news

08/08/08

The new world of The Drones is an exotic place, one populated by dark corners, rarely explored avenues, sparse canvases and dense, exhilarating peaks. In February, front man Gareth Liddiard began writing new songs for the album, in a mud brick cottage in deep within the splendid isolation of Mt Buffalo, in country Victoria. Two months later guitarist Dan Luscombe, The Drones' most recent addition, and drummer Michael Noga joined Liddiard and Kitschin to rehearse the new material. Producer and engineer Burke Reid (The Mess Hall, Gerling) lugged his recording gear through the door and off they went _ two weeks flat out _ until it was done. Havilah is The Drones highly anticipated 4th studio LP, it will be released through ATP Recordings and MGM Distribution on September 20th, 2008.

Havilah, like everything The Drones have done, is an album of contradictions, where bombast meets beauty, melancholy wrestles with violent guitars and singer Liddiard's incendiary voice lights up his angular poetry, this time on the nature of, in no particular order, the moon (Penumbra), divorce (The Drifting Housewife) and the acquisition of godlike power and the cult of John Frum (I Am the Supercargo).

It's an album that's brimful of the innovation and artistic integrity that has made The Drones one of Australian rock's most critically acclaimed acts here and overseas during the past four years.
It was that spark of originality and blunt-edged chaos that won the Melbourne band the inaugural Australian Music Prize in 2006 for their breakthrough album Wait Long ByThe River and Your Enemies Will Float By.

That same need to push boundaries took them to an old mill in Tasmania to record the follow-up album, 2006's award-winning Gala Mill, and in 2008 their invention, innovation and isolation have combined to produce the fireworks of their most accomplished work to date.

There are  vaguely familiar nods to Neil Young's paint-stripping guitar spasms on Supercargo and Oh My, while the deliciously meandering pop dirges of Suicide and the Velvet Underground echo in Careful As You Go and Luck in Odd Numbers.
The outstanding ballad here, Cold and Sober, is a song The Drones have recorded several times during their eight-year reign without it ever making the grade.

There's also the relative immediacy but still complex structure of the first single The Minotaur, Liddiard's scathing rant on the wasters of the world, while the lengthy opening Nail It Down perhaps best reflects The Drones' grand scope, flitting as it does between acoustic ambience and rumbling rock 'n' roll meltdown.

Once you've been around these 10 songs for a few hours, its not hard to make up your mind about them.

Havilah Track Listing:

1. Nail It Down
2. The Minotaur
3. The Drifting Housewife
4. I Am The Supercargo
5. Careful As You Go
6. Oh My
7, Cold And Sober
8. Luck In Odd Numbers
9. Penumbra
10. Your Acting’s Like The End Of The World

Havilah will be in store September 20th 2008, through ATP Recordings and MGM Distribution.

3/04/08

The Drones are playing one show only at the East Brunswick Hotel on May the 14th, to mark the release of "Custom Made", the first of a series from All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP). Though primarily a digital release, 7 inch double-vinyl copies will be available for a short time only, containing among the four tracks, a cover of Charles Aznavour's devastating and disturbingly jovial "I Drink". As well as all this launching of things, the band will be playing lots of new tunes from their forthcoming album, due for release later this year. This will be your only opportunity to see The Drones for some time as they leave for the U.S.A in July for three months of corn chips and salsa. Special guests to be announced. Tickets on sale 4th of April.

29/03/08

hello all
the drones are working away on a new record right now but
the signed limited edition Live at The Annandale vinyl LP is finally available.
it is only available online. you can get it here.
more news soon.

19/12/07

here's the latest.

the drones will be doing an Espy NYE show then they're off to Sydney to play two nights at the Annandale Hotel. the first show will be your stock standard 4 piece thing and the second (sunday 6th january) will be an earlier show that goes from 3pm onwards and will be more of a laid back and quiet thing. after that the drones play two nights at the Kev Carmody Tribute show at the Sydney State Theatre. check the gig listing for dates etc.

If anyone wants the Live At The Annandale limited edition Vinyl LP then go to the Annandale Hotel website and go nuts. there was some confusion previously due to a need for a reference number or something....... anyway, you don't need one of those any more. chop chop cause they are limited to only 200 or something. they are also individually signed by the band. and they sound very nice too.

and then there is this:

here's is what ATP records say.

ATP Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a new series of double 7" vinyl called Custom Made. Custom Made invites artists to submit 4 songs which will be released on limited edition 7" and also made available as a digital download. Bands will choose:

* Something old - an old song of the band
* Something new - a song from the latest album
* Something borrowed - a cover
* Something blue - open to interpretation, a blues song, the word blue in the title, anything.

Limited to just 1000 pieces, 100 of them will be special edition silk screened printed covers, numbered and signed by the sleeve designer. We are delighted to announce that the first band to take part in the ATP Recordings series will be The Drones: Custom Made with artwork by Michael Motorcycle. Timed to celebrate their upcoming US tour with Band of Horses, The Drones will be kicking off the very first issue of the Custom Made series. The four songs they have chosen are:

* Side A. Something old - Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands (New recording of this old song)
* Side B. Something new - I Don't Ever Want to Change (taken from the album Gala Mill)
* Side C. Something borrowed - I Drink (originally by Charles Aznavour)
* Side D. Something blue - Shark Fin Blues (taken from the album Wait Long By the River.)

The 100 special silk screened pieces will be available to buy through this website only in December. Each hand silk screened piece will be signed and numbered by sleeve designer Michael Motorcycle. the 7" is out everywhere except Australia....... but soon to be released here/there too. and while we're on the subject of ATP and Australia go and check this shit out pray they bring the full ATP festival out here to Australia. the drones have played 3 of them and trust us, you'll shit your pants with happiness and relief when you go to one of these. not a mobile phone or energy drink advert OR a shit band anywhere to be seen. and they house EVERYBODY. so old farts can enjoy themselves too.

thats all for now.

11/12/2007

hey

back from the world.

got some shows. these will be the last for a long time cause we're taking a break to make a new record.

24/11/2007

hello from hollywood.

we're nearly done touring the U.S. with the Band Of Horses......if you've noticed that dan's blog is void of any stories of woe that's because WE'VE BEEN HAVING A VERY NICE TIME THANKS and you would'nt want to read about that. you only like it when our lives suck.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you can check out our homey Chris's lovely photos of all the good lovin' itinerancy that a tour between bands is should always be. check it here.

more news very soon.

14/10/07

here's the latest.....there's lots of it.

we've just added an extra show in melbourne at the east brunswick club on sunday 28th of october, so if you wanna see us in a smallish room or if you miss out on the corner show then go nuts.

if i'm not completely retarded then i reckon the annandale shows are going to be recorded and released on very very limited edition (about 200???) vinyl by the annandale folks. you have been warned.

talking about vinyl, we will be releasing a double 7" thing really soon. this is what pitchfork say: "The single is the first in ATP/Recordings' Custom Made series of limited edition gatefold seven inch/digital download releases, in which contributing artists are asked to include something old, something new, something borrowed (a cover), and something blue (open to interpretation). No word on whether or not they are also asked to exchange vows with their singles.

Each entry in the series will come in a run of 1,000, 100 of which will have silk-screened covers numbered and signed by the sleeve designer. The Drones single features artwork by Michael Motorcycle.

The Drones' Custom Made comes out in the UK on November 5, and here's how the single's four tracks meet the requirements: Their "something old" is a new recording of old song "Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands". "Something new": Gala Mill's "I Don't Ever Want to Change". "Something borrowed": a cover of Charles Aznavour's "I Drink". "Something blue": Wait Long by the River's "Shark Fin Blues".

after we're done touring australia we're off to the states with band of horses who by then should be bigger than michael jackson. that'll be for about 4 weeks. check the dates on our myspace or website.

and judging by the new colour scheme and title of our old tour blog it looks like luscombe is back to attack the mac and bring you all the bad news from the front......which should be interesting when you consider that the us of a have left the iron age behind for love of the fully automatic for the teenage age, unlike our friends in and east of the mother coontry....but not including our austrian brethren, who (enticingly) put very modern and lethal looking machine guns in the price range of frugal folks like us.

i think that's it for now.

2007/08/21

...that's chinese dates cause we just got back from filthy shaghai. anyway, we haven't been on tour for about 6 days so we thought a tour would be in order. here's the press release thingy......enjoy.

After touring relentlessly, drawing rave reviews across Europe and the United Kingdom for the past four months, The Drones will take to the road for an Australian Tour to support the release of their Live In Madrid DVD, available through Munster Records and at all live shows. The Drones will be joined by their esteemed musical colleagues, Perth’s Snowman. During their 60 show odyssey across Europe, The Drones hit the stage at this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, curated by fellow Melbournians The Dirty Three. Work has started on their next studio album, and a USA tour will bring the year home, making this your last chance to see The Drones for some time. Couple this with Snowman and their reputation as fine live performers, you now have no excuse not to be there.

26/06/07

Hey... the band's just finished doing about 50 shows in europe. We'll have about a month off then we're doing some festivals before heading home. The new Live In Madrid DVD is available now through Munster Records.

4/5/2007

We're in Holland right now, touring away. Check out www.dronesdiary.blogspot.com for Dan Luscombe's personal take on the horror that's ensued so far... there is plenty of action.

18/4/2007

Did anyone film the last gig at the Corner? Please contact the drones thru their myspace page if you did!

8/4/2007

The band are off on tour in Europe again for a few months... we have a big bunch of club shows and a few festivals including every normal person's favourite, ATP... check all the dates. The new live dvd 'Live in Madrid' will be available shortly we hope... and the 'Live in Spaceland' cd should be in Australian shops in the next week or so... we hope. And thats about it I reckon.

17/1/2007

DRONES LIVE IN SPACELAND - live show from Los Angeles recorded 15th November 2006 - now available on www.livedownloads.com and it will be available in the Apple Store shortly. The album will be available in AUSTRALIA shortly as well as at JB Hi Fi stores. Also, get it here or on amazon or whatever. Track listing here...

29/11/2006

Back from the world... got a bunch of shows coming up... check the dates and all that.

Got a live dvd (live in Madrid, coming out on Munster Records) and two live albums in the works (one is gonna be a show we did in LA - more info on that when we get closer to releasing it... and the other will be stuff from shows in London, New York, Melbourne, Sydney and other places I can't recall right now.) ...ummmm... don't hold your breath though... might be a little while yet...

We'll be in Australia until April then we'll be back over to the UK for The Dirty Three's day at the ATP Festival (check www.atpfestival.com for the line up cause its fuk'n nuts... no joke.) Then we're gonna go all thru Europe and the US again... for about 3 or 4 months it looks like... its fukn endless.

And sooner or later we'll put another record out.

The Drones will continue touring until futher notice...