Image by Michael Boyd
No “broken hearts” here
L.A. duo the Bird and the Bee show Chicago a modern, electronica interpretation of the jazz club scene
By Britt Julious
Published: January 13th, 2008 | 11:25pm
January 11, 2008 in Chicago — “We’re so fucking cute up here, it’s killing me,” the Bird and the Bee's Inara George proclaimed to the audience at their sold-out show at Schubas Tavern. George, (the “bird”) and Greg Kurstin (the “bee”) were in town to support Please Clap Your Hands (Blue Note), their latest EP. The two took to the tiny, elevated stage in large black coats, revealing modern variations of '60s mod wear to a fervent audience. A disco interpretation of the Star Wars theme played and immediately set a humorous tone for the night.
“Preparedness,” from the duo's self-titled debut LP, and an upbeat showcase of George’s impossibly smooth voice ushered in the evening. The audience — an amalgamation of late 20-something couples and young women — surprisingly was not a mess of fair-weather fans, but instead, most swayed back and forth and sang along to each word. The next song, “Man” from Please Clap Your Hands, released in September 2007,was a crowd favorite. Its combination of pop, jazz and electronica offered the audience an opportunity to dance in the cramped venue.
Compared with most performers, the Bird and the Bee made a strong effort to hold their audience's attention. Each song was introduced with a clever anecdote or funny story. Before performing “La La La,” George told the audience that they almost had an iPod commercial. The disappointment was noted through the grumbles and groans of the audience members perhaps envisioning the recent meteoric rise of Feist after “1234” became an instant hit.
While introducing the song “Birds and the Bees,” George said, “I always like to dedicate this song to the honeybees of the world.” The blend of jazz, electronica, and pop that has defined the Bird and the Bee's sound — George’s ethereal vocals and Kurstin’s maneuvering between prerecorded yet enriching backing vocals and instruments on the keyboard — was extraordinary.
Taking a break from guitar playing, George sang “I’m a Broken Heart” with the sort of organic emotional conviction that runs through most of the duo's songs, making the already ecstatic audience erupt in voracious applause. However, the evening was not built completely on downtempo melodies. In fact, during “Because,” George and Kurstin experimented with immediate keyboard and electronic playback, interspersing George’s vocals with, of all things, the sound of a dog barking.
After churning through a number of songs from their debut album, the duo performed a new song from an EP to be released on Valentine’s Day. This was later followed by “Fucking Boyfriend,” perhaps their most well known track, and a favorite that George asked the audience to sing along to, “If you like boys or if you don’t.”
After performing other songs from Please Clap Your Hands and The Bird and the Bee, the duo concluded the evening with a pitch-perfect rendition of “How Deep is Your Love” by the Bee Gees. The evening, already a wonderful and intimate hour and a half of originals, was complete with a classic that asks of another’s commitment. Taking a look around at the couples in embrace and friends eagerly singing into the microphone George placed in front of the audience, there was no question as to the devotion in Chicago.
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