Music

Interview With Gareth Liddiard From The Drones

By Tony Trimboli

GLAM interviewed Gareth Lilliard from Melbourne alternative rockers The Drones who have built up a cult following over the years.

How have you been finding the response to the new album, does it feel notably different to prior releases in any way?

Yes and no. It’s been pretty good. We always expect the worst; I’m sure that’s normal though. I guess the main thing is it’s a really weird record and we expected it to be too weird for people but they actually get it, mostly, and they were wishing someone would do something unusual for once. And that’s what we thought. That’s why we made it in the first place.

How collaborative was the songwriting process for ‘Feelin’ Kinda Free’?

It was more collaborative than usual. Usually I write everything by myself and have a good idea about how it’ll sound before I take it to the band […] This time I had the basic words but there are a few lines here and there that the others made up […] People might see me as the singer/songwriter guy but the reality is more like a producer who writes the music too. […] The band take care of all my blind spots, uncover lots of new twists and turns I’d overlooked, they help with production and make sure I don’t completely wreck everything. Everyone just makes sure everyone else doesn’t suck.

I’m interested to hear a bit about the studio you set up in Fitzroy, how it came to be and the community aspect of sharing that space.

It’s us and Dan Kelly and a guy called Jackie Winter. […] We rent the building and we put all of our gear in it. It’s called Tropical Fuck Storm Studios. It’s pretty ramshackle but it works. The gear is all good but it’s a fucking mess. The community aspect exists because none of us are rich. That’s how any community works in a capitalist society. […]

I understand that originally, with the first couple of Drones records, you were fairly green in regards to the technical side of recording, but now you’re doing a lot of it yourself – particularly in the recording stage. Did you just pick up that knowledge along the way, or were you quite studious about it?

I always just paid attention and joined in with engineering. The best thing you could teach anyone who wanted to learn how to record is to recognise what sounds good and what sounds shit. […] If you can tell what sounds good then you’ll know what to avoid and you’ll get more done. There’s a lot of bullshit surrounding recording, like is digital better than analogue? Just write and play a good song. And what’s the best snare microphone? A good snare is. It’s not black magic. You don’t need a million dollar studio to make shit sound good. Trust your taste buds.

How does having a more sophisticated understanding of recording and production techniques influence the way that you write?

It influences it a lot. I used to write for the stage or for the band. I still write for the band. Lucky can’t do Van Halen so I avoid writing anything that needs that from him. I also avoid writing stuff that is so difficult that it makes people fight and the band breaks up, and I’d avoid anything that muddies up a recording. But that’s more about arrangement than songwriting. […] On top of that all you need to know is yes there is a right and wrong way to make things fatter, wider, bigger and more 3D but there are no rules beyond that. Don’t think anyone has a right to tell you how to do your thing.

The first single, Taman Shud, is a lyrically rich song, which seems to use the Somerton Man case as a metaphor for the unsettling relationship Australia has with it’s own history. You make the message very clear, however would I be right in interpreting that despite the jabs to right-wing politics and ideals, you’re not necessarily concurring that the mainstream left has all the answers either?

Well I’m not talking about the moderates on either side obviously. It’s the fringes you gotta worry about. The people who tell you what you can say and what is ok for you to think about. A betting man would go even odds right now about which side, left or right, will lead the way back to the next totalitarian regime in the first world, in the west. Neither side would agree with that notion but that’s the problem. They don’t see it coming or that they are heading down that road. […] There are lots of things the far left forbid you to say. They’ll internet shame you or call you something to undermine the validity of your position. Shut you down and shut you out […] and look at “safe spaces”. What’s progressive about eliminating views that don’t match your own? […] And this whole “left knows best” shit is getting scary, and that’s coming from a left-winger.

The Drones will perform with support from Harmony at The Gov on Friday, 29 April. Tickets available here.
Interview by Tony Trimboli

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