After a lovely interview with Diane Birch at Via Tribunali, I was eager to hear the songstress' smoky, sweet voice in the intimate and legendary Crocodile Cafe. For anyone wondering if her voice carries the same strength live as it does on her debut album Bible Belt, the answer is an enthusiastic "yes!" (with an added plea to witness her remarkable vocal power in person). With her band of four in tow, Birch's performance was loaded with soulful vocals, soaring guitar riffs and belting horns.
Before Birch took the stage, psychedelic pop outfit AM opened with a rousing set. As their energy and volume increased, the three-piece held fast to their melodic sound, with stand-out vocals oiling the solid machinery of well-crafted songs. “It’s Been So Long,” with a bongos-driven intro, prompted some in this somber crowd to dance. The venue filled out just in time to witness AM play their finale, "Self Preservation." AM and the band thanked the crowd during their applause and jumped off the stage to enjoy Birch's set from behind the merch table.
Following a short set change, Birch made her way to the stage, with the band launching into “Choo Choo,” a song with the refrain, “Devil’s got my baby.” Biblical and gospel themes run rampant throughout Bible Belt - themes influenced by Birch's childhood, living as a missionary's child in Africa and Australia. As Birch explains it, “There was a long time where I didn’t want to be associated with anything remotely religious. Then I kind of liberated myself by calling my album Bible Belt. I write my songs based on the structure of church hymns. All these things that I ran away from are still very much a part of me.”
Gospel’s influence is likewise visible in Birch's live performance. During “Forgiveness,” she swayed as her voiced soared, channeling both a gospel choir and Janis Joplin in a performance of “Cry Baby.”
Considering her confident stage presence, it's surprising to hear that Birch just recently started singing. A skilled piano player, she moved from Portland to L.A. to compose film scores, but never considered singing until a friend encouraged her to take a vocal class with her for fun. At first, Birch was apprehensive about singing in front of others, but she soon realized, “It’s a class; it doesn’t matter. It’s safe. Nobody’s really judging you.” After writing songs for the class, she soon thereafter started performing them at small venues. Reflecting on that time, Birch remarks, “I never imagined I would be a singer-songwriter.”
Today, Diane still struggles with performance anxiety. But taking it in stride, Birch notes, “I’ve really started to embrace the anxiety. Even though I get anxiety now, I realize that it’s an important part of performing.”
Aside from no front-lighting on her or her band, per her request, there was no sign of nervousness as Birch stood in front of the audience, away from her keyboard, belting acapella the end of “Don’t Wait Up,” while the audience clapped in time to the beat. Teasing the crowd after her performances of “Ariel” and “Fire Escape,” Birch said, “I know I’ve just depressed you, but I’m gonna depress you a little more right now. So before you slit your wrists, just remember it’s only a show!” This warning was followed by solo performances of Haddaway’s “What is Love” and Hall & Oates’ “Rich Girl.”
For her hit “Valentino,” Birch smiled through her words, leading the band in a rowdy, horn and guitar riff heavy rock ’n' roll version of the sugary song.
Gracefully settling into her seat, Birch then thanked the crowd, with one amorous fan handing her a flower in mutual appreciation. Her moving rendition of “Photograph” was the perfect ending to a show that proved her talent for composing and performing to be far greater than what was captured on her debut album.
Think the album is good? See her live! Diane Birch’s Bible Belt was released in the end of 2009, and her tour stretches until the end of July. AM’s second album Future Sons and Daughters is out now and his tour continues in the U.S. through the end of May, then on to France in June.
