Tilly Birds was back in Singapore exactly one year later, since their first show on 7 July 2024 (Sunday), to fulfil their promise to come back! Held at the Gateway Theatre once again, the band performed comfortably.
The Thai indie alternative trio switched up the setlist and brought their A-game, as they started with their latest English single, White Pills. The song hits different as it was performed as an unreleased song last year.
Fans were already singing along loudly as the band performed to their second song, Can’t Have It All.
Lead singer Third had to “Cut To The Chase!” when he already started belting out his high notes and falsettos in the third song.
While the fans bopped their heads and waved their hands in the air to the groovy rock track, Can’t Keep Up, the band responded with a solid performance on the drum and guitars.
Once the crowd warmed up, Third then gave the cue for fans to stand up and immerse themselves in the music with the next song, Worth The Wait. It was definitely worth the wait listening to Third’s voice, which seemed to have grown in depth in just a year.
Third shared that this being the second time performing in Singapore, they tried to find something new and refreshing for the setlist.
Tilly Birds then made a live debut of their song Drink, Don’t Think, from their It’s Gonna Be OK album (2022). There were some guitar solos in between, which lighted up the atmosphere even more.
They took it down a notch and performed some of their mellow tunes, including Crying Window/Broken mash-up, two English songs that they wrote back in 2016. They actually started with English songs before focusing on Thai lyrics a year later.
Milo, part-time drummer full-time rapper, made his appearance centre-stage with Slipped Your Mind, and Bangkok Winter. Third, Billy, and Milo also went up front and continued to play off the energy in the theatre as the fans continued to sing along at the top of their lungs.
The atmosphere started heating up again with the rapid tempo of Status, a song which questions the relationship status of two people. Milo’s explosive drumming, coupled with Billy’s guitar solo with an additional clipping tool, and Third’s long ad-lib made the piece exhilarating and thrilling.
The fans stepped up and responded to Third as they shouted along to the next few songs – ineednoone, The One, and Baggage.
At this point, our eyes were continuously blinded by the lights, which had shown intense colours and effects to illuminate the stage and set the scene for each song. It continued that way till the end of the show.
Long-time fans of Tilly Birds were in for a treat as the members played an acoustic version of their first debut song from 2014, Heart In A Cage. It was an intimate moment for the trio – with just a guitar, a shaker, a spotlight, and their beautiful voices that resonated within the theatre.
With the amount of English songs in this setlist, we are definitely anticipating the day Tilly Birds release their first English album, that is aimed ambitiously at the international market this year.
Third joked with the crowd and asked if SG stands for Singapore, then SP stands for their hit song Same Page?. Clearly a crowd favourite, everyone was singing along word for word.
More heart wrenching songs ensured, with songs like When The Film’s Over, and What’s Left.
We then found Third grooving his hips and rocking more high notes to the fast rock tempo songs – Like A Dead Man, and Ordinary. The band members also had their moments jamming with each other on stage.
Tilly Birds continued with Who I Am. The songs were complete with dramatic light effects, the band jamming hard, and fans clapping to the beat. Third encouraged the audience to sing all out, as he showcased his captivating rich vocals.
The final song for the set was Until Then. The bittersweet melody had the crowd turning on the lights on their phones as they waved and sang with Tilly Birds. Tilly Birds took the time to listen to the crowd.
One thing about Tilly Birds shows is that they know how to involve the crowd, and the fans always reciprocate. Third also keeps it light-hearted as he joked around with the audience – from talking about the chilli crab they ate the night before which turned them into ‘chilli birds’, to introducing guitarists Gla as the beer guy and Up as the ping pong guy, while also relating Milo to the energy drink who gives us the most energy.
They signed the standee that was part of the fan-project in Singapore after the concert too, and showed love to the gifts and message book from fans. They shared that “it’s one of the cutest things from fans we’ve received” and felt the love and dedication put into it.
The band kept the fans on a high, especially during the encore – they performed Send You Off and On My Shoulder. Everyone was jumping around as if on cue one moment, and then waving their arms in the next.
As a last hurrah (and maybe an attempt to be friendly), Third then invited the fans to mosh at the front of the stage to the final song of the night, Just Being Friendly. Fans rocked along with the fellow rocketeers, as everyone partied and belted out the lyrics loudly for the last time. The trio responded enthusiastically as they hi-fived and fist-bumped the crowd, gave away guitar picks and drumsticks, and music jammed like the rock stars they are.
It was an exhilarating experience being able to listen to such a long setlist with almost 30 songs and interludes.
Keep flying high, Tilly Birds!
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