The Drones

The Drones’ rise to grubby, indie rock glory started some five years ago. After moving to the rock Mecca of Melbourne the momentum gradually built up. A debut release was followed by one of 2005's most iconic albums, Wait Long By the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By. It took a little while for the album to catch on, and, as is often the case, Australia only really embraced the band once the Drones headed overseas for six months. This most recent tour was their first since returning to Australia and culminated in Hobart on Saturday night.

The local line-up for the night consisted of those fresh-faced youngsters from Hana and perennial support act, the Reactions. It was good to see a young band like Hana given a chance, and they sounded like they have a bit of potential. Their songs had overtones of Incubus and Interpol and they were pretty tight as a band.

I don’t think I’m the best person to review the Reactions set, but it felt pretty good to play some of our new songs at last.

The Drones sounded intense; the band that has been playing relentlessly for the best part of a year or so, and they were sharp. By the time they hit the stage, the gig was a sell-out and an expectant crowd created a fantastic atmosphere that the band seemed to feed off.

To start with, they bashed their way through 'Baby2'. It was a sign of the way they were going to play this gig. It was aggressive, self-assured and raw. Rui Pereira and Gareth Liddard’s guitars sounded hostile and edgy. Former local lad Mike Noga’s drums sounded loose and chaotic, but he kept a great groove that suited the songs perfectly and Fiona Kitschin’s bass playing kept the whole thing from falling apart, adding contrasting subtle melodies.

Most of the songs from Wait Long By the River… were included. 'This Time' rolled along like some sort of punkish sea-shanty. It had more energy and bite than the laconic version that ends Wait Long By the River… 'You Really Don’t Care' also sounded more intense than the recorded version, although the guitar mix left Pereira’s guitar lines languishing behind Liddard’s at times.

'Shark Fin Blues' was an absolute highlight. Someone close-by commented that this song was more like a modern-day version of 'Khe Shan', which was perhaps a little unkind, but the song certainly was a crowd favourite and there were a few people in the audience that knew all the words. Hopefully, this song will never end up on a karaoke machine any time soon.

'The Best You Can Believe In' strangely had a similar vibe to Neil Young’s 'Cortez the Killer' and its understated subtlety and melancholic feel was lapped up by the crowd who seemed to really appreciate the variety in the Drones’ set.

After a short break, a technical meltdown with the drums and an encore the Drones left the stage. Liddard was last to leave the stage, spending time hunched over his guitar, Hendrix-like, coaxing weird squeals and feedback from his guitar.

Word is that the Drones have their next album in the can already, after spending time recording in a haunted mill on the East Coast of Tasmania (where else would the Drones record, really). If Saturday night is anything to go on, the progression between the next album and Wait Long By the River… will be fairly dramatic.

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