When it comes to the creative arts, sometimes an idea for a song will undertake several iterations to arrive at the finish product and usually a large amount of time (usually multiple years) will have passed.
That is the case with Birds Of Tokyo's newest release, 'Starlights', which took close to half a decade to materialise, but its arrival is serendipitous given it ties into The Starlight Foundation's new campaign, Streamas.
The band have donated the song to soundtrack Streamas, which will utilise special online appearances to raise much needed funds for worthy work commencing with the Perth band fully onboard.
"'Starlights' took us almost five years to build," the group's guitarist Adam Spark sheepishly admits. "It always felt like we were trying to find something just beyond our reach."
Singer Ian Kenny adds: "We spent ages trying to understand what this song was meant to be – we just couldn't force it."
With all five members of the band now parents to young children, it gives The Starlight Foundation's work personal resonance, so Birds Of Tokyo have locked in a special performance on social media and YouTube this Monday 1 December (6pm AEDT).
"There's something beautifully meta about all this," reflects Spark. "After half a decade of experimentation we ultimately ended up with a song that's about letting go of your fears and seizing the day so, as things have turned out, we couldn't have come up with a better soundtrack for The Starlight Foundation if we had tried."
With appearances at Lookout Festival (Hunter Valley and Torquay) alongside One Republic already booked, the 'Plans', 'Lanterns' and 'Good Lord' hitmakers have added a number of headline concerts to their summer itinerary.
The mostly regional live dates will encompass Northern Rivers, Coffs Harbour, Sydney (x3 shows), Bathurst, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Albury and Frankston next January-February.
Birds Of Tokyo will also do some more hospital visits with Starlight Foundation to keep drawing attention to their good work.
"These wishes bring so much joy and after visiting the Starlight Express Room at Perth Children’s Hospital, we've seen firsthand how meaningful this support truly is," the band posted to their socials.
"Everyone who donates also goes into the draw to win a Fender Telecaster signed by the band 🎸⭐🤘."
Tickets on sale from 10am (local time) on 1 December.
Birds Of Tokyo 2026 Tour Dates
Fri 23 Jan - Hotel Brunswick (Northern Rivers)
Sat 24 Jan - Jetty Beach House (Coffs Harbour)
Sun 25 Jan - The Recky (Sydney)
Fri 30 Jan - Carnival Of Cups @ Bathurst Harness Racing Club
Sat 31 Jan - Dee Why RSL (Sydney)
Sun 1 Feb - Miranda Hotel (Sydney)
Thu 5 Feb - Kings Beach Tavern (Sunshine Coast)
Fri 6 Feb - Racehorse Hotel (Ipswich)
Sat 7 Feb - Lookout Festival (Hunter Valley)
Thu 12 Feb - Beer Deluxe (Albury)
Fri 13 Feb - The Pier (Frankston)
Sat 14 Feb - Lookout Festival (Torquay)
