Biography
Birds of Tokyo surfaced from Perth, Western Australia’s capital, during the mid-2000s and soon ranked among the nation’s leading alternative rock outfits, securing wide commercial traction via Universes in 2008 before attaining the summit of the Australian charts with March Fires in 2013. Blending expansive melodic pop with alt-rock drive, the group cultivated an expanding overseas following through recording sessions and concerts across North America and Europe. A tougher sonic direction marked Brace in 2016, yet Human Design in 2020 delivered even stronger results, becoming the band’s second number-one album.
The ensemble formed in Perth in 2004 with vocalist Ian Kenny (also of Karnivool), guitarist Adam Spark, bassist Anthony Jackson, and drummer Adam Weston. An independent self-titled EP introduced them in 2005, followed the same year by the singles “One Way” and “Stay,” the latter earning the group its first of numerous WAMI Awards. Day One, their debut full-length, surfaced two years later and registered at number 88 on the ARIA chart while collecting a pair of WAMI Awards. Universes arrived in 2008 and propelled the band into mainstream prominence, reaching number three on the Australian albums chart, topping the independent listing, and propelled by the hit singles “Broken Bones” and “Silhouettic.” The Broken Strings Tour took the quartet across the country backed by a string ensemble for acoustic interpretations of their material.
The band exercised its international reach by cutting its third, self-titled album in Sydney, New York, London, and Gothenburg, Sweden. EMI issued the set in July 2010; it featured the hit singles “Plans” and “Wild at Heart,” earned double-platinum certification, peaked at number two on the album chart, and secured an ARIA Award for Best Rock Album. Before commencing work in Los Angeles on a fourth album with producers David Cooley and Tony Hoffer, Birds of Tokyo added keyboardist Glenn Sarangapany and bassist Ian Berney, the latter replacing founding member Jackson. Around the same time Kenny, Spark, and Weston each departed Perth for cities on Australia’s eastern seaboard, effectively severing the group’s connection to its hometown. March Fires appeared in early 2013, becoming the band’s first number-one release and later achieving gold status. Its success opened further international opportunities, leading the members to base themselves in Los Angeles for much of 2014 while touring the United States. During breaks from those dates they composed and tracked four new songs released in April 2015 as the standalone EP Anchor.
Brace, the fifth studio album, adopted a darker, more abrasive rock approach and met with favorable reviews upon its 2016 arrival. The anthemic single “Unbreakable” served as the official theme for the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney and later appeared on Human Design, the band’s sixth album, which returned Birds of Tokyo to the top of the Australian charts in 2020.
The ensemble formed in Perth in 2004 with vocalist Ian Kenny (also of Karnivool), guitarist Adam Spark, bassist Anthony Jackson, and drummer Adam Weston. An independent self-titled EP introduced them in 2005, followed the same year by the singles “One Way” and “Stay,” the latter earning the group its first of numerous WAMI Awards. Day One, their debut full-length, surfaced two years later and registered at number 88 on the ARIA chart while collecting a pair of WAMI Awards. Universes arrived in 2008 and propelled the band into mainstream prominence, reaching number three on the Australian albums chart, topping the independent listing, and propelled by the hit singles “Broken Bones” and “Silhouettic.” The Broken Strings Tour took the quartet across the country backed by a string ensemble for acoustic interpretations of their material.
The band exercised its international reach by cutting its third, self-titled album in Sydney, New York, London, and Gothenburg, Sweden. EMI issued the set in July 2010; it featured the hit singles “Plans” and “Wild at Heart,” earned double-platinum certification, peaked at number two on the album chart, and secured an ARIA Award for Best Rock Album. Before commencing work in Los Angeles on a fourth album with producers David Cooley and Tony Hoffer, Birds of Tokyo added keyboardist Glenn Sarangapany and bassist Ian Berney, the latter replacing founding member Jackson. Around the same time Kenny, Spark, and Weston each departed Perth for cities on Australia’s eastern seaboard, effectively severing the group’s connection to its hometown. March Fires appeared in early 2013, becoming the band’s first number-one release and later achieving gold status. Its success opened further international opportunities, leading the members to base themselves in Los Angeles for much of 2014 while touring the United States. During breaks from those dates they composed and tracked four new songs released in April 2015 as the standalone EP Anchor.
Brace, the fifth studio album, adopted a darker, more abrasive rock approach and met with favorable reviews upon its 2016 arrival. The anthemic single “Unbreakable” served as the official theme for the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney and later appeared on Human Design, the band’s sixth album, which returned Birds of Tokyo to the top of the Australian charts in 2020.
Singles
