Alternative: Birds of Tokyo wants to move away from the pop sound that earned the band recognition on mainstream radio.
ERIN PEARSON
MUSIC fame is all about rock and riches for Australian band Birds of Tokyo.
The four-piece recently returned from France, where members dined on red wine and garlic snails, to launch a 22-date Closer tour across Australia.
Drummer Adam Weston told the Independent Birds of Tokyo had ventured away from its Sydney recording studio to the picturesque surrounds of France to work on the next album, due for release some time in 2012.
“We spent hours discussing and arguing where we’d go next musically,” Weston revealed.
“We had a creative itch that needed to be scratched but we’re very pleased to be back in Australia and getting ready to hit the road.”
Weston said the band was looking forward to getting back to its roots.
“None of us predicted that this band would be a regular touring act,” he laughed.
“But we now have a solid fan base that’s dying to see us tour again.
“This time around though, there are certainly a handful of places we’ve never had the chance to hit before.
“With the madness of putting out three records in four years and constantly being on the road, it’s a great opportunity to get back to these towns that we haven’t really touched on.”
Weston said the band’s biggest challenge now was “breaking the mould” of radio pop, a style that lifted Birds of Tokyo’s hit single Plans to the top of the charts.
Each member was determined to fight off their number-one-hit demons to stay true to their alternative rock style, he said.
“By no means are we going to let songs like Plans and Wild at Heart stylistically brand the band or its content direction.
“I think it’s going to be a challenge for us to know what we want to steer away from and achieve a result of music that has depth.
“We’ve been playing around with a lot of textual soundscapes and this time we really want to get further down the rabbit hole.”
Birds of Tokyo will perform songs off its self-titled album at Geelong’s Eureka Hotel on September 25.
