Birds of Tokyo at University of Canberra

It was not the first time that Birds of Tokyo had visited the University of Canberra. They were last here for Groovin’ The Moo in 2011, where they blew away any doubts festival-goers had about the talented five-piece. Considering there are two years’ worth of UC students that may not remember that magnificent night, it was lucky that when they returned, they brought with them the fervour and passion of a band reaching for new heights.

Canberra act Super Best Friends opened the night, and once their minor guitar tech issues were out of the way, their explosive and energetic rock floored the audience. Bassist Matt Roberts proved to be quite the showman, drawing eyes across the stage as he leapt around.

Regular John were up next, and their balance between psychedelic effects, rock instrumentation, and sheer clarity was captivating. Frontman Ryan Adamson’s voice commanded attention

when he began to belt out his lines, and when the band moved between swells of calm and frantic intensity, they shone.

Birds of Tokyo launched right into a handful of tracks from their new album, March Fires. Most noticeable in their performance was just how much they have now nailed their sound. Their atmospheric, light rock was not only consistent, but as clear and emotive as it should be, and their performance exuded a new level of confidence they previously did not have.

But that doesn’t mean that the band were oblivious to their roots. Various old tracks were played, including “Like Rain”, and sections of their back catalogue were given a new work-over live, like the intense, opening melodies to the anthemic “Broken Bones”.

Frontman Ian Kenny proved to be as engaging, and vocally on point, as ever. The light show behind the band was used to great effect, and when hits like “Plans”, “Silhouettic”, and “Lanterns” were played, the crowd became instantaneously excited (as opposed to their general lack of movement). It was great to see Birds of Tokyo grace UC with their talent once again, and we can only hope that they return even stronger than ever.