Rare Birdz work welcomes all to share nest

A Wollongong musical duo are releasing 12 songs from their powerful show about love, loss and the resilience of mature women at an album launch in Bellambi this weekend. 

The album, Love in a Major Minor – The Songs, combines spoken word and music to tell a story of hope and resilience. It was inspired by the stories of older women who find their lives completely changed through loss or new beginnings later in life.

Desley Taylor, one half of the duo, said many unfortunate situations that had befallen women had stayed with her.

"All of the women out there that don't have superannuation because of events in their lives, those who have separated from their partners or have lost them later on, those who are homeless or living on the edge or living in their car," says Desley.

The show, first performed in June 2024, is closer to musical theatre than a traditional concert, using spoken word dialogue and songs to tell its story. Rare Birdz, made up of Desley (vocals/guitar) and Rachel Flannery (vocals), are known for their quirky lyrics, lush harmonies and theatrical storytelling.

The duo met in June 2016 at an open mic night at Ryan's Hotel in Thirroul. They bonded over a shared love for harmony and well-written songs, admiring artists such as Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin and Rickie Lee Jones. Desley, a singer-songwriter, was used to writing "tragic and dark" original songs, but on Love in a Major Minor, the pair aimed to create a story of empowerment.

"I actually felt a social obligation to make it light,” Desley says. ''I'd have written a Thelma and Louise kind of ending, but then I thought, you cannot do that with something that you're putting out there. It has to have some kind of hope.” 

Desley and Rachel developed Love in a Major Minor over several years, with the support and feedback of the local community. To hone their performance, Rare Birdz trained with SPAT (Stanwell Park Arts Theatre) and tested their work at Merrigong Theatre’s Made from Scratch program. The production also received a small cultural grant from Wollongong City Council. 

"We have been very lucky with being able to access these great resources locally. Vía that grant – and thank you very much to Wollongong Council for doing that – we could have professional sound and lighting, promotion, and a paid MC on the night,” Desley says.

“After doing the show, and preparing for the studio recording of the songs, we had good friends who enabled us to do the draft recording at their house, allowing us to work out the nuances and additional harmonies we could add.”

The show had its sold-out debut at the Project Contemporary Art Gallery in June 2024, where young artists interpreted the music and dialogue, culminating in an exhibition of their artworks that ran for a week.

“Two young sisters [at the show] said they didn’t know what to expect with the lights and the show and big production things, and they said, 'So we sat there, and you started the show and we just started crying.' And they held hands through the whole show,” Desley says.

The show has resonated with women, men, mature and young audiences alike. The duo has also enjoyed performing at private house concerts, which they describe as "very intimate" and "fabulous". They joke that they hope to continue their "world tour" of the South Coast. 

“At one house concert, there were some blokes there and they were so funny after the show, they came and chatted to us and said, 'Oh, that happened to me, but it’s alright'," Desley says.

"But we had all these women sitting there, and they were so into it. One lady came up and said, 'You just sang my life, right down to the town, in Atherton Tablelands, Queensland' and I went, 'no way! The next time we do the show, we are dedicating it to you,' because that is freaky!” 

The album was recorded in July 2025 at Stranded Studios in Bellambi, and was engineered and mastered by Bowen Shakallis. Guest artist Kieran Flannery, who is a lead guitarist, is featured on three tracks.

"The third song is called I'm Going Out, we made it fun… at the end of the song, it feeds into this recording of a minute-long chat from some young women who were having a drink at the brewery... it's got lots of little things like that in it,” Desley says.

At the upcoming album launch, audiences can look forward to the "theatrical, playful, acoustic" track I'm Going Out, heartfelt ballad Be Mine, and the "grunge, cheeky" Favourite Pony. The album features dialogue from the show to set the scene and conversations between the two characters woven into the songs.

"If it’s relevant to them, we hope it’s fun, but that it just kind of gets them on track again to know that other people go through the same thing… and that there is hope".

How to support Rare Birdz

Attend the launch: The CD launch is on Saturday, December 6 from 4:30-7pm at Barrel Shepherd Brewery. No ticket needed.

Buy the album: The limited edition CD is available for purchase ($20) at the launch and online via Bandcamp and Facebook. 

Hire the duo: Rare Birdz is available for private house concerts and events. Get in touch via birdno2entertainment@gmail.com