Interview: Gareth Liddiard (the Drones)
Words: Jacob Bush
The Drones are heralded as one of Australia’s most encapsulating rock and roll bands of our generation. Put them on the trophy shelf next to Nick Cave and The Go-Betweens, and they do not look out of place. Although they don’t garner the mainstream music attention they rightfully deserve, they consistently release groundbreaking records and are continually praised as being the one band ‘you have to see live before you die’. After a solo stint from front-runner Gareth Liddiard and a second LP release from drummer Mike Noga, The Drones have regathered, refreshed and are keen to embark on an Australian tour in October promoting their new DVD entitled ‘A Thousands Mistakes’. The DVD consists of over four and a half hours of live footage including an intimate live session in Fairfield, Victoria as well as rare material from past tours in Australia and overseas. I was lucky enough to speak to one of Australia’s greatest front men, Gareth Liddiard, about the upcoming tour, new material and contrast.
You have a new tour coming up with The Drones in October, the question riding on a lot of punters minds is, are we going to be hearing some new material?
Nah, not yet. But you’ll be hearing stuff that you don’t usually hear.
What kind of stuff?
Well, on the DVD, part of the DVD, you know its like four and a half hours or something. But there’s a session where we play a bunch of stuff we just never get to play live because either the songs just don’t suit or the gear it takes to play those songs we cant take it with us on tour. But yeah, we are going to do that – play songs that never really see the light of day that often.
And talking about the DVD, the first disc – where you recorded in Fairfield, Victoria. Were you able to these songs in a new light?
Um yeah. I mean most of the songs are pretty malleable, and so is the band. So, yeah we kind of, you know, some of them are like what they are on record, the others have been changed and you know kind of expanded on or rearranged. Like we didn’t go out of the way to do it. It sort of, naturally kind of happened. Like there are some songs that have kind of evolved since they were recorded. And that hasn’t been represented anywhere – as of yet. So when the DVD comes out, that will take care of that.
Are you guys planning on writing some new material soon?
Yeah once the DVD things over, I’m going to start writing.
Do you think on the back of Strange Tourist and Mike Noga’s (drums) second album The Balladeer Hunter, there is going to be a different approach to writing?
Well, I write the songs for The Drones. It’s not really. Like, say Gareth’s solo album, its solo in the sense that it’s actually a staggered dictionary definition – I’m by myself. But if I were to write a bunch of songs and you know, want a band, then I just get The Drones and do that. So you know, like nothing really changes to the writing process, because the writing process is just me – writing. And then either your doing the solo thing or getting the band, which is The Drones recording. You know what I mean?
Yeah I get you.
(Laughs) I keep going around in circles.
It’s been nearly a year since you released Strange Tourist, are you excited to get back on the electric guitar?
Yeah. Yes it is something I’m looking forward to. It’s a fucking lot easier to play than an acoustic.
Less chance to fuck up, I’m guessing?
Yeah, electrics are good. They are a genius instrument. They play themselves. You know, they were onto a good thing when they invented that. Who invented that? – I think it was Les Paul. Yeah, he really stumbled onto that. Those things are so easy to play, if you know what you are doing of course. (Laughs)
After Strange Tourist, do you think The Drones could ever touch any of the songs on it or would that just be ruining the delicacy of them?
Nah, I mean they could. People have sort of said in reviews, they’ve gone – “these are a bunch of songs that The Drones couldn’t do.” But all Drones songs sound like that to begin with. In about 60 or 70 songs in The Drones repertoire, there would be like two that were made up with the band in some sort of jam session way. Everything starts with an acoustic – guitar songs with me sitting there playing that. So yeah, they could tackle any of that. I mean – it wouldn’t be easy. But when people say, “The Drones wouldn’t be able to do it,” – they’re a good band, they could do it.
You’ve just finished helping your good mate Ben Salter (The Gin Club, Giants Of Science, The Wilson Pickers, The Young Liberals) with the recording of The Cat. How did you help out in that recording process and did you lay down some tips from your sessions with Burke Reid?
Um, with that it was just, I mean; his whole thing was…you now that whole alternate country thing? We made sure we avoided that. Made sure anything we recorded didn’t sound generic in any way or kind of Americanised. Yeah, it was pretty much about avoiding things. Like say, on our record there is not a single high hat. Because the minute drummers play high hats, you just go back fucking to the middle of the road – boringness. I find. It was just shit like that really.
Did you enjoy the process with Ben Salter?
Yeah it was great. I really like recording. So it was good to be able to do it without having to write songs myself – which is difficult. I just really like it. With all The Drones stuff, I’ve always enjoyed running around with microphones and trying things out and you know just fucking around with actual studio stuff. But yeah, I was just free to do that with Ben, while they were figuring stuff out, I was trying different techniques, sounds and stuff.
Many of your songs are historical stories, like Words From Executioner To Alexander Pierce, Blondin Make An Omelette or I Am The Supercargo. How do you find out about these stories? Do you read a lot?
Yeah, you read it from anywhere. Anywhere from WHO magazine, to you know shit from Homer’s Odyssey from two thousand years ago. I don’t know, something on Google. It’s just everywhere. If you keep your eyes open, pretty weird shit pops up. But generally what happens is, the weird shit is in front of you, and you just don’t notice it, you know? It might be a little thing that happens all the time, and you just get jaded and don’t realise. But then with the song-writing thing, if you have to write a bunch of songs you’ll be amazed at how much your ears prick up. Like you have to see these weird details and weird situations. You start seeing them more. You realise what an odd, kind of, thing life is.
Do you keep an eye on current events in the world?
Oh yeah all the time. You know the older I get, the more interested I am in that stuff. I mean sometimes shit bores me. But I don’t know. I’m interested in everything, being alive pretty much.
On your solo outings, you know how you love to interact with the crowd – does this hysterical banter come naturally or do you plan these rants?
Um nah, its natural. I don’t know, I was a smart ass at school, so I think it just comes from that. Like you get put in the spot. Like if you were having a BBQ at my place, I’m not just going to stand there and talk that shit at you. You’re on stage by yourself, and then suddenly you got all this space to fill. You’d be amazed what can come out of your mouth. And the things is, you just don’t stop it. It’s a bit scary at first. You just open your mouth and let it run you know. You get good at picking up the vibe of the crowd after you’ve played so many shows. So you just kind of surf their minds, with just waffles basically. You just keep doing that until it wraps up nicely and then you just start the next song. It’s a fun thing to do, its like improvising with words.
I guess it’s a bit of a contrast. You have your most serious songs and then you come out with some funny-arse comment straight after.
Yeah, and you know contrast is a great thing. When I used to go to shows fucking years ago, like the ones that really impressed me the most was things like Fugazi or whatever. They impressed me because it wasn’t so much a crowd and then a band. It was just everyone together. They made everyone feel like they were all in the same room. Like when someone yelled something to the band, they just didn’t ignore it, they would you know react and say something back. So you know, it was really a welcoming and open thing. And that’s kind of what music is. Like you know some of the Aboriginals, when they are working they don’t sit down on lunch break and someone pulls out a didgeridoo and just has a blast. That’s just not how they do it. You’ve got to have dancers, you’ve got to do it at night, you’ve got to have the fire going and you got to have a rock-painting wall behind you. The whole tribe has got to be there. They’ve all got to be paying attention. You know what I mean? Like everyone has got to be into to it. So talking in between songs and including the crowd, that’s really important to me I find. Otherwise there’s no ceremony or something. I mean it is a very informal ceremony – just you up there talking shit.
Well, I caught you at Splendour In The Grass 2011 Festival and you had some classic one-liners, like “If I was booking a festival, the first thing I would do is not book me.” How did you experience the festival?
Well I’m jut as bamboozled about it all, as the next guy. Yeah I don’t know why they had me.
Did you stick around at Splendour?
Yeah well we had to go back, we had shit to do, you know. I would have liked to, because it’s really nice. We basically just rolled up that day and left. But it works out really well. I have that huge feeling of dread before any festival, whether it’s the Big Day Out or Splendour, or whenever I do a festival solo, but it always seems to work out quite well. Which is weird.
When it comes to recording new material, you don’t know when it’s going to be, do you know where you guys are going to take it? Back to Havilah?
Well we moved out of Havilah. The generator blew up. They replaced it with a fucking monster thing, which just chewed juice. The power went out of control. So we had to move, and found another place in Central Victoria, which is really nice. So whenever we do, here or… I don’t know. The whole thing is, the studio I got is portable. That’s the beauty of it. We can do it here, there or anywhere kind of thing. And that’s how I think we’ll approach it. Rather than do it all in one fell swoop, we will break it up this time. You know, because we did Havilah in like two weeks, and a lot of cabin fever. You just get worn out. It would be nice to do three days in a row and then piss off. And then three days in a row and piss off.
More comfortable?
Yeah! And just, less exhausting pretty much. Not spring chickens anymore!
What are your thoughts of Mike Noga’s second LP The Balladeer Hunter?
I’ve only really heard the un-mastered version. Yeah I like it. His songs have been hanging around for years, so I was pretty familiar with the stuff. Oh it’s great. He is a really good front man. He knows what he’s doing, but then he’s learnt from the master hasn’t he? (Laughs).
(Laughs) The Drones are on tour with Adalita as well?
Yeah that will be cool; yeah she’s a real good mate.
The Drones will be playing the Brisbane Hi-Fi on October 28, with support from Adalita.
Tickets on sale now from Moshtix.
‘A Thousand Mistakes’ will be in stores October 7.