In April 1983, Jill Birt became a member of the alternative rock and pop band, The Triffids, replacing the band's original keyboardist, Margaret Gillard. The group had formed in Perth in 1978 and, by early 1983, had a line-up of Martyn P. Casey on bass guitar, David McComb on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, his older brother Robert McComb on violinand guitar, and Alan 'Alsy' MacDonald on drums and vocals. They had signed to Mushroom Records' White Label and released the Bad Timing and Other Stories extended play in March. The Triffids had relocated to Sydney where Birt joined on piano, organ and vocals.
The Triffid's final studio album, The Black Swan, was released in April 1989. Birt's vocals were highlighted on the album's lead single "Goodbye Little Boy", issued in March which reached No. 81 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The single's cover depicts a close-up of Birt in sunglasses. Allmusic's Wilson Neate discovered her "little-girl voice and an electronic sheen make 'Goodbye Little Boy' one of the band's purest pop statements". "Good Fortune Rose" from the album is another composition by Birt – co-written with MacDonald. In April 1989 NME 's Gavin Martin described "Goodbye Little Girl" as "a modern girlie pop classic – breathy charm with a sting in the tale, a sure fire hit whenever the necessary radio edit has been made of the line 'I'm so fucking tired'" and found her own composition, "Good Fortune Rose" to be "a delicately blossoming thing etching a young girl's aspirations on the cusp of womanhood – a heady mix of innocence and sophistication".
David McComb described her songwriting "the great thing about Jill’s songs is that they're the first she's ever written and the first 10 songs that anyone writes are usually the best, they're so fresh and alive ... When Jill was going to join the band I interviewed a techno keyboard player who was a brilliant musician but he wasn't right. Jill joined for fun, friendship and adventure. Those are far better reasons". In August 1989, tired from the constant travelling and touring, the band dissolved.
Jill Birt married MacDonald, and they have three children Connor, Oscar and Ebony MacDonald, the family reside in East Fremantle. In 1990, The Triffids were honoured at the West Australian Music Industry Awards with a trophy for 'Most Outstanding International Achievement Award'.
In 1993, Birt studied architecture at the University of Western Australia and became a qualified architect, whilst MacDonald is a lawyer for the Equal Opportunity Commission in Perth. In February 1999 David McComb died of heroin toxicity and mild acute rejection of his 1996 heart transplant. Both Birt and MacDonald have performed on The Triffids reunions, in June 2006, and January 2008. Surviving members of The Triffids – Birt, Casey, Lee, MacDonald and Robert McComb – were joined by guest singers and musicians, Mick Harvey (The Bad Seeds), Toby Martin (Youth Group), Rob Snarski (The Blackeyed Susans), Steve Kilbey (The Church) and Melanie Oxley. Graham Hill of ABC's national radio's Dig Music, found the "delivery of 'Goodbye Little Boy' was as close to 'original line-up' as you could hope for, but throughout the evening it was hard to shake the obvious absence – this was not a reunion, it was a celebration of a songwriter". Hill noted "the final song was left to Jill Birt, who offered a word-perfect rendition of 'Tender Is the Night' despite losing her lyrics amidst the mountain of crib sheets of earlier singers". The 2008 performances were issued as a DVD documentary, It's Raining Pleasure (2009), directed by Steven Levett.
On 1 July 2008, The Triffids were inducted by Nick Cave into the ARIA Hall of Fame; former members were joined on-stage by Snarski as vocalist for "Red Pony" and Kilbey as vocalist for "Wide Open Road". In April 2010, The Triffids reunited for performances in London with various guest vocalists in place of David McComb, Dev Hynes, Harvey, Snarski, Simon Breed and Tindersticks' Stuart Staples.
In July 2011 Birt released a solo four-track EP, Still Life. Joining Birt on the EP were Casey and MacDonald with Adrian Hoffman (The Morning Light), guesting on individual tracks were Rob McComb and Lee. Birt designed the cover, with Pippa Hurst, and the lino cut was provided by Oscar MacDonald. Birt and MacDonald toured Australia in July 2011. In November and December that year another The Triffids reunion series, including an appearance at the Queenscliff Music Festival, had guest vocals from Harvey and Breed.
On 21 April 2012 Birt released her debut solo album, Render & Prosper. All nine songs were written by Birt, together with one a collaboration with MacDonald. Similar to her EP, MacDonald, Casey and Hoffman all both perform on the album with appearances by Graham Lee, Robert McComb and Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre). In May 2012 Birt and McDonald performed tracks from her debut solo album in Newtown.
Jill Birt married MacDonald, and they have three children Connor, Oscar and Ebony MacDonald, the family reside in East Fremantle. In 1990, The Triffids were honoured at the West Australian Music Industry Awards with a trophy for 'Most Outstanding International Achievement Award'.
In 1993, Birt studied architecture at the University of Western Australia and became a qualified architect, whilst MacDonald is a lawyer for the Equal Opportunity Commission in Perth. In February 1999 David McComb died of heroin toxicity and mild acute rejection of his 1996 heart transplant. Both Birt and MacDonald have performed on The Triffids reunions, in June 2006, and January 2008. Surviving members of The Triffids – Birt, Casey, Lee, MacDonald and Robert McComb – were joined by guest singers and musicians, Mick Harvey (The Bad Seeds), Toby Martin (Youth Group), Rob Snarski (The Blackeyed Susans), Steve Kilbey (The Church) and Melanie Oxley. Graham Hill of ABC's national radio's Dig Music, found the "delivery of 'Goodbye Little Boy' was as close to 'original line-up' as you could hope for, but throughout the evening it was hard to shake the obvious absence – this was not a reunion, it was a celebration of a songwriter". Hill noted "the final song was left to Jill Birt, who offered a word-perfect rendition of 'Tender Is the Night' despite losing her lyrics amidst the mountain of crib sheets of earlier singers". The 2008 performances were issued as a DVD documentary, It's Raining Pleasure (2009), directed by Steven Levett.
On 1 July 2008, The Triffids were inducted by Nick Cave into the ARIA Hall of Fame; former members were joined on-stage by Snarski as vocalist for "Red Pony" and Kilbey as vocalist for "Wide Open Road". In April 2010, The Triffids reunited for performances in London with various guest vocalists in place of David McComb, Dev Hynes, Harvey, Snarski, Simon Breed and Tindersticks' Stuart Staples.
In July 2011 Birt released a solo four-track EP, Still Life. Joining Birt on the EP were Casey and MacDonald with Adrian Hoffman (The Morning Light), guesting on individual tracks were Rob McComb and Lee. Birt designed the cover, with Pippa Hurst, and the lino cut was provided by Oscar MacDonald. Birt and MacDonald toured Australia in July 2011. In November and December that year another The Triffids reunion series, including an appearance at the Queenscliff Music Festival, had guest vocals from Harvey and Breed.
On 21 April 2012 Birt released her debut solo album, Render & Prosper. All nine songs were written by Birt, together with one a collaboration with MacDonald. Similar to her EP, MacDonald, Casey and Hoffman all both perform on the album with appearances by Graham Lee, Robert McComb and Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre). In May 2012 Birt and McDonald performed tracks from her debut solo album in Newtown.
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