Antony Szmierek has always believed in signs from the universe. He's the kind of person to see a crisp packet float by and takes it as a message to text his ex. One of these came in the form of a heron nesting along the banks of the Mersey that he revisited for years. Antony saw himself in the bird: a creature of two worlds, caught between water and land, just as he found himself between his ordinary Manchester life and newfound public attention.

"Decoding Birdsong" follows the wild success of his debut album, 2025's "Service Station at the End of the Universe", which launched Antony into a whirlwind of Glastonbury, Jools Holland, and repeat BBC airplay. He's sold out venues across the UK and Europe, and in February 2026 performed to 20,000 while closing Solomun's Alexandra Palace shows. The former English teacher had been working at a college for special needs students when his blend of spoken word and dance music started taking off, earning him accolades such as 6Music's 'Artist of the Year' in 2023 following his "Poems To Dance To" EP, and frequent comparisons to Mike Skinner, Jarvis Cocker and John Cooper Clarke.

Antony's gigs have become something of a communion, with him leaping into crowds, learning people's names, and the room singing back fan favourites like "The Words To Auld Lang Syne" and "Rafters". He'll frequently get emotional at his shows, inspired by how much the crowd is feeling, and his lyrics have been used everywhere from weddings to funerals and messages on dating apps. He wanted to lean into this on "Decoding Birdsong", asking himself: "How can I be a catalyst for first kisses, and tears, and people meeting strangers?"