Pic: of Wallis Bird, Flickr, Rebekka
Get excited, it’s Australia’s turn to discover the wildy talented Wallis Bird, a veritable virtuoso whose music transitions
from delicate whispers to explosive cries in a breathtaking heartbeat.
Wallis Bird’s story is truly remarkable… From a ‘Lawnmower Incident’ as a baby which saw her lose most of her fingers
only to (mostly) be saved by surgery, to self releasing her first album which pricked the ears of those at Island Records
who signed her almost on the spot.
Over the past 7 years the two-time Meteor award winner (Ireland’s national music prize) and Irish Choice Prize
nominee (equivalent of the Australian Music Prize) Wallis Bird has released 3 albums that have charted all over Europe
and headlined over 600 shows with over 30,000 people attending her last album release alone!
Now with her new album Home, Bird is finally making her first ever appearance in Australia with a tour that includes
festivals and headlining shows. Bird is already well known around Europe for her live performances. Most artists can’t
sustain the kind of energy levels that she exhibits on stage. Every performance is characterised by an almost startling
passion; one that frequently leaves Bird breathless and her acoustic guitar strings shredded to pieces. Her
refreshingly honest, self-effacing manner has endeared her to audiences of every kind, whether her own fans or
someone else’s.
Home is a celebration of the love Bird now enjoys with her girlfriend and muse, and refers to the album as a ‘thank
you letter’. Take the full-blooded ‘ODOM’ about falling insanely in love, in which she announces “You’re hotter than a
hot thing on a hot day” capturing the adrenalised, wild rush of infatuation.
The cosy title-track ‘Home’ is sung a cappella, where Bird promises “I’m not good for you right now, I’m good for you
forever”. No one, however, could accuse Bird of having a one-track mind. Home also offers gratitude to the flat-mates
she left behind on ‘That Leads the Way’. Then comes the passionate and frenzied ‘Control’, and the playful funk of
‘Fantasy’. Suitably, Home was recorded largely in Bird’s home studio, with Bird occupying the producer’s chair and
playing most of the instruments
Now as Bird prepares to launch the album, she’s also readying herself for a long tour across Europe and Japan, before
announcing herself to us lucky Aussies. This is a show not to be missed.
AUSTRALIAN HOME TOUR
Thurs 15th December – Pelican Playhouse Theatre, Grafton NSW
Fri 16th December – The Bellingen Brewery, Bellingen NSW
Sat 17th December – Wauchope Arts Concert, Wauchope NSW
Sun 18th December – The Metropole, Katoomba NSW
Wed 21st December – The Phoenix, Canberra ACT
Tue 27th December – Sun 1st January — Woodford Folk Festival, Woodford QLD
Tue 3rd January – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
Thur 5th January – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Fri 6th January – 8th January – Cygnet Folk Festival TAS
Wed 11th January – Small Ballroom, Newcastle NSW
Thur 12th January – Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW
Fri 13th & Sat 14th January – Illawarra Folk Festival NSW
www.wallisbird.com
www.facebook.com/wallisbird
“The sheer visceral energy of Wallis Bird could kick-start an entire economy” The Irish Times
“Frank and endearingly tender, a tsunami of emition… Maginifcent” MOJO, UK
“It’s her humour and bold honesty that makes Bird so special” The Guardian, UK
Danae Effern
