Little Birdy

Australian alt-rock unit Little Birdy formed in Perth in 2002. Singer/guitarist Katy Steele (sister of the Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele) formed the group after exiting her previous combo, the Plastik Scene, recruiting her brother's longtime friend Simon Leach to play drums. Following the addition of bassist Scott O'Donoghue, Leach moved to guitar, and with the addition of drummer Matt Chequer, the lineup was in place. Borrowing their name from an album cut by pop pranksters Ween, Little Birdy recorded their first demo session, scoring airplay on local radio and signing a management deal with Phil Stevens. After opening for acts including Placebo, Morcheeba, and the Superjesus, Little Birdy caught the attention of the influential Aussie radio outlet Triple J, which added their "Relapse" to its play list. A bidding war soon followed, and the quartet ultimately signed to Virgin/EMI to begin work on their debut EP, a self-titled effort issued in late 2003. This Is a Love Song EP followed in March 2004, and at year's end, Little Birdy resurfaced with their much-anticipated full-length effort BigBigLove, notching the Triple J smash "Beautiful to Me." In 2005, the group also opened for R.E.M. on their Australian tour. Little Birdy's sophomore LP, Hollywood, followed in mid-2006, scoring a Top 20 hit with "Come on, Come On." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide