Review by DAVID SAYERS

The Bakery was nearly bursting at the seams on Friday 21st October as people squeezed in to watch THE DRONES perform live in support of their new DVD ‘A Thousand Mistakes’.

A barefooted ADALITA kicked things off with harrowing vocals and the heartbeat rhythm of a single drum. With support from JP Shilo on lead guitar, the duo took the audience on a journey of stripped down rock n’ roll, experimental synth loops and soulful balladry. Precise, conservative arrangements stole the attention of the growing crowd and allowed plenty of room for the lyrics to shine, the tone of which varied from quietly reflective to ‘now I’m a fucking painter / with shit on my walls.’ Although feet did begin to shuffle uncomfortably during a mid set instrumental breakdown, a spattering of punkier tunes brought the group back into focus before Adalita finished her set with a spine-tingling rendition of ‘The Repairer’.

Fans were standing shoulder-to-shoulder as The Drones appeared in a haze of hot air and sweat. Vocalist/guitarist Gareth Liddiard attacked the mic with an unmistakably Australian drawl as cheers broke out from every inch of the venue. Plastic pints of beer were raised into the air and ‘The Minotaur’ erupted from the stage to smother the floor with super-charged rock dementia, while bassist Fiona Kitschin sweltered as she laid out thick bass grooves in full winter-clothing. The crowd watched the lengthy set in shifts, braving the sauna like conditions near the stage for a few tracks before disappearing into the beer garden, where the band’s whammy dive-bombs and explosive, raw energy played like background music to the socializing of chilled-out Perthians.

Back inside, tracks like ‘The Jezebel’ cut straight to the bone, with haunting three part harmonies and hypnotizing beats from drummer Michael Noga. The intensity of the band was unrelenting, with unadulterated blasts of desperation bouncing off the walls and into the brains of mesmerized fans. By the time the show ended, the fever had reached a delirious high. The final applause was a deafening crash of flesh against bone.

As the heat wave subsided, people left the Bakery in a daze, unable to fully comprehend the blues rock meltdown that had just taken place.

(And while the bands did more than their fair share to raise temperatures that night, the Bakery really needs to install some freakin’ air conditioners.)