It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since The Drones seminal album Wait Long By The River And The Bodies of Your Enemies Will Pass You By first graced our ears. When it was released, those gritty notes hit hard like a hook to the jaw in a bar room brawl; the sheer force was enough to knock you back into your chair. Now a decade later, on trend with the increasing popularity of milestone tours, the band have embarked on a lengthy set of Australian dates to revisit and revitalise the legendary record.
Despite some pretty dismal weather by QLD standards, fans braved the rain and flocked to the Triffid en masse for the Brisbane stop. To kick off affairs, frontman Gareth Liddiard steps to the mic with an ingratiating swagger, striking his guitar with vigour. For a small-framed man, his voice is one of the most vast, and robust, in the country. The note rings out and is met by a deafening cheer, heralding the start of mammoth opener Shark Fin Blues.
Celebrated as “The Greatest Australian Song” of all time in 2009, the quavering vocals and chaotic drumming translate perfectly to a live environment. It emanates a kind of feel, as though it was designed to be played in dimly lit, smoky back room – perhaps a little different to the glossy finish of tonight’s venue, but of course it still works. As we discussed in our recent interview with drummer Christian Strybosch, the days of playing to tiny venues are in the past. From the opener the album continues to unfold sequentially, with Locust an early stand out. In almost a whisper the opening line is spat: “Georgie, I can’t stop drinking, seems like every time I try, I can’t stop thinking. “ And all of sudden it’s 2005 again, in all of its empty-whiskey-bottle, dirty-sheet glory.
The night continues on its time warping path through the record, with intermittent detours for distorted and extended experimentation. With each successive track, there is a stretching and pulling of the basic fabric of the album, giving way to indiscernible waves of noise. In a short moment of room silence someone yells “Play Layla!” in reference to Liddiard’s recent interview comments about Eric Clapton. “I can play any Eric Clapton shit you want and play it really good, but I choose not to,” he said, in reference to the band’s decision to continue to play their own brand of “crazy” rock. He laughs in response to the request before mumbling something inaudible, finishing with a crisp “Fuck Layla” and launching into Sitting on the Edge of the Bed Crying.
Fiona Kitschin flanks Liddiard’s rasping vocals, second guitarist Dan Luscombe and keyboardist Steve Hesketh with some softer harmonies, but gives her own dose of fury with some riotous bass lines. Although drummer Strybosch has only officially rejoined the band this year after nearly ten years away, he fits back into the furnishings so well it is hard to imagine anyone else slamming away back there. The audience savour every moment of the 2005 album, but the night went even further, closing with the heady fuzz of The Millers Daughter and an encore of Kev Carmody’s River of Tears, with a ringing in the ears to last until Wednesday.
As Liddiard unlatches his guitar, a sweaty and heaving form, The Drones and their decade old record cement their place as icons of Australian rock, forever in the nostalgia filled hearts of anyone who has ever pressed play, laid back and floated down that river.