Avant-pop mystics Birdfeeder are one of Wellington's hidden gems, with roots in the city’s underground music and theatre scenes. Performing with almost psychic synchronicity, their songs are hypnotic and riddled with ear worms, with a focus on vivid lyrical storytelling.

The band formed in 2019 when Stephanie Cairns (keys/lead vocals and songwriting) teamed up with high school bandmate Marley Mokomoko-Young (bass) and Cairns’ partner and long-time musical collaborator Josh Harris (drums). These days they are also joined live by Jasmine Toynbee on backing vocals and percussion. The resultant keyboard-heavy sound touches on psych rock, new wave and trip hop, with a slight vaudevillian bent.

More than just a band, Birdfeeder is an all-encompassing art project for its multi-talented members. They released two singles with self-made videos across 2020-21 (Banana Boxes, The Long Haul) before completing The Vile Isle EP in 2022.

The same era also saw the band produce the mind-bending stage show The Veiled Isle (Loemis 2021, NZ Fringe, Nelson Fringe 2022) - a sister piece to the EP which saw Birdfeeder’s live set animated by dreamy large-scale shadow puppetry. The Veiled Isle was hailed as “surreal, genuine, innovative and unique” (Theatreview) while The Vile Isle was likened both to Carnivorous Plant Society (UTR) and The Dresden Dolls (Music.net.nz).

Birdfeeder have toured as far afield as Auckland and Dunedin and played on stages such as Wellington’s Performance Arcade, Newtown Festival, CubaDupa, and indie festival Bush Bash. Their new single ‘Castle’ marks the start of their next era of output and the beginning of a new partnership with Home Alone Music.