possesses tremendous skill to truly make them her own.

With her impeccable voice, music and lyrics, the British Singer Songwriter possesses the power to fully captivate her audience and brings a strange comfort to sadness and wearing your heart on your sleeve. The anticipation for her next album is strong and we can’t wait to hear more and see what she does next. Perhaps the best of Birdy is yet to come.