The Drones Release New Live Album

A full year on the road is a scary proposition for most bands, but for The Drones it has become just another day at the office. Performing to sold out venues and receiving critical acclaim, the last six months has seen the band literally circumnavigate the world. This has included two huge tours of the USA, two tours apiece of both the UK and Europe and multiple festival appearances (including ATP in New York) on top of that. The reception overseas to both the bands current studio album “Havilah” and their live show has been extraordinary:

"What 'Havilah' does is jump up and down on the rotting carcasses of The Vines and Jet stabbing them again and again with a flag that says ‘Miles. Better. Than. You. Ever. Were."
NME

"Speaker-bleeding blues"
MOJO (4/5)

"Vocalist Gareth Liddiard is a songwriter of extraordinary power"
Time Out (5/6)

"An awesome proposition. Dirty and primal, tight and threatening...you need this band in your life."
Stool Pigeon (4/5)

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, The Drones made it home for an Australian tour last May, one show of which was the jam-packed opening night of The HI-FI Bar in Brisbane. The show was recorded and the band have just announced that “The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” will be released in stores Oct 1st as a ‘Limited Edition Live Bonus Disk’ accompanying any purchase of the band’s current studio album ‘Havilah’.

“The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” is a candid snapshot of a band at the peak of their powers. Throughout the course of their career, The Drones have carved themselves out a veracious reputation for their live shows. Indeed many have touted them as arguably the best live band in Australia. It’s claim to which multiple live reviews bear witness:

“It’s seriously no major statement of hyperbole or aggrandisement to suggest that maybe – just possibly – The Drones are not just currently the best rock band in Australia, but the best rock band on the planet today.”
Time Off Magazine

“Does that power and genius of a show from The Drones even need to be questioned anymore? Gareth Liddiard remains an undisputed master of inebriated (even when sober) hellfire… We don’t ever want you to change either.”
Rave Magazine

Also available as a stand alone download through iTunes, “The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” showcases tracks from throughout the band's career, stretching as far back as their first LP release in 2002. Highlights include; The Minotaur from ‘Havilah’, Shark Fin Blues from the band’s award-winning 2005 release ’Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By’ and River Of Tears, a powerful song penned by Australian Aboriginal activist and singer/songwriter Kev Carmody.


“The Drones - Live At The HI-FI” is available Oct 1st through ATP / MGM

Download the live version of 'Shark Fin Blues' here.

Or check out the new clip for the Kev Carmody cover 'River of Tears' that appears on the album, performed at the Cannot Buy My Soul concert at The State Theatre in January 2008.

Special Patrol Album Release

Following Special Patrol's new album “The Stranger’s Dozen” released on August 14, the Adelaide 5 piece have just announced their National Album Launch Dates.



Proudly presenting their new album “The Strangers Dozen”, The follow up to their sophomore long player “Handy Hints From The Undertaker”, “The Strangers Dozen” was recorded at Eastern Bloc Studio in Melbourne with producer/engineer Jonathan Burnside.

The first taste of the new album, a double A side / album sampler Right On / New Year’s Eve was released in June to an emphatic response and sold out single launches. Beat Magazine made it their single of the week, FBI added it to rotation and strong alternative radio airplay was received right across the country (3RRR, 4ZZZ, RTR, Radio Adelaide, 3D and many more). On Triple J, both tracks were super requested following airplay, Zan Rowe made Right On her catch of the day and Dom Alessio highlighted New Years Eve in a post on his Home & Hosed Blog.

Who are Special Patrol: Released in 2007, their sophomore album “Handy Hints From The Undertaker” thrust Special Patrol directly into the Australian musical eye. Three tracks received strong triple J support and Nova crowned them a national unsigned feature act. Live, they made small work of the national circuit supporting the likes of Ben Kweller (USA), Paul Weller (UK), The Mountain Goats (USA), Turin Brakes (UK), Donovan Frankenreiter (USA), Powderfinger, Paul Kelly, Youthgroup, The Whitlam’s and Pete Murray to name but a few, all interspersed with their own headline shows to their loyal fans in each state. Special Patrol Festival appearances include Falls Festival main stage 2006 and 2008, Big Day Out 2007, Clipsal 500 Concert 2008, The Woodford Festival 2009 and many more. 2008 also saw Special Patrol win the SA final of The MTV Kick-start Awards, receiving some great exposure on MTV as a result.

“The Strangers Dozen” picks off where “Handy Hints” left off, but says front man Myles Mayo: “we wanted the album to have a consistent sound this time. With “Handy Hints” we recorded it and mixed it in a half dozen different studios and wrote it in two very separate halves, so this time we wanted to see what it was like to record the whole thing with one person - Jonathan Burnside. The result is an album that we feel has a distinct sound from start to finish”

In true Special Patrol form -“The Strangers Dozen” is devastatingly intuitive; radiant, full bodied, darkly undertoned and yet simultaneously bright eyed. From the street pop swagger of Ordinary Life and sultry lilt of In Between You and Me to
the inferred resolution of My Reason - this is a record that sees Myles Mayo and co back in full splendoured swing.

Download 'Right On' and New Year's Eve' from the new album here

Or head to their myspace page to check out more.

Catch Special Patrol Launching “The Stranger’s Dozen”

Saturday September 12 - The Vanguard, Sydney

Friday September 25 - The Gov, Adelaide with The Whitlams

Saturday September 26 - The Gov, Adelaide with The Whitlams

Friday October 2 - Jive, Adelaide

Saturday October 3 - Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Saturday October 10 - X and Y Bar, Brisbane

Saturday Oct 24 - The John Curtain Room, Melbourne

Friday November 6 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide

More Launch Dates TBA

www.specialpatrol.com.au


“The Stranger’s Dozen” Is In Stores Now Through MGM

Georgia Fields

“Georgia Fields is a phenomenally accomplished young artist ... While many of her contemporaries share a similarity of delivery, Georgia is unique and timeless...” ~ Billy Baxter (ABC Radio)

Georgia Fields is tickled pink to announce the release of the first single from her forthcoming album.

Whether playing solo or with her mini-indie-orchestra, Georgia woos audiences with her distinctive blend of timeless pop, vintage folk, and unconventional instrumentation.

Her new single, ‘One Finger’, tells the cheeky tale of a fight for the upper hand in a passive-aggressive friendship. It’s a sauntering strum-along, with Georgia’s storytelling vocal inciting the listener to both bop and sway. The shuffling rhythm section is enriched with the delicate timbres of ukulele, clarinet, and a soaring string section. Tying in with the ‘house of cards’ artwork, each limited-edition single will come with a unique collectable vintage playing card.

Bonus material on the disc includes ‘Moon To Dust’, an elaborate composition which was remarkably recorded in one solitary 10-hour studio session. Its wooden and broken-music-box semblance, with glockenspiels chiming and cellos mourning, reveals sublimely subtle sadness. The second b-side on the single is a inspired version of the Gunners classic ‘Sweet Child of Mine’. Recorded live at The Toff In Town (Melbourne), its childlike charm instantly embeds itself in the soft spot of your heart. Three part harmonies, glockenspiel Slash riff and a recorder choir finale fortifies this cover as instant smile-maker.

Collaborators on Georgia’s forthcoming album include cellist and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Judith Hamann (cello, harp, vocals, piano, power drill and more). Engineer whizkid Myles Mumford is also on board, (Lamplight; Martin Martini), with ARIA- & APRA-awarded Greg Arnold of iconic Australian band Things of Stone and Wood in the producer’s seat (Carus; Skipping Girl Vinegar).

’One Finger’ is released Saturday 15 August on Popboomerang Records & distributed through MGM.

Download 'One Finger'.

Download 'Sweet Child of Mine' Glockenspiel cover.