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Formed in 1979 as an acoustic duo by Colin Hay (vocals) and Ron Strykert (guitar) in their hometown of Melbourne, the band soon expanded as the welcomed Jerry Speiser (drums), Greg Ham (flute) and John Rees (bass) helping to realise their full potential with influence stemming from pivotal bands such as The Police.
After spending the early beginnings of their career on the Australian pub circuit, the band quickly gained popularity locally and in 1981 Men at Work struck commercial gold. The release of their debut album “Business as Usual” (1981) through Columbia Records saw Men at Work make a clean sweep as they stormed album charts in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, UK and US with the number one spot. Going seven times platinum, the album featured the tracks “Who Can It Be Now”, “Down Under” and “Be Good Johnny”.
The band went down a treat across the pond in both the US and Canada with an overwhelming amount of support from local radio stations coinciding with their extensive US tour. In 1983 Men At Work released their second album “Cargo” which zipped to the top of the Australian album charts at number one producing the singles “Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive”, “Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake”. Later that year the band received a Grammy award for Best New Band and the following year were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
While in the midst of recording their third album “Two Hearts” (1985) tensions ran high in the band as management decided that Rees and Speiser were not needed on the recording and instead were replaced by session musicians. With the album only peaking at number 16, their success was soon short-lived as they hit a dry spell combined with declining popularity and record sales it forced the band to break up in 1986. During the split, Hay embarked on a solo career playing alongside Ringo Starr & His All Star Band meanwhile Ham played Sax in The Nudist Funk Orchestra.
The band reformed in 1996 with Ham and Hay performing all their greatest hits as they embarked on an extensive South American tour which culminated in the release of the live album “Brazil ‘96” (1997). Although the band only released three studio albums, they achieved incredible levels of recognition worldwide with the highest of accolades bestowed upon them.
Upon its formation in 2004 Birds of Tokyo comprised of vocalist Ian Kelly, guitarist Adam Spark, bassist Anthony Jackson, and drummer Adam Weston. The band made their debut release in 2005 with a self-titled EP, which earned regular airplay on both local and national radio stations. The double-sided single “One Way/Stay” followed later in 2005, which resulted in the band’s first Western Australian Music Industry Award for Best Rock Song of the Year. Following a three-week tour in January 2006, the remainder of the year was spent recording their debut album, which surfaced in February 2007. The album “Day One” debuted at No. 88 on the Australian Albums chart, although debuted at No. 3 on the Australian Independent Albums Chart. In support of the record Birds of Tokyo embarked on a “Day One Tour” playing all five Australian capital cities and a number of the country’s festivals.
The band’s sophomore album “Universes” appeared in July 2008 and peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Albums Chart - a significant improvement on its predecessor. Led by the single “Silhouettic”, the album became a popular release and turned the band into a household name in Australia. Due to this success, Birds of Tokyo signed with EMI who issued their third full-length “Birds of Tokyo” in July 2010. Aided by the singles “Plans” and “Wild at Heart”, the album earned double-platinum certification and peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Albums Chart. In support, the band toured extensively alongside the likes of Midnight Youth, Silvers Pickups, and the Jezebels.
Ahead of their fourth full-length, Birds of Tokyo release the EP “This Fire” in Octoer 2012 to test-run their new material. Satisfied with the response, the studio full-length “March Fires” followed in March 2013, marking the band’s first album to top the Australian Albums Chart. Led by the single “This Fire”, the album's subsequent single “Lanterns” became radio's most played song of the first half of 2013 and has since been certified triple-platinum.
Men at Work provide an explosive concert experience. Greg explodes with almost no warning into a frenzied flurry of fingers and flute before Simon explodes into song and the clapping around me takes on a rhythm that almost blocks out the rest of the band. Not to be outdone by their own audience the band picks up the tempo and the room fills with sweet down-under accents I remember so well from my childhood.
Hilarious dancing and jumping breaks out on the stage while Greg skillfully handles his solos and sets a staccato beat for the clapping rhythm. While the ethereal vocals and skillful playing of the other members is interesting Greg Ham is the real focus for me. He switches seamlessly from flute to saxophone and again sets both the rhythm for the audience and the tempo for the band. His solos show an intense concentration while the other members dance around and enjoy themselves.
Eschewing a fancy setup the bands equipment is easily visible making the instrument changes for Greg easier and forcing the focus to remain on the band and nothing else. There are a few lights high above the band shedding small swaths of coloured light onto the band. The vocal harmonization in an otherwise staccato song leaves me in awe of the bands talent.
When you are chosen to be the opening act for Muse, you know you must be pretty great at putting on a live show. Well if you’ve been lucky enough to see ‘Birds of Tokyo’ live, then you will be sure to be in agreement that this is indeed the case.
Hailing from Perth, Australia, the band that took their name from a newspaper article about the absence of birds in Tokyo, are a phenomenal live act. Lead singer Ian Kenny has vocals powerful enough to boom through an entire arena and the band seem much more at home on stages of this magnitude, rather than the smaller theatre-style venues that they have played regularly in the past.
Stadium rock at it’s finest, the crowd roars at opening number ‘Laterns’ with it’s unrelenting drums and buzzing guitars, showcasing that this band have potential to be respected alongside some of the finest rock bands of today. “On we march, with a midnight song. We will light our way, with our laterns on”, is what they sing, and march on they will. Birds of Tokyo are a gem amongst the gravel of the rock music industry and should be seen to be appreciated.
Eskimo Joe is the alternative rock band from East Fremantle, Western Australia. They have released five additional albums since their debut album was released in 2001. Like many bands they formed at high school, and built their career from there, all the way up to signing a record deal with Universal Records and their first album “Girl’ achieving Gold status. They have even won eight ARIA awards too. Tonight, their performance is all about their string of singles that they have had over the last 8 years or so. They open with “Wake Up” which is the song that gets this audience on their feet. The guitars are slightly driven through large valve combos from the sixties that they have most likely spent tireless hours working on the perfect tone. They have such a good rapport with the audience too. “Smoke”, “Sarah” and “Foreign Land” are such good songs in the middle of the set to maintain the vibe and just keep the party going. Fair play, Eskimo Joe.
Lannistaar
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