Amateur Ornithologist is a weird pop ensemble from North East England. AO perform with anything from four to seven musicians playing a mix of pop and orchestral instruments.

The band have earned comparisons to Talking Heads, The Beach Boys and Prefab Sprout due to their adventurous approach to densely-layered, harmony-filled pop.

The band focus on crafting captivating songs inspired by the everyday weird of neurodivergent lives to the uncanny of Victorian fiction. But the ability to translate these into enchanting live shows complete with costumes and stage dressing is what sets AO apart.

Amateur Ornithologist have released three albums, were chosen to play Durham Brass Festival 2025 from hundreds of applications, have been on the cover of NARC Magazine, had videos screened at Sunderland Shorts Film Festival, played sold-out shows and festivals including Marrapalooza, Last Train Home and Summer Streets, and received radio play from BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, and a host of radio stations.