The Drones

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Drones


Img_capt = The Drones in 2005
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Perth, Western Australia (early years) Melbourne, Victoria
Genre = Indie rock
Years_active = 2000–present
Label = ATP Recordings In-Fidelity Records [http://www.bang-records.net Bang! Records] [http://www.spookyrecords.com Spooky Records]
URL = [http://www.thedrones.com.au/ The Drones official website]
Current_members = Gareth Liddiard Fiona Kitschin Dan Luscombe Michael Noga
Past_members = Warren Hall James McCann Steve Joines Brendan Humphries Rui Pereira Christian Strybosch

The Drones are an Australian rock group who rose to prominence during the early 2000s. They were influenced by an eclectic bunch of bands and soloists including Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Bad Brains, Suicide, Green on Red, The Birthday Party, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone. Their sound has been described as The Birthday Party kick the shit out of Neil Young in Hendrix' garage.

The Sound

Musically the band does not fit easily into conventional rock music categories. While some of their material is based on conventional rock sounds and song structures, they also venture into the noisy, atonal, blues-based music that Tom Waits brought to a wider audience. The Drones also explore the music of the Australia bush made popular in Australia by Weddings Parties Anything. Like other Australian bands such as The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, Nick Cave and The Dirty Three, The Drones left Australia in 2005 to concentrate on the European market, where a larger market would make it easier to support their unconventional sound. However they eventually returned to Australia to find a ground swell of interest in them - generated by acclaim and publicity both at home and abroad.

The first incarnation of The Drones formed in Perth in 1998 and included a varied line up over the next few years. The mainstays of the band, Rui Pereira and Gareth Liddiard, had previously played together in the 'Gutterville Splendour Six', with musicians in the original Perth incarnations including Warren Hall (Moth, Gutterville Splendour Six) on drums, guitarist James McCann (Harpoon, Nunchukka Superfly, Lowdorados, Gutterville). Steve Joines (The Kill Devil Hills, Gutterville) replaced McCann when McCann relocated to Sydney. In early 2000, Liddiard and Pereira headed to the east coast to accelerate their progress. Initially they met with little success and endured tough conditions including an extended stay in a decrepit Victorian caravan park, and sleeping on an old mattress found on the roadside. Guitarist Brendan Humphries (Sweeney Todd and His Elephant Men, Gutterville Splendour Six, The Kill Devil Hills) was included among the first of the Melbourne lineups, and later Fiona Kitschin (also from Perth) was recruited on bass. Christian Strybosch replaced Hall on drums, Humphries returned to Perth, and the lineup of Liddiard, Pereira, Kitschin and Strybosch went on to complete their debut album, "Here Come The Lies", released on Spooky Records in 2002.

Wait Long by the River...

Sessions for what would become their second album "Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By" were undertaken during 2004. But once the album was completed, the band had legal problems that stalled the release for over a year. Influential Melbourne indie music figure Bruce Milne's In-Fidelity label eventually released it in early 2005, to enthusiastic reviews from the underground music press. The album was also nominated for Triple J's inaugural J Award prize in 2005 (which was eventually won by Wolfmother), and topped many Australian critics' end-of-year Top 10 lists. Furthermore, Triple J put the album tracks "Shark Fin Blues" and "Baby²" on medium rotation. During an extensive six month tour encompassing Europe and the US, All Tomorrow's Parties issued "Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By" outside of Australia towards the end of 2005. Strybosch left around this time to join Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males, and Mike Noga took his place.

In 2006, a record of outtakes from "Here Come the Lies" and "Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By" called "The Miller's Daughter" was released by Bang! Records (a Spanish label which has many other underground Australian bands on its roster). Later that April, up against other notable bands such as Wolfmother, The Go-Betweens, TZU, The Devastations, The Mess Hall, Tex, Don & Charlie and Ben Lee, "Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By" won the inaugural Australian Music Prize. The Drones continued to tour throughout the year, including a support slot on You Am I's Australian tour in July.

Gala Mill

The Drones third studio album "Gala Mill" was recorded in an old mill at Gala Farm in Cranbrook, Tasmania. It was released in September, 2006. The album was also nominated for the 2006 Australian Music Prize. The Drones were also nominated as 'Most Outstanding New Independent Artist' at the 2006 inaugural AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) Chart Awards. [ [http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/6659/The-inaugural-AIR-indie-music-awards-kick-off-this-November.htm Faster Louder news - 'The inaugural AIR indie music awards kick off this November' (November 3, 2006)] ]

In late 2006, Liddiard announced that Rui Pereira had left the band, to be replaced by Dan Luscombe. [ [http://www.messandnoise.com/news/451410 Mess & Noise news - 'The Drones Confirm New Guitarist' (December 12, 2006)] ] Luscombe debuted for The Drones at the 2006 Meredith Music Festival.

Live in Spaceland

On November 15 2006 The Drones, through the American label, Spaceland Recordings, released a live album recorded at Spaceland an alternative rock/indie rock nightclub in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

In 2007 The Drones toured with the Big Day Out before undertaking a four month tour around Europe (with shows in Norway, France and Italy), commencing in April with a performance at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in the UK, curated by The Dirty Three. The band's European tour was followed by a national tour of Australia, with Snowman. 2007 also saw the release of the band's first DVD, "Live in Madrid", a live performance by the band at the Gruta 77 club in Madrid.

The Minotaur (EP) and Havilah

In August, 2008 The Drones released a digital/12" EP featuring new songs "The Minotaur" and "Nail It Down", previews of forthcoming album "Havilah", which is set for Australian release later this year and a worldwide release in early 2009.

Members

*Gareth Liddiard - vocals, guitar
*Fiona Kitschin - bass
*Dan Luscombe - guitar
*Michael Noga - drums

Discography

Albums

*"Here Come the Lies" - Spooky Records (2002)
*"Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By" - In-Fidelity/ATP Recordings (2005)
*"The Miller's Daughter" - Bang! Records (2005)
*"Gala Mill" - ATP Recordings (September, 2006) (No.66 AUS)
*"Live in Spaceland" - Spaceland Recordings (February, 2007)
*"Live at the Annandale Hotel 18th, 19th October 2007" (2008)
*"Havilah" - ATP Recordings (2008)

Miscellaneous

*"Self-titled Demo" - Independent (limited run of 500) (2001)
*"Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands"/"Mean Streak" - Sonico Records 7" Single (2002)
*"Bird in a Church"/"Slamming on the Brakes" - In-Fidelity Records 7" Single (2002)
*"Shark Fin Blues"/"You Really Don't Care" - ATP Recordings/In-Fidelity Records 7" Single (2005)
*"Custom Made" - ATP Recordings 7" single (four songs) (October 28, 2007)
*"Live in Madrid" - Munster Records DVD (2007)
*"The Minotaur" EP - ATP Recordings 12"/Digital (six songs) (2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.thedrones.com.au/ Official site]
* [http://www.infidelity.com.au/artists/bio.asp?id=35 In-Fidelity Bio]
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* [http://www.atpfestival.com/atp-recordings/the-drones/ ATP Recordings page]
* [http://www.messandnoise.com/articles/244844 Interview with The Drones @ MessandNoise.com]
* [http://spacelandrecordings.com/thedrones/ band page on Spaceland Recordings website]