1. an Australian r… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three bands called The Drones:
1. an Australian rock band of the 2000's-2010's
2. a British punk band of the late 70s. See Drones
3. a British contemporary string quartet
1. The Drones were an Australian band active from late 90's/early 2000's to 2016 that consists of vocalist/guitarist Gareth Liddiard (1997–2016), bassist Fiona Kitschin (2002–16), guitarist Dan Luscombe (2007–16), guitarist Rui Pereira (2000–07) and was early bassist (1997–2000), drummer Christian Strybosch (2000–04, 2014–16), drummer Mike Noga (2004–14; died 2020) and keyboardist Steve Hesketh (2004, 2013–16).
The early history and the first incarnation of The Drones was 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, The Gutterville Splendour Six) on drums and guitarist James McCann (Harpoon, Nunchukka Superfly, Lowdorados, The Gutterville Splendour Six). Steve Joines (The Kill Devil Hills, The Gutterville Splendour Six) replaced McCann when McCann relocated to Sydney. In early 2000, Liddiard and Pereira headed to the east coast of Australia. 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, The 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 (Stunt Car Drivers) replaced Hall on drums, Humphries returned to Perth, and the lineup of Liddiard, Pereira, Kitschin and Strybosch went on to record in one day an EP. The ‘self-titled' EP was released in mid 2001 and instantly found The Drones receiving air-play on public radio, and a considerable amount of coverage in the street press. Voted as the "best new local talent" in 2001 by Patrick Donovan, music editor for The Age newspaper. Sophie Best, a freelance journalist for Beat Magazine, The Age and her own webzine Back Porch by the end of that year was talking up “The Drones” and they made her top ten as well. The band then signed to Spooky Records, releasing their debut album, Here Come The Lies in August 2002. Two further 7" singles, 'The Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands' and 'Bird in a Church', were released in 2002.
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 released the album 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 and topped many Australian critics' end-of-year Top 10 lists. During an extensive six month tour in 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. Strybosch left the band around this time to join Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males, and Mike Noga took his place also Gareth Liddiard played bass on the album Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males sing the Tabloid Blues.
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 entitled The Miller's Daughter was released by Bang! Records. Later that April, up against other notable bands such as Wolfmother, The Go-Betweens, TZU, 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. The Drones' third studio album, Gala Mill, was recorded in an old mill an isolated 10,000-acre (40 km2) farm on Tasmania’s east coast at Gala Farm in Cranbrook, Tasmania. It was released in September, 2006. The album was also nominated for the 2006 Australian Music Prize. In late 2006, Liddiard announced that Rui Pereira had left the band, to be replaced by Dan Luscombe. In November 2006, The Drones, through American label Kufala Recordings, released a live album recorded at Spaceland, a nightclub in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, called simply LIVE [in Spaceland - November 15th, 2006].
In July, 2008 The Drones released a digital/12" EP featuring new songs 'The Minotaur' and 'Nail It Down', the first songs from their next album, Havilah. The album released in September 2008 (Australia) and February 2009 (UK, USA) by ATP Recordings. The title of the album is a biblical reference to a Shangri-La-esque town Havilah with an abundance of gold. It is also the name of a valley near where the album was recorded. The album was recorded at the mud-brick home of lead singer Gareth Liddiard and his partner/band bassist Fiona Kitschin, outside Myrtleford at the base of Victoria’s Mount Buffalo. The album was produced and engineered by Burke Reid (Gerling) who had to set up a mobile studio in the house, powered by a diesel engine. The album debuted at #47 on the Australian album charts. At the fourth annual AIR Awards held on 22 November 2009 The Drones won two awards, 'Best Independent Album of the Year' for Havilah and 'Independent Artist of the Year'. At the inaugural Australian Rolling Stone Awards, held in Sydney in January 2010, The Drones won the 'Best Live Act' award. In November 2009 a poll of contemporary Australian songwriters organised by Triple J, 'Shark Fin Blues', was voted by as the greatest Australian song.
In 2010 Gareth Liddiard released his solo called Strange Tourist and in 2011 Mike Noga released his solo album called The Balladeer Hunter then the same year The Drones released a DVD called A Thousand Mistakes. In 2013 I See Seaweed is the sixth studio album and released in March 2013. The album was recorded by the band independently through it would be co-distributed through Waterfront Records. The album was nominated for a J Award which is determined by national alternative radio station Triple J. In mid-August 2013, The Drones were a 'First Longlist' finalist for the 9th Coopers AMP for the album I See Seaweed, alongside artists such as Kevin Mitchell and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. The Australian music prize is worth A$30,000 and the 2013 winner will be announced in March 2014. The band were then nominated for three Age Music Victoria awards in October 2013: best band, best album and best live act. The Age music awards are voted on by the public and the 2013 winners will be announced on 20 November. The album was identified as the sixth-best album of 2013 by the Faster Louder publication. The article referenced the online publication's March 2013 review of the album, in which it stated: "I See Seaweed often feels less like a rock album and more like a demented film score". Over 100 writers from the Music.com.au website ranked the album first in its list of the "20 Best Australian Albums of 2013".
In 2014 former drummer Christian Strybosch has reclaimed his throne behind the kit, Noga departed to focus on his solo work. The Drones released their first single from Feelin Kinda Free, "Taman Shud," in October 2015. The accompanying music video was satirically aimed at right-wing pundits such as Andrew Bolt and the Reclaim Australia movement. It was followed by a second single, "To Think That I Once Loved You," in January 2016. Feelin Kinda Free, was released on 18 March 2016, which became their highest charting work by reaching No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was the first album by the band to be released through their own label, Tropical Fuck Storm (TFS) Records. It was met with widely-positive reviews from outlets such as Drowned in Sound, The Guardian and Music Feeds. The band played their final show in support of the album in December 2016 as part of the Fairgrounds Festival in Berry, New South Wales; and entered a hiatus period following the set.
Hiatus (2017–present)
In 2017 Kitschin and Liddiard were founding members of a new band, Tropical Fuck Storm, alongside High Tension drummer Lauren Hammel and Harmony vocalist Erica Dunn. The band toured through the US with Band of Horses in 2017. Their debut album, A Laughing Death in Meatspace, appeared in March 2018 via TFS Records, and peaked at No. 25.
From February 2020 through till May, the band released a series of 5 archival live recordings through Bandcamp. The first one compiles performances recorded between 2001 & 2004 (ending with an interview with future member Luscombe). The second release compiles a Drones live show recorded at Melbourne's Spanish Club on 4 March 2006 (shortly before the release of Gala Mill). The third one compiles recordings from between 2004 and 2008, which includes covers of "Manic Depression" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and "Words From A Woman To Her Man" by Beasts of Bourbon (recorded for PBS 106.7FM and 3RRR respectively). The fourth one compiles live recordings from between 2009 and 2012, including a series of promotional idents they'd recorded for radio stations in the UK. The fifth and final one compiles a 2016 live show recorded at The Tote Hotel in Melbourne that was previously uploaded to YouTube through the band's official channel.
Former drummer Mike Noga's death was announced on 27 August 2020; he was 43
2.See Drones. A 1977 era Manchester original Punk Rock act:
Originally a pub rock called Rockslide who released a single called 'Roller Coaster' which got nowhere. Sniffing the punk wind of change in'76 however, they emerged as one of the most exciting bands from Manchester's punk scene. While Slaughter & The Dogs erred on the Glam side and The Buzzcocks delivered pop with a buzzsaw, The Drones, who could obviously play, took the energy of punk to heart and delivered it on vinyl in a series of taut, amphetamine driven toons. With a mixture of originals like Persecution Complex, Lookalikes and Corgi Crap and covers such as Search & Destroy & My Generation they blitzed venues like Pips, Rafters and The Electric Circus.
Their first single Temptations Of A White Collar Worker was classic punk containing the excellent Lookalikes. The single sold over 10,000 copies on their own label OHM's records.
Signing to Valer records the future looked rosy. The 'Bone Idol / Just Wanna Be Myself' single was the classic and shifted over 20,000 copies. Supporting bands like The Stranglers (even joining them for encores of Go Buddy Go) followed with some good press in the music weeklies like Sounds and features in Fanzines such as Shy Talk and Summer Salt increased their profile. While recording demos for their Bone Idol single they also recorded a number of pisstakes of Clash songs which Strummer found amusing on hearing bless him.
The line up was:
M J Drone (lead vocals & rhythm guitar)
Gus "Gangrene" Callender (lead guitar and vocals)
Pete Perfect (drums)
Steve "Whisper" Cundall (bass).
Recordings:
Temptations of a White Collar Worker (OHMS)
Further Temptations (Anagram Records) (Album)
Short Circuit - Live at the Electric Circus [comp]
Bone Idol (Valer)
Can't See (fabulous records)(featuring Ellis of the Vibrators on guitar).
3. A London based contemporary quartet Playing original acoustic music and songs with cello, mandolin, clarinet, percussion, car parts, toys, birdcalls, musical saw, items from the garden shed...
As seen on : Blue Peter - Channel 4 - The Purcell Room -The Science Museum - The Barbican - Radios 3, 4, and 5.
Releases:
Sounds From The Beehive
Giant Bonsai
The Drones - Cassette
Locust
The Drones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
seems like every time i try i can't stop thinking
georgie, when i was a boy
i would stand there in the shade
of a wedding cake hotel doorway
watching sister with her liquor in a jar
talk to older boys in cars.
they pulled iron from the ground
and knife wounds from the port
they built a prison and it tempered in the sun
it rose up off a plateau like the last tooth in a gum
you went there by train and you would never be the same.
they made the blacks live outside of town
the weekend come they'd tear the whole place down
chinese came without weekends at all
and the whites complained the pay was better
shooting them in the war
home may be where the calm blinds
but i could see that they weren't lying.
my first girls old man was in a later war
he drank like a motherfucker, now i know what for
she took my van, put louie in the jack
left a suicide not and i've got him to thank for that
and he can thank our statesmen hosts
although his chances are remote
georgie, i can't stop drinking
seems like every time i try i can't stop thinking
georgie, when i was a boy
i would stand there in the shade
of a wedding cake hotel doorway
watching sister with her liquor in a jar
talk to older boys in cars.
The Drones' song "Locust" is a poignant and powerful reflection on the experience of growing up in a small town, and the ways in which the legacy of racism, violence, and trauma shape our lives. The vocalist, presumably named Georgie, confesses "Georgie, I can't stop drinking / seems like every time I try I can't stop thinking". There is a sense of desperation in these lines, a feeling of being constantly haunted by memories and nostalgia for a past that can never be recovered. The imagery of standing in the shade of a wedding cake hotel doorway watching his sister with her liquor in a jar talking to older boys in cars paints a picture of a lost childhood innocence.
The second verse goes on to describe the town where the vocalist was born, Ether, with its knife wounds from the port and the prison that "tempered in the sun". The prison serves as a metaphor for the weight of history and oppression that hangs over the town, rising up like the last tooth in a gum. The line "you went there by train and you would never be the same" suggests a sense of foreboding, that once you enter this town there is no going back. The chorus repeats the same lines as before but takes on a deeper meaning, as the fact that the vocalist can't stop drinking seems to stem from the trauma and pain of his past.
"Locust" is a complex and layered song, touching on themes of race, war, trauma, and addiction. It is both a personal reflection and a sharp critique of the structures of power and oppression that shape our lives. The song draws from a range of influences, including blues, rock, and punk, and is a testament to the power of music to explore and articulate the complexities of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Georgie, i can't stop drinking
I have a drinking problem and can't seem to quit
seems like every time i try i can't stop thinking
When I try to quit drinking, my mind won't stop racing with thoughts
georgie, when i was a boy
Addressing a friend named Georgie, reminiscing about childhood
i would stand there in the shade
of a wedding cake hotel doorway
watching sister with her liquor in a jar
talk to older boys in cars.
As a child, I would observe my sister drinking and talking to older boys outside a hotel
Ether was the town where i was born
they pulled iron from the ground
and knife wounds from the port
they built a prison and it tempered in the sun
it rose up off a plateau like the last tooth in a gum
you went there by train and you would never be the same.
Describing my hometown of Ether, where they extracted resources, had a high crime rate, built a prison, and was difficult to visit or leave without being affected
they made the blacks live outside of town
the weekend come they'd tear the whole place down
chinese came without weekends at all
and the whites complained the pay was better
shooting them in the war
home may be where the calm blinds
but i could see that they weren't lying.
The town had a history of racism towards non-white groups, with them being kept away and mistreated. The singer could see the injustice even though the town appears calm.
my first girls old man was in a later war
he drank like a motherfucker, now i know what for
she took my van, put louie in the jack
left a suicide not and i've got him to thank for that
and he can thank our statesmen hosts
although his chances are remote
The singer's girlfriend's father was a heavy drinker, likely due to trauma from war. The girlfriend committed suicide, seemingly as a result of her own traumatic experiences. The singer holds the father partially responsible and blames the leaders for the state of the country.
Writer(s): Rui Telmo Pereira, Gareth Michael Liddiard, Christian Strybosch, Fiona Lee Kitchin Copyright: Mushroom Music Pty Ltd.
Contributed by Maria H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.