Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth, Western Australia. Their debut album, Day One, gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Independent Album charts and spending a total of 36 consecutive weeks in the top ten.
In 2008, the band released Universes, which made it to number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart. 2010 saw the band's self-titled third studio release Birds of Tokyo spend over eight months on the Australian top 20, peaking at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart. The double platinum album received the 2010 ARIA Award for Best Rock Album and in early 2011 the band's breakthrough hit "Plans" ranked number four on Triple J's Hottest 100. The album's follow-up single, "Wild at Heart", reached number one on the country's national airplay chart and won the band an APRA Award.
In 2013, the band released their fourth studio album March Fires. Supported by the album's first two singles "This Fire" and "Lanterns", March Fires debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart—the band's first number-one record. The album was certified gold within four weeks of release and the triple platinum single "Lanterns" was the most played song on Australian radio for the first six months of 2013.
The band released their fifth studio album Brace in November 2016. Their sixth studio album, Human Design, was released in April 2020. It topped the Australian charts upon its release.
History
2004–2005: Early years
Birds of Tokyo formed in 2004 from a collaboration between members of another Perth act Tragic Delicate and Karnivool, from which Ian Kenny came. The group formed after guitarist Adam Spark asked Kenny to sing on a handful of commercial demos. The results were so good, they decided to form a band and release the songs themselves. They took their name from an article one member had read about the absence of birds in Tokyo's high-density central business district due to pollution and overcrowding. "We thought that was interesting, no birds in Tokyo – we thought, we'll be the birds of Tokyo", he says.
In January 2005, Birds of Tokyo released their debut EP, Birds of Tokyo. In October 2005, Birds of Tokyo released a double A side single "One Way/Stay". It was recorded in Melbourne with acclaimed producer Forrester Savell (Helmet, Full Scale, Karnivool).
2006–2007: Day One
2006 saw the band touring regional Western Australia on a three-week tour in January, before returning to Melbourne to finish working on their debut album, Day One. The album was released on 3 February 2007 and debuted at No. 88 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 3 on the AIR albums chart.
Directly following the release, the band embarked on extensive touring, starting with their "Day One" tour, playing in five capital cities around Australia. Birds of Tokyo also performed at the Perth leg of the 2007 Big Day Out and the at Blackjack 2007 (the relocated Rock-It festival).
Birds of Tokyo were nominated for two awards in the 2007 AIR Awards (Australian Independent Record Association) for Best Performing Independent Album and Most Outstanding New Independent Artist. "Wayside" was voted in at No. 61 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2007.
They were also recognized in Rolling Stone magazine as 'Artists to Watch' in 2007.
2008–2009: Universes
The band recorded their second album Universes in Margaret River, Western Australia, which was mixed in Los Angeles by Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, Porcupine Tree). The debut single from the album, "Silhouettic", was released as a free download on 14 April 2008. The album was released 5 July 2008 and debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and at No. 1 on the AIR albums chart. The album reached gold status in Australia in January 2009.
The band played all Australian shows at the Big Day Out in 2009. "Broken Bones", "Silhouettic" and "Wild Eyed Boy" were voted in at No. 20, No. 22 and No. 51 respectively in the Hottest 100 of 2008.
In late 2009, the band embarked on the Broken Strings tour, which featured acoustic interpretations of a selection of their work to date, accompanied by a string quartet and grand piano arranged by producer Anthony Cormican. The supporting artist was Glenn Richards (lead singer of Augie March). A CD and DVD featuring recordings from the tour was available to preorder at the shows, and was released in early 2010 as The Broken Strings Tour. Birds of Tokyo were nominated for the 2009 Channel V Oz Artist of the Year.