Birds Of Tokyo are a divisive band, though it’s difficult to gauge exactly why that is.
They’ve found huge success since forming back in 2004, with four charting records and a compilation album, Playlist, now on shelves. Some of that divisiveness seems to have roots in the inevitable criticism of any act that finds mainstream success, but these charges have little weight here. Birds Of Tokyo are far from a generic band, and each album sounds significantly different to the last. This was one of the main motivations in releasing Playlist in the first place – to show just how far the Perth five-piece has come, and unite songs that many listeners aren’t aware actually come from the same band.
“We’ve been a band for ten years, and in that ten years has come a hell of a lot of change,” says frontman Ian Kenny. “It’s changed who each of us are as artists, who we are as a band. So when you do get the opportunity to say what you’re about, especially overseas where you’re kind of new, you can bring to the table what the band is now, as opposed to what it was. So it does feel like you get a chance to reinvent yourself, and we definitely take each opportunity to do that. We’re aware of where we sit in the public image, and in our scene. It comes as part of the territory. Things have grown as you get more access to people, people find more access to you – it’s all part of the territory of running a big gig.”
Playlist is an album in reverse, with songs arranged from newest to oldest. With new single ‘I’d Go With You Anywhere’ leading the charge, it’s a winding odyssey. What distinguishes this from a ‘best of’ release, though, is the strange evolution of the band’s catalogue. A recurring observation of Birds Of Tokyo is that while many are familiar with a wide sweep of their songs, a great deal are unaware there is one distinct band anchoring them all together. Playlist, then, operates both as a mirror of sorts for the band to reflect on how it has evolved, but also a chance for casual listeners to assemble this musical jigsaw.
“It certainly will be a mirror, but the whole idea was to kind of connect the dots between these releases over the whole period, to link people in to where we’ve actually come from, what it is now and where it’s going,” says Kenny. “We came up with the idea of a playlist while touring overseas. People were asking us about our songs, and it made us realise that we have such a widespread range of material that is constantly being brought up by people. It made us think, ‘Man, we should definitely put this all out as a record someday and really canvas our [history].’
“But I also think that’s a massive part of today’s musical relationships, how everyone listens to music in their own little world. People are very much on a singular, one-song relationship with an artist. People go, ‘Oh, I love that song,’ and generally, they seem to be satisfied with that. That one song means something special to them, and that’s great. [There are] people who go a little further, who look into an artist’s history, but generally I think it’s very singular – it’s very short and sharp, quite concise.”
While this does seem to be becoming a staple of music listening today – thanks largely to the digitised ease of access to individual songs – you nevertheless feel there must be a real frustration for artists in showcasing the full scope of their creativity. Though Playlist is indeed a means of addressing that, Kenny is quite accepting of the reality of musical consumption.
“Well, that’s the way people will choose to access music, and that’s just how they’re going to roll. Mostly that’s with your first-time or maybe part-time listeners. To our fans, who are actually well-informed about the band and know the records, who are interested in what we have to say, that’s something very different. In my mind it’s like two different parties happening next door to each other.”
It’s a neat analogy, and for anyone who has seen the band in the flesh, a very fitting one. Birds Of Tokyo gigs are hardly kick-back-and-relax events (“We really try to slam it out,” Kenny enthuses), and with a string of gigs in the next few months that includes Vanfest and Falls Festival, it’s going to be an ideal time for new audiences to see first-hand just how varied the band can be.
“I think the band suits festivals,” says Kenny. “We all enjoy writing big songs, and that’s where we find some of our strengths as writers. If you’ve got big songs, which I think we do, that’s where they really tend to work. We bust our balls on setlist design – whether it’s a city show or a festival, we really scrutinise what is going to be the best possible show. We talk within the band about that a lot, maybe too much. We do our heads in about it.
“But we’re always trying to create the best set for each show. ‘Does it have to be heavier this time, is it for a harder crowd, or can we be more diverse?’ We’re always happy to swap songs around once we’re there, but we really scrutinise the shit out of what we’re doing.”
Vanfest 2015 is on at Forbes Showgrounds, Friday December 4 – Saturday December 5, and the line-up includesBirds Of Tokyo, who also appear at Falls Festival 2015/16, Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron Bay, Monday December 28 – Sunday January 3; and Taronga Zoo, Friday February 12.Playlistis out now through EMI/Universal.
