The Triffids
Encyclopedia
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth
, Western Australia
, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb
as singer-songwriter, guitar
ist, bass guitar
ist and keyboardist
. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K. and Scandinavia in the 1980s and disbanded in 1989, Some of their best known songs are "Wide Open Road" (February 1986) and "Bury Me Deep in Love
" (October 1987); while their 1986 album, Born Sandy Devotional
was featured by SBS
television in 2007 on the Great Australian Albums series. and in 2010 it ranked 5th in the book 'The 100 Best Australian Albums' by Toby Creswell
, Craig Mathieson
and John O'Donnell.
The Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) recognised The Triffids' importance on 1 July 2008 when they were inducted into their Hall of Fame
. Music historian
, Ian McFarlane, declared, "The Triffids remain one of Australia's best-loved, post-punk groups [...] McComb was an authoritative singer and accomplished songwriter [...] he infused his melancholy songs with stark yet beautiful and uniquely Australian imagery. Few songwriters managed to capture the feeling of isolation and fatalistic sense of despair of the Australian countryside".. They, along with The Go- Betweens, from Brisbane, were and are regarded as two of the most literate and evocative Australian bands of the 1980's, that both interestingly were created outside the mainstream Sydney-Melbourne pop/rock nexus.
, high school students, David McComb
on acoustic
and bass guitar
s and vocals, and Alan 'Alsy' MacDonald
on drums
and vocals, formed Dalsy as a multimedia project making music, books and photographs. They wrote and performed songs with Phil Kakulas on guitars and vocals (all three later in The Blackeyed Susans
), they soon became Blök Musik, and Logic (for a day). In May 1978, they became The Triffids, taking their name from the post-apocalyptic novel by John Wyndham
, The Day of the Triffids
. They were soon joined by Andrew McGowan on guitar and Julian Douglas-Smith. When Byron Sinclair joined on bass guitar in September, McComb switched to rhythm guitar
. The Triffids began partly in response to the punk rock
movement. Writing in his diary as a teenager, McComb traced the band's emergence in Perth:
Between 1978 and 1981, McComb had written over 100 original songs and The Triffids had recorded and independently released six cassette tapes, simply called, 1st (1978), 2nd (1978), 3rd (1979), 4th (1979), Tape 5 (1980) and Sixth (1981) (see List of The Triffids Cassettes). By 1979, Kakulas and Sinclair had left and were replaced by David's older brother, Robert McComb on violin
and guitar, and Will Akers on bass guitar, in 1980 Margaret Gillard had joined on keyboards
. At year's end, the band won a song competition run by the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University) Student Guild’s radio show on 6NR (now Curtin FM
) and, in July 1981, they released their first single, "Stand Up" on Shake Some Action label. MacDonald had briefly left the band for two months and the single was recorded with Mark Peters as drummer.
on Resonant Records. Around this time, due to the small population/market in Perth, the band started the long journey driving from Perth to Sydney
, then Melbourne
(and back again) to play shows, do some recording and to live for large periods of time, often in quite squalid conditions. By mid-year Sinclair had left again, Martyn P. Casey
joined the band on bass guitar in September 1982. For $150 a night, The Triffids’ services as a support act were procured by The Reels
, The Sunnyboys
, The Church
, Hunters and Collectors or Uncanny X-Men
.
As a four-piece—Casey, David & Robert McComb, and MacDonald—they signed to Mushroom Records
' White Label in Melbourne and released a single "Spanish Blue
" in October 1982 and the Bad Timing and Other Stories
EP in March 1983. By then, back in Sydney again, Jill Birt
had joined on piano
, organ
and vocals. Soon after the release of Bad Timing and Other Stories, Mushroom Records let the band go. They signed with new Australian independent label, Hot Records, which brought the independent scene some much needed cohesion. The Triffids were one of the bands leading Hot’s drive into overseas markets, which partly led to the label’s demise. The Triffids' debut album, Treeless Plain
, released in November 1983, was a critically acclaimed and brilliant album—described as a "magnificent, muscular piece of work that pounds out simple powerful rock songs – one of the best indie rock albums of its day"—but no singles were released from it. All tracks for Treeless Plain were recorded over twelve midnight-to-dawn sessions at Emerald City Studios, Sydney in August and September 1983 with The Triffids producing
. Their next single, "Beautiful Waste
", appeared in February 1984 and was followed by the Raining Pleasure
12" EP in July—the title track, "Raining Pleasure", featured Birt on lead vocals, was cowritten by David McComb with Sydney musician, James Paterson (JFK & the Cuban Crisis). Another track, "St. James Infirmary
", is a traditional blues folksong, with their version preferred by Australian rock music journalist
, Toby Creswell
in his book, 1001 Songs
.
The Triffids, without Birt, recorded Lawson Square Infirmary
at the Sydney Opera House
where they worked with Patterson on vocals, guitar, mandolin
, and piano; Graham Lee
(John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong and in Eric Bogle
's backing band) on vocals, dobro
and pedal steel guitar
; and Daubney Carshott (a.k.a. Martyn Casey) on bass guitar. The six track country music
-style EP was issued by Hot Records in October under the band name, Lawson Square Infirmary. Lee recalled:
By mid-1984, The Triffids had spent so much time travelling the 3972 km (2,468.1 mi) between Perth in the west and Sydney on the east coast of Australia—David McComb estimated that they made this trip between 12 and 16 times—that they decided to travel that little bit further and headed to Europe.
to positive critical reception. With little savings and five return plane tickets due to expire by Christmas, they gave themselves three months to make inroads in the UK. For their London debut they supported Rough Trade labelmates The Monochrome Set
. Success was confirmed when they graced the January 1985 cover of the influential UK magazine NME
, which predicted it would be 'The Year of The Triffids'.
On 6 November 1984, they recorded, Field of Glass
, a three track 12" EP, mostly live in BBC
Studio 5 in London, which was issued in February 1985. Title track, "Field of Glass", was not released on CD as the master tape could not be found—it was eventually discovered under David McComb’s bed. During the Australian tour in early 1985, the band acquired their final permanent member, Lee, who had performed on the mini-album, Lawson Square Infirmary. Together the six-piece—Birt, Casey, Lee, MacDonald, David & Robert McComb—recorded a 7" EP
You Don’t Miss Your Water, the A-side is a countrified version of William Bell's
"You Don't Miss Your Water", which was released in August by Hot Records, but by then they were already back in London.
During 1985, The Triffids had toured Europe, they were feted by the European press and played from tiny clubs to stadiums supporting Echo & the Bunnymen
. A grass roots following developed as they toured western European countries, finding pockets of popularity in: Holland, Greece
, Scandinavia
, Ireland
and Belgium
. The band toured as part of the Summer Eurofestival circuit, performing at Glastonbury
, Pinkpop, Waterpop, Seinäjoki, Roskilde
(40,000), T&W Belgium (35,000) and den Haag's Parkpop (pushing 100,000).
Unable to raise a major record deal and with low finances, Born Sandy Devotional
was recorded in London in August 1985 with Gil Norton
producing (worked with Echo & the Bunnymen), and was released in March 1986. According to Ian McFarlane, Australian rock music historian
, "[It] was full of some of the most lonely, spacious songs ever written, and it remains one of the best Australian albums of the 1980s." In 2007, the album was featured by SBS Television on the Great Australian Albums series. The band issued two versions of the "Wide Open Road" single—both a 7" and a 12" version. Born Sandy Devotional reached # 27 on the UK albums chart and "Wide Open Road" peaked at #26 on the UK singles charts but only reached #64 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart.
Creswell stated, ""Wide Open Road" was "an angry song that finds the cost of freedom is aloneness" in his book, 1001 Songs. In May 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named it as one of their Top 30 Australian songs
of all time.
Their critical success in the UK boosted their profile back in Australia where they recorded In the Pines
in early 1986, while awaiting the release of Born Sandy Devotional, which eventuated in March. In The Pines was recorded at the McCombs' family property in Ravensthorpe
, 600 km (372.8 mi) south east of Perth, in a shearing shed on basic eight-track equipment. It was issued in January 1987 and took The Triffids deeper into folk and country music, with a lo-fi sensibility reminiscent of Bob Dylan
's Basement Tapes. The band backed Scottish musician, Bill Drummond
, for his 1986 solo album The Man. The Triffids toured UK later in the year.
From 26 December 1986 to 26 January 1987, The Triffids were on the bill of the Australian Made
tour, which was the largest touring festival of Australian music talent attempted to that point. Jimmy Barnes
and INXS
headlined and the rest of the line-up featured Mental as Anything
, Divinyls
, Models
, The Saints
, I'm Talking
. A concert film, Australian Made: The Movie, was directed by Richard Lowenstein
and released later that year. Lead singer of INXS, Michael Hutchence
had insisted on The Triffids being part of the bill. 1987 also saw the release of 3 tracks recorded for John Peel
on 5 May 1985, The Peel Sessions.
The Triffids were courted by several UK major record labels, based on the success of Born Sandy Devotional, eventually signing a three record deal contract with Island Records
in the UK in November 1986. Between April and August 1987, the band worked again with Norton, to record Calenture
, their Island Records debut. The album, released in February 1988, saw them explore themes of insanity, deception and rootlessness—the title refers to a fever suffered by sailors during long hot voyages. The Triffids were nomadic, travelling back and forth from Australia to England to record the 'difficult' album—initial recordings with US producer Craig Leon
were abandoned—and obviously related to the disoriented sailors. It provided the singles, "Bury Me Deep in Love
" in October 1987 and "Trick of the Light
" in January 1988.
After, Born Sandy Devotional, they graduated to the festival
circuit and played alongside Iggy Pop
, Ramones
, The Fall, Anthrax
and Echo & the Bunnymen. By 1988, their fame was such that NME invited them to contribute a cover version of The Beatles
's song, "Good Morning Good Morning
" to the tribute album
, Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father
, alongside songs by Billy Bragg
and Wet Wet Wet
.
The Triffids wanted to record the next album in Australia but, after the Calenture experience, Island wanted to keep the band nearby. The Black Swan
was recorded between September and October 1988 in Somerset
, UK and produced and engineered by Stephen Street
. It was well received by critics, but the commercial success was not overwhelming, which disappointed band members. That, together with being tired from the constant travelling and touring, led to The Triffids being dissolved. The group travelled to the US in 1989 for a pair of New York
dates before taking a much needed vacation – one which turned permanent:
The band's last Australian shows were towards the end of 1989, with the final at the Australian National University
, in Canberra
on 14 August 1989. 1990 saw the release of the live album
, Stockholm, which completed their contractual obligations with Island.
, Jill Birt
and Robert McComb took "proper jobs" as a lawyer (currently with the Equal Opportunity Commission), architect and teacher respectively, with MacDonald and Birt marrying (Robert McComb currently teaches at Melbourne High School). David McComb and Lee continued to be involved with the Blackeyed Susans, a group David McComb formed as a side band during an earlier Triffids summer tour of Australia. Martyn Casey briefly joined the Blackeyed Susans and then became a permanent member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
in April 1990.
In 1990, David McComb moved back to London with the aim of pursuing his solo career. In 1992, after no success, he returned to Australia to make some solo recordings for Mushroom Records
(featuring both Casey and Lee) releasing just one solo album, Love of Will, in 1994. He also worked with many other musicians on various projects, including assembling a band, the Red Ponies, to tour Europe. Another project, costar, was formed when David moved to Melbourne, but due to his ill health they only played sporadically around Melbourne, although recordings had begun and a single was ready for a limited release.
Following the Red Ponies tour David McComb suffered substance abuse-related health problems, which ultimately resulted in him undergoing a heart transplant in 1996. Following a car accident in Melbourne, David McComb was admitted to St Vincents hospital. Only 3 days later he died at home, on 2 February 1999, just a few days short of his 37th birthday.
In February 2000, after the State Coroner of Victoria finally published his findings, The West Australian
newspaper wrote: "[Coroner] Johnstone said McComb's mental and physical condition had deteriorated after his (car) accident but his death was due to heroin toxicity and mild acute rejection of his 1996 heart transplant."
has taken on the role of guardian of David McComb's musical legacy. The Domino label in the UK is handling the reissues in Europe, while Liberation Music
deals with Australia and New Zealand
. An extended version of fan favourite Born Sandy Devotional
came first, with staggered release dates in Europe, Australasia and North America between June and July 2006. A joint release of In the Pines
and Calenture
followed in February 2007. In the Pines
was given a full remix by Bruce Callaway, the original engineer, who had been looking after the master tapes for 20 years. The album was also extended with a number of tracks that were recorded during the sessions for In The Pines but held over for inclusion on Calenture
because, in David McComb's words, "we have to keep something good for later." (In The Pines
was essentially a low-budget ‘holiday’ album, recorded while the band was still looking for a deal with one of the major labels.) Calenture was extended with B-sides from the same period, and with a second disc of demo recordings for the album. A re-release of the last Triffids album The Black Swan
with an extra disc of rarities and demos have, so far, ended the reissue programme.
In 2010 the best of Come Ride With Me... Wide Open Road was released. A limited edion of this called: Come Ride With Me... Wide Open Road - The Deluxe Edition contained nine discs of bonus material, including early demos, tracks previously available on casette only and full length live recordings.
Later stages of the re-issue programme is said to include further rarities, extended liner notes, remastering, a DVD and a live album. There is, currently, a selection of free downloads available on the official site, overseen by Lee.
David McComb was posthumously inducted into the WAM
(West Australian Music Industry Association Inc) Hall Of Fame as a composer on 21 February 2006.
In June 2006, (in conjunction with the re-issue of Born Sandy Devotional
) the band reformed to play three live performances, two concerts in Hasselt
, Belgium
and one in Amsterdam
, The Netherlands
with guest vocalists (including Mark Snarski (The Jackson Code
) and Belgian, Harald Vanherf (The Hoodoo Club / Wicona Airbag) replacing David McComb. A huge collection of band memorabilia was also displayed, along with the airing of a Triffids concert film and question-and-answer sessions with the band members.
The five remaining members of The Triffids gave a series of performances on 17–20 January 2008, as part of the 2008 Sydney Festival
celebrating the music and the memory of David McComb
. The band were joined on stage by a number of Australian musicians including Mark and Rob Snarski (Blackeyed Susans), Toby Martin (Youth Group
), Steve Kilbey
(The Church
), Mick Harvey
(Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
), Chris Abrahams
(The Necks
) and Melanie Oxley. A feature length documentary of these shows, It's Raining Pleasure, is proposed to be released in early 2009.
In May 2008, Liberation Music continued with the reissuing of The Triffids' back catalalogue, with the release of The Black Swan
, which includes five songs which had previously been left off the album at the time of its initial release together with an encore. The album had originally been envisaged by David McComb
as a double album. The re-released album also included a bonus disc of demos and unreleased material. Also released was Treeless Plain
which has been re-mixed by the original sound engineer, Nick Mansbridge. The last of the re-releases was a collection of songs from various EPs, Raining Pleasure
, Lawson Square Infirmary
and Field of Glass
, under the title Beautiful Waste and Other Songs (Mini-Masterpieces 1983-1985)
. The compilation album also includes the title song, "Beautiful Waste
", together with "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts" and "Native Bride".
The Triffids repeated their 2008 Sydney performances, 'A Secret in the Shape of a Song', at the Melbourne Arts Centre on 29 January 2009 and at the Perth International Arts Festival
on the 20–22 February 2009. The shows included guest appearances by Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), Melanie Oxley, Mark and Rob Snarski (The Blackeyed Susans), Steve Kilbey (The Church), Alex Archer and Brendon Humphries (The Kill Devil Hills
), Ricky Maymi
(The Brian Jonestown Massacre
), and Toby Martin (Youth Group) on stage with the remaining members of the band. After the Perth performances video artists VJzoo showed a selection of David McComb’s personal photographs live on screen to a soundtrack compiled from his mixtape collection.
'The Triffids and Friends' is a loose collective of some of the aforementioned musicians with remaining Triffids members. Performances by the band along with The Church and Ed Keupper are scheduled for late 2011 in Perth.
, took their name from the song "Raining Pleasure" by The Triffids.
Melbourne-based acoustic rock group The Paradise Motel
are frequently likened to the work of The Triffids whose work they have covered.
ARIA
announced in June 2008 that The Triffids would be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame
, upon the announcement Graham Lee commented that David McComb would find the accolade ironic, given that the band were hardly superstars in their home country, but would have appreciated the belated recognition. On 1 July 2008, The Triffids were inducted by Nick Cave
into the ARIA Hall of Fame, former The Triffids members were joined on-stage by Rob Snarski as vocalist for "Red Pony" and Steve Kilbey
as vocalist for "Wide Open Road".
In 2009, Australian scholars Chris Coughran and Niall Lucy
's rock biography on The Triffids, Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids, was published by Fremantle Press, and includes contributions by Mick Harvey
, Nick Cave
, John Kinsella, DBC Pierre and Judith Lucy
. Bleddyn Butcher's biography of David McComb Save What You Can: The Day of The Triffids was published by Treadwater Press, Sydney, in November 2011.
Extended plays
Live recordings and compilations
Cassettes
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
as singer-songwriter, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist and keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K. and Scandinavia in the 1980s and disbanded in 1989, Some of their best known songs are "Wide Open Road" (February 1986) and "Bury Me Deep in Love
Bury Me Deep in Love
Bury Me Deep In Love is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was released in October, 1987 and reached No. 48 on the Australian Singles Charts. The single was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb...
" (October 1987); while their 1986 album, Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...
was featured by SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
television in 2007 on the Great Australian Albums series. and in 2010 it ranked 5th in the book 'The 100 Best Australian Albums' by Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell is an Australian music journalist and pop-culture writer. He was editor of Rolling Stone and a founding editor of Juice. In 1986 he co-wrote, with Martin Fabinyi, his first book Too Much Ain't Enough a biography of pub rocker and former Cold Chisel vocalist Jimmy Barnes...
, Craig Mathieson
Craig Mathieson
Craig Mathieson is an Australian music journalist and writer. His books include, Hi Fi Days and The Sell-In .-Biography:...
and John O'Donnell.
The Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) recognised The Triffids' importance on 1 July 2008 when they were inducted into their Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
. Music historian
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, Ian McFarlane, declared, "The Triffids remain one of Australia's best-loved, post-punk groups [...] McComb was an authoritative singer and accomplished songwriter [...] he infused his melancholy songs with stark yet beautiful and uniquely Australian imagery. Few songwriters managed to capture the feeling of isolation and fatalistic sense of despair of the Australian countryside".. They, along with The Go- Betweens, from Brisbane, were and are regarded as two of the most literate and evocative Australian bands of the 1980's, that both interestingly were created outside the mainstream Sydney-Melbourne pop/rock nexus.
Formation and early years (1976-1981)
In 1976 in PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, high school students, David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
on acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s and vocals, and Alan 'Alsy' MacDonald
Alsy MacDonald
Alan MacDonald is an Australian rock musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'....
on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and vocals, formed Dalsy as a multimedia project making music, books and photographs. They wrote and performed songs with Phil Kakulas on guitars and vocals (all three later in The Blackeyed Susans
The Blackeyed Susans
The Blackeyed Susans are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989, based in Melbourne since 1992.-Perth 1989-1990:The original line-up consisted of David McComb on vocals and guitar, Alsy MacDonald on drums , Phil Kakulas on bass guitar , Rob Snarski on vocals and guitar, and...
), they soon became Blök Musik, and Logic (for a day). In May 1978, they became The Triffids, taking their name from the post-apocalyptic novel by John Wyndham
John Wyndham
John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was an English science fiction writer who usually used the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes...
, The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids is a post-apocalyptic novel published in 1951 by the English science fiction author John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, under the pen-name John Wyndham. Although Wyndham had already published other novels using other pen-name combinations drawn from his lengthy real...
. They were soon joined by Andrew McGowan on guitar and Julian Douglas-Smith. When Byron Sinclair joined on bass guitar in September, McComb switched to rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
. The Triffids began partly in response to the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement. Writing in his diary as a teenager, McComb traced the band's emergence in Perth:
"On the night of 27 November 1976, a tape was made by Alsy MacDonald, playing a single toy drum, and Dave McComb playing acoustic guitar. The multimedia group 'Dalsy' had come into being. Dalsy went on to make several remarkable tapes (mainly of original material): The Loft Tapes, Rock 'n' Roll Accountancy, Live at Ding Dongs, Bored Kids, Domestic Cosmos, People Are Strange Dalsy Are Stranger, Steve's and the seminal punk work, Pale Horse Have a Fit.… Dalsy did paintings, sculptures and poetry, and wrote a book named "Lunch". They were tinny and quirky, obsessive and manic, versatile and productive. They were also immensely unpopular.... The members of Dalsy grew to hate their audience. They still do, and this hate is an integral part of their music. Dalsy split up towards the end of 1977…. They launched into 1978 as Blok Musik, with their famous Blok Musik tape.… In April, they played at the LeedervilleLeederville, Western AustraliaLeederville is a locality within the City of Vincent within the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia.It is home to Aranmore Catholic College, The Schools of Isolated and Distance Education, Central Institute of Technology Leederville Campus and St Mary's Church.-External...
Town Hall PunkPunk subcultureThe punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
Fest, alongside Perth's punk rock contingent but, as usual, no one danced. After that they went home and metamorphosised into Logic. Within a day they changed their minds, and metamorphosised into the Triffids."
Between 1978 and 1981, McComb had written over 100 original songs and The Triffids had recorded and independently released six cassette tapes, simply called, 1st (1978), 2nd (1978), 3rd (1979), 4th (1979), Tape 5 (1980) and Sixth (1981) (see List of The Triffids Cassettes). By 1979, Kakulas and Sinclair had left and were replaced by David's older brother, Robert McComb on violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and guitar, and Will Akers on bass guitar, in 1980 Margaret Gillard had joined on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. At year's end, the band won a song competition run by the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University) Student Guild’s radio show on 6NR (now Curtin FM
Curtin FM
Curtin FM 100.1 is a radio station based in Perth, Australia. The station was formerly known as Curtin Radio 927, and became Western Australia's first public broadcaster when it started broadcasting on 16 October 1976.-External links:*...
) and, in July 1981, they released their first single, "Stand Up" on Shake Some Action label. MacDonald had briefly left the band for two months and the single was recorded with Mark Peters as drummer.
Early recordings (1982-1984)
Gillard and Akers left in February 1982 and were replaced by Jill Yates on keyboards and a returning Sinclair. April saw the release of Reverie, a four-track EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on Resonant Records. Around this time, due to the small population/market in Perth, the band started the long journey driving from Perth to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, then Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(and back again) to play shows, do some recording and to live for large periods of time, often in quite squalid conditions. By mid-year Sinclair had left again, Martyn P. Casey
Martyn P. Casey
Martyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He had been a member of The Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.-Biography:...
joined the band on bass guitar in September 1982. For $150 a night, The Triffids’ services as a support act were procured by The Reels
The Reels
The Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian...
, The Sunnyboys
The Sunnyboys
Sunnyboys was an Australian post-punk, power pop band formed in Sydney in 1980. Fronted by singer-songwriter, guitarist Jeremy Oxley, the band "breathed some freshness and vitality into the divergent Sydney scene"...
, The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
, Hunters and Collectors or Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men (band)
Uncanny X-Men are a pop/rock band which formed in Melbourne in 1981, and temporarily disbanded in 1987. They are fronted by lead singer Brian Mannix and originally included Chuck Hargreaves on guitar, Steve Harrison on bass guitar, Nick Manthandos on drums and Ron Thiessen on guitar...
.
As a four-piece—Casey, David & Robert McComb, and MacDonald—they signed to Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
' White Label in Melbourne and released a single "Spanish Blue
Spanish Blue
Spanish Blue is the second single released by The Triffids in 1982. The single was produced by Les Karski . The single was initially released independently by The Triffids but was re-released following the bands signing with White Label Records.They'd recorded "Spanish Blue" when the spectre of the...
" in October 1982 and the Bad Timing and Other Stories
Bad Timing and Other Stories
Bad Timing and Other Stories is the second official recording by The Triffids, released as a 7" EP in April, 1983.- Personnel :* David McComb - lead vocals, guitar, organ, piano, synthesiser* Robert McComb - guitar, violin, organ...
EP in March 1983. By then, back in Sydney again, Jill Birt
Jill Birt
Jill Birt is an Australian rock musician and architect, best known as the keyboardist of the 1980s band The Triffids.-Early years:Jillian Birt was born in Tambellup, where she attended Tambellup Primary School. She attended Methodist Ladies College in Perth, as a boarder...
had joined on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and vocals. Soon after the release of Bad Timing and Other Stories, Mushroom Records let the band go. They signed with new Australian independent label, Hot Records, which brought the independent scene some much needed cohesion. The Triffids were one of the bands leading Hot’s drive into overseas markets, which partly led to the label’s demise. The Triffids' debut album, Treeless Plain
Treeless Plain
Treeless Plain is the debut album by The Triffids, released in November, 1983. The album was recorded at Emerald City Studios, Sydney, Australia in twelve midnight to dawn sessions, during August through to September, 1983...
, released in November 1983, was a critically acclaimed and brilliant album—described as a "magnificent, muscular piece of work that pounds out simple powerful rock songs – one of the best indie rock albums of its day"—but no singles were released from it. All tracks for Treeless Plain were recorded over twelve midnight-to-dawn sessions at Emerald City Studios, Sydney in August and September 1983 with The Triffids producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. Their next single, "Beautiful Waste
Beautiful Waste
"Beautiful Waste" is a single released by The Triffids in February 1984. Whilst "Beautiful Waste" was not included on any of the band's studio albums or EPs , the B-side, "Property is Condemned", was included on the 1984 EP Raining Pleasure...
", appeared in February 1984 and was followed by the Raining Pleasure
Raining Pleasure (EP)
Raining Pleasure by The Triffids was released as a 12" EP in 1984 and reached #95 on the Australian Charts.Although the EP has not been in print for some time, selected tracks appeared on the Love in Bright Landscapes and Australian Melodrama compilations, while all seven tracks were compiled on...
12" EP in July—the title track, "Raining Pleasure", featured Birt on lead vocals, was cowritten by David McComb with Sydney musician, James Paterson (JFK & the Cuban Crisis). Another track, "St. James Infirmary
St. James Infirmary Blues
"St. James Infirmary Blues" is based on an 18th century traditional English folk song of anonymous origin, though sometimes credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose . Louis Armstrong made it famous in his influential 1928 recording.-Authorship and history:"St...
", is a traditional blues folksong, with their version preferred by Australian rock music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell is an Australian music journalist and pop-culture writer. He was editor of Rolling Stone and a founding editor of Juice. In 1986 he co-wrote, with Martin Fabinyi, his first book Too Much Ain't Enough a biography of pub rocker and former Cold Chisel vocalist Jimmy Barnes...
in his book, 1001 Songs
1001 songs
1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them is a compendium of notable popular recordings collected by Australian rock journalist and critic Toby Creswell...
.
The Triffids, without Birt, recorded Lawson Square Infirmary
Lawson Square Infirmary
Lawson Square Infirmary was a 12" EP released in 1984. In 2008, all tracks from the EP were included on the compilationBeautiful Waste and Other Songs....
at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
where they worked with Patterson on vocals, guitar, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, and piano; Graham Lee
Graham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
(John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong and in Eric Bogle
Eric Bogle
Eric Bogle is a folk singer-songwriter. He emigrated to Australia in 1969 and currently resides near Adelaide, South Australia.-Career:...
's backing band) on vocals, dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
and pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
; and Daubney Carshott (a.k.a. Martyn Casey) on bass guitar. The six track country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-style EP was issued by Hot Records in October under the band name, Lawson Square Infirmary. Lee recalled:
"I taught primary school, travelled and ended up in Sydney, where I met the Triffids and first sat behind a pedal steel (in that order actually) [...] I met Dave [McComb] through James Paterson, who played in a band in Sydney called JFK and the Cuban Crisis. My initial impressions of Dave were: slightly eccentric, driven, something of a perfectionist, very intelligent."
By mid-1984, The Triffids had spent so much time travelling the 3972 km (2,468.1 mi) between Perth in the west and Sydney on the east coast of Australia—David McComb estimated that they made this trip between 12 and 16 times—that they decided to travel that little bit further and headed to Europe.
UK and Europe (1984-1989)
In late August 1984, the band relocated to London, where Treeless Plain and Raining Pleasure had been issued by Rough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
to positive critical reception. With little savings and five return plane tickets due to expire by Christmas, they gave themselves three months to make inroads in the UK. For their London debut they supported Rough Trade labelmates The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
. Success was confirmed when they graced the January 1985 cover of the influential UK magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, which predicted it would be 'The Year of The Triffids'.
On 6 November 1984, they recorded, Field of Glass
Field of Glass
Field Of Glass by The Triffids was released as a 12" EP in 1985. All the songs were generally recorded live at BBC Studio 5, Maida Vale, London...
, a three track 12" EP, mostly live in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Studio 5 in London, which was issued in February 1985. Title track, "Field of Glass", was not released on CD as the master tape could not be found—it was eventually discovered under David McComb’s bed. During the Australian tour in early 1985, the band acquired their final permanent member, Lee, who had performed on the mini-album, Lawson Square Infirmary. Together the six-piece—Birt, Casey, Lee, MacDonald, David & Robert McComb—recorded a 7" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
You Don’t Miss Your Water, the A-side is a countrified version of William Bell's
William Bell (singer)
William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
"You Don't Miss Your Water", which was released in August by Hot Records, but by then they were already back in London.
During 1985, The Triffids had toured Europe, they were feted by the European press and played from tiny clubs to stadiums supporting Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
. A grass roots following developed as they toured western European countries, finding pockets of popularity in: Holland, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The band toured as part of the Summer Eurofestival circuit, performing at Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Pinkpop, Waterpop, Seinäjoki, Roskilde
Roskilde
Roskilde is the main city in Roskilde Municipality, Denmark on the island of Zealand. It is an ancient city, dating from the Viking Age and is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network....
(40,000), T&W Belgium (35,000) and den Haag's Parkpop (pushing 100,000).
Unable to raise a major record deal and with low finances, Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...
was recorded in London in August 1985 with Gil Norton
Gil Norton
Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
producing (worked with Echo & the Bunnymen), and was released in March 1986. According to Ian McFarlane, Australian rock music historian
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, "[It] was full of some of the most lonely, spacious songs ever written, and it remains one of the best Australian albums of the 1980s." In 2007, the album was featured by SBS Television on the Great Australian Albums series. The band issued two versions of the "Wide Open Road" single—both a 7" and a 12" version. Born Sandy Devotional reached # 27 on the UK albums chart and "Wide Open Road" peaked at #26 on the UK singles charts but only reached #64 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart.
Creswell stated, ""Wide Open Road" was "an angry song that finds the cost of freedom is aloneness" in his book, 1001 Songs. In May 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named it as one of their Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time.
Their critical success in the UK boosted their profile back in Australia where they recorded In the Pines
In the Pines (album)
In The Pines is an album by The Triffids, released in August, 1986 and reached No. 69 on the Australian Album Charts.The album was recorded in a woolshed on a remote Western Australian farming property, owned by the McCombs' parents, on an eight-track machine for a grand total of $1190 In The Pines...
in early 1986, while awaiting the release of Born Sandy Devotional, which eventuated in March. In The Pines was recorded at the McCombs' family property in Ravensthorpe
Ravensthorpe, Western Australia
Ravensthorpe is a town 541 km south east of Perth, 40 km inland from the south coast of Western Australia. It is the seat of government of the Shire of Ravensthorpe...
, 600 km (372.8 mi) south east of Perth, in a shearing shed on basic eight-track equipment. It was issued in January 1987 and took The Triffids deeper into folk and country music, with a lo-fi sensibility reminiscent of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's Basement Tapes. The band backed Scottish musician, Bill Drummond
Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
, for his 1986 solo album The Man. The Triffids toured UK later in the year.
From 26 December 1986 to 26 January 1987, The Triffids were on the bill of the Australian Made
Australian Made
Australian Made was a festival concert series held during 1986–1987 in the six state capitals of Australia and featured local rock acts Mental as Anything, I'm Talking, The Triffids, The Saints, Divinyls, Models, Jimmy Barnes and INXS. The series started in Hobart on 26 December 1986 and...
tour, which was the largest touring festival of Australian music talent attempted to that point. Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
and INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
headlined and the rest of the line-up featured Mental as Anything
Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian New Wave–rock music band formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976. Their most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne "Bird"...
, Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
, Models
Models (band)
Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
, The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
, I'm Talking
I'm Talking
I'm Talking was a 1980s Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" and "Holy Word" and a top fifteen album, Bear Witness, before disbanding in...
. A concert film, Australian Made: The Movie, was directed by Richard Lowenstein
Richard Lowenstein
Richard Lowenstein is an Australian film director. He has written, produced and directed the feature films He Died With A Felafel In His Hand, Dogs In Space, Say a Little Prayer, Strikebound and Ghost Story, as well as numerous ground-breaking and award-winning music videos for bands such as INXS...
and released later that year. Lead singer of INXS, Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
had insisted on The Triffids being part of the bill. 1987 also saw the release of 3 tracks recorded for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on 5 May 1985, The Peel Sessions.
The Triffids were courted by several UK major record labels, based on the success of Born Sandy Devotional, eventually signing a three record deal contract with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in the UK in November 1986. Between April and August 1987, the band worked again with Norton, to record Calenture
Calenture (album)
Calenture is the fourth studio album by The Triffids, released in February 1987 which reached No. 32 on the Australian Album Charts. Calenture also reached No...
, their Island Records debut. The album, released in February 1988, saw them explore themes of insanity, deception and rootlessness—the title refers to a fever suffered by sailors during long hot voyages. The Triffids were nomadic, travelling back and forth from Australia to England to record the 'difficult' album—initial recordings with US producer Craig Leon
Craig Leon
Craig Leon is an American born record producer, composer and arranger currently living in England. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many recording artists including The Ramones and Blondie...
were abandoned—and obviously related to the disoriented sailors. It provided the singles, "Bury Me Deep in Love
Bury Me Deep in Love
Bury Me Deep In Love is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was released in October, 1987 and reached No. 48 on the Australian Singles Charts. The single was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb...
" in October 1987 and "Trick of the Light
Trick of the Light
Trick of the Light is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb. The B-Side "Love the Fever" was co-written by David McComb and Adam Peters and was produced by Adam Peters and was recorded in August 1986...
" in January 1988.
After, Born Sandy Devotional, they graduated to the festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
circuit and played alongside Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, The Fall, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Echo & the Bunnymen. By 1988, their fame was such that NME invited them to contribute a cover version of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
's song, "Good Morning Good Morning
Good Morning Good Morning
"Good Morning Good Morning" is a song written by John Lennon and recorded by The Beatles, featured on their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.-Lyrical inspiration:...
" to the tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father
Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father
Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father is a 1988 multi-artist compilation of 1980s artists recording new versions of the songs on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album was produced by the New Musical Express to raise money for Childline, the charity founded by the now-defunct BBC...
, alongside songs by Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
and Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
.
The Triffids wanted to record the next album in Australia but, after the Calenture experience, Island wanted to keep the band nearby. The Black Swan
The Black Swan (The Triffids album)
The Black Swan is an album by The Triffids, released in April 1989 and reached No. 59 on the Australian Album Charts. The album was originally conceived as a double album....
was recorded between September and October 1988 in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, UK and produced and engineered by Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
. It was well received by critics, but the commercial success was not overwhelming, which disappointed band members. That, together with being tired from the constant travelling and touring, led to The Triffids being dissolved. The group travelled to the US in 1989 for a pair of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
dates before taking a much needed vacation – one which turned permanent:
We didn’t know they were final performances. Dave wanted to do a solo album and we were due to get back together after that. Much to his chagrin his solo album took longer than expected and he kept writing songs that sounded like Triffids songs. Domesticity snuck up on most of us, poor health snuck up on Dave, a planned ’94 reunion tour was put on hold, and the Triffids faded into the mist. - Graham Lee
The band's last Australian shows were towards the end of 1989, with the final at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
on 14 August 1989. 1990 saw the release of the live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Stockholm, which completed their contractual obligations with Island.
Breakup and aftermath
Following the breakup of the band, Alsy MacDonaldAlsy MacDonald
Alan MacDonald is an Australian rock musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'....
, Jill Birt
Jill Birt
Jill Birt is an Australian rock musician and architect, best known as the keyboardist of the 1980s band The Triffids.-Early years:Jillian Birt was born in Tambellup, where she attended Tambellup Primary School. She attended Methodist Ladies College in Perth, as a boarder...
and Robert McComb took "proper jobs" as a lawyer (currently with the Equal Opportunity Commission), architect and teacher respectively, with MacDonald and Birt marrying (Robert McComb currently teaches at Melbourne High School). David McComb and Lee continued to be involved with the Blackeyed Susans, a group David McComb formed as a side band during an earlier Triffids summer tour of Australia. Martyn Casey briefly joined the Blackeyed Susans and then became a permanent member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
in April 1990.
In 1990, David McComb moved back to London with the aim of pursuing his solo career. In 1992, after no success, he returned to Australia to make some solo recordings for Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
(featuring both Casey and Lee) releasing just one solo album, Love of Will, in 1994. He also worked with many other musicians on various projects, including assembling a band, the Red Ponies, to tour Europe. Another project, costar, was formed when David moved to Melbourne, but due to his ill health they only played sporadically around Melbourne, although recordings had begun and a single was ready for a limited release.
Following the Red Ponies tour David McComb suffered substance abuse-related health problems, which ultimately resulted in him undergoing a heart transplant in 1996. Following a car accident in Melbourne, David McComb was admitted to St Vincents hospital. Only 3 days later he died at home, on 2 February 1999, just a few days short of his 37th birthday.
In February 2000, after the State Coroner of Victoria finally published his findings, The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
newspaper wrote: "[Coroner] Johnstone said McComb's mental and physical condition had deteriorated after his (car) accident but his death was due to heroin toxicity and mild acute rejection of his 1996 heart transplant."
2006 onwards
The Triffids back catalogue began being reissued in 2006. Graham LeeGraham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
has taken on the role of guardian of David McComb's musical legacy. The Domino label in the UK is handling the reissues in Europe, while Liberation Music
Liberation Music
Liberation Music is a boutique, independent Australasian record company, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello. Its stated aim is to find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining independent in the process...
deals with Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. An extended version of fan favourite Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...
came first, with staggered release dates in Europe, Australasia and North America between June and July 2006. A joint release of In the Pines
In the Pines (album)
In The Pines is an album by The Triffids, released in August, 1986 and reached No. 69 on the Australian Album Charts.The album was recorded in a woolshed on a remote Western Australian farming property, owned by the McCombs' parents, on an eight-track machine for a grand total of $1190 In The Pines...
and Calenture
Calenture (album)
Calenture is the fourth studio album by The Triffids, released in February 1987 which reached No. 32 on the Australian Album Charts. Calenture also reached No...
followed in February 2007. In the Pines
In the Pines (album)
In The Pines is an album by The Triffids, released in August, 1986 and reached No. 69 on the Australian Album Charts.The album was recorded in a woolshed on a remote Western Australian farming property, owned by the McCombs' parents, on an eight-track machine for a grand total of $1190 In The Pines...
was given a full remix by Bruce Callaway, the original engineer, who had been looking after the master tapes for 20 years. The album was also extended with a number of tracks that were recorded during the sessions for In The Pines but held over for inclusion on Calenture
Calenture (album)
Calenture is the fourth studio album by The Triffids, released in February 1987 which reached No. 32 on the Australian Album Charts. Calenture also reached No...
because, in David McComb's words, "we have to keep something good for later." (In The Pines
In the Pines (album)
In The Pines is an album by The Triffids, released in August, 1986 and reached No. 69 on the Australian Album Charts.The album was recorded in a woolshed on a remote Western Australian farming property, owned by the McCombs' parents, on an eight-track machine for a grand total of $1190 In The Pines...
was essentially a low-budget ‘holiday’ album, recorded while the band was still looking for a deal with one of the major labels.) Calenture was extended with B-sides from the same period, and with a second disc of demo recordings for the album. A re-release of the last Triffids album The Black Swan
The Black Swan (The Triffids album)
The Black Swan is an album by The Triffids, released in April 1989 and reached No. 59 on the Australian Album Charts. The album was originally conceived as a double album....
with an extra disc of rarities and demos have, so far, ended the reissue programme.
In 2010 the best of Come Ride With Me... Wide Open Road was released. A limited edion of this called: Come Ride With Me... Wide Open Road - The Deluxe Edition contained nine discs of bonus material, including early demos, tracks previously available on casette only and full length live recordings.
Later stages of the re-issue programme is said to include further rarities, extended liner notes, remastering, a DVD and a live album. There is, currently, a selection of free downloads available on the official site, overseen by Lee.
David McComb was posthumously inducted into the WAM
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
(West Australian Music Industry Association Inc) Hall Of Fame as a composer on 21 February 2006.
In June 2006, (in conjunction with the re-issue of Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional
Born Sandy Devotional was an album by The Triffids, released in March 1986. The cover photo shows the now West Australian city of Mandurah back in 1961. All the songs on the album were written by David McComb...
) the band reformed to play three live performances, two concerts in Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and one in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with guest vocalists (including Mark Snarski (The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code
The Jackson Code are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989.-Biography:The Jackson Code were formed in 1989, following the breakup of Snarksi's earlier band, Chad's Tree. For the band's debut album, Snarski utilised the services of Amanda Pearson , Barry Turnbull and Mark Dawson...
) and Belgian, Harald Vanherf (The Hoodoo Club / Wicona Airbag) replacing David McComb. A huge collection of band memorabilia was also displayed, along with the airing of a Triffids concert film and question-and-answer sessions with the band members.
According to Lee the experience was, "more than I could have hoped for – a true celebration of the music, and an intensity from band and audience that I’ve rarely felt."
The five remaining members of The Triffids gave a series of performances on 17–20 January 2008, as part of the 2008 Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is Australia's largest and most attended annual cultural event running every January since it was first held in 1977. Its program features around 80 events including contemporary and classical music, dance, circus, drama, visual arts and artist talks...
celebrating the music and the memory of David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
. The band were joined on stage by a number of Australian musicians including Mark and Rob Snarski (Blackeyed Susans), Toby Martin (Youth Group
Youth Group
Youth Group are a rock band based in Newtown, Sydney, Australia signed to Ivy League Records.- Biography :Youth Group formed in Sydney in the late 1990s. They have released four albums in Australia, with the three most recent albums also gaining releases worldwide...
), Steve Kilbey
Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey is the lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for The Church, an Australian rock band. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter....
(The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
), Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
(Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
), Chris Abrahams
Chris Abrahams
Chris Abrahams is a Sydney-based pianist, best known for his jazz work.Abrahams has been a member of the Benders, the Laughing Clowns, The Sparklers and The Necks. He has recorded several solo albums, as well as collaborations with Melanie Oxley from the Sparklers...
(The Necks
The Necks
The Necks are an experimental jazz trio from Sydney, Australia, comprising Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass...
) and Melanie Oxley. A feature length documentary of these shows, It's Raining Pleasure, is proposed to be released in early 2009.
In May 2008, Liberation Music continued with the reissuing of The Triffids' back catalalogue, with the release of The Black Swan
The Black Swan (The Triffids album)
The Black Swan is an album by The Triffids, released in April 1989 and reached No. 59 on the Australian Album Charts. The album was originally conceived as a double album....
, which includes five songs which had previously been left off the album at the time of its initial release together with an encore. The album had originally been envisaged by David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
as a double album. The re-released album also included a bonus disc of demos and unreleased material. Also released was Treeless Plain
Treeless Plain
Treeless Plain is the debut album by The Triffids, released in November, 1983. The album was recorded at Emerald City Studios, Sydney, Australia in twelve midnight to dawn sessions, during August through to September, 1983...
which has been re-mixed by the original sound engineer, Nick Mansbridge. The last of the re-releases was a collection of songs from various EPs, Raining Pleasure
Raining Pleasure (EP)
Raining Pleasure by The Triffids was released as a 12" EP in 1984 and reached #95 on the Australian Charts.Although the EP has not been in print for some time, selected tracks appeared on the Love in Bright Landscapes and Australian Melodrama compilations, while all seven tracks were compiled on...
, Lawson Square Infirmary
Lawson Square Infirmary
Lawson Square Infirmary was a 12" EP released in 1984. In 2008, all tracks from the EP were included on the compilationBeautiful Waste and Other Songs....
and Field of Glass
Field of Glass
Field Of Glass by The Triffids was released as a 12" EP in 1985. All the songs were generally recorded live at BBC Studio 5, Maida Vale, London...
, under the title Beautiful Waste and Other Songs (Mini-Masterpieces 1983-1985)
Beautiful Waste and Other Songs (Mini-Masterpieces 1983-1985)
Beautiful Waste and Other Songs is a compilation album by The Triffids, released in 2008. The album brings together a number of Triffids EPs and singles that have never been previously released on CD....
. The compilation album also includes the title song, "Beautiful Waste
Beautiful Waste
"Beautiful Waste" is a single released by The Triffids in February 1984. Whilst "Beautiful Waste" was not included on any of the band's studio albums or EPs , the B-side, "Property is Condemned", was included on the 1984 EP Raining Pleasure...
", together with "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts" and "Native Bride".
The Triffids repeated their 2008 Sydney performances, 'A Secret in the Shape of a Song', at the Melbourne Arts Centre on 29 January 2009 and at the Perth International Arts Festival
Perth International Arts Festival
The Perth International Arts Festival is Australia's longest running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia between February-March. The program features contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, opera, visual arts, large-scale public works, Lotterywest Festival Films and the...
on the 20–22 February 2009. The shows included guest appearances by Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), Melanie Oxley, Mark and Rob Snarski (The Blackeyed Susans), Steve Kilbey (The Church), Alex Archer and Brendon Humphries (The Kill Devil Hills
The Kill Devil Hills
The Kill Devil Hills were formed in 2003 in Fremantle, Western Australia as an acoustic, country-tinged 3-piece, which slowly swelled its ranks to become a rambling 6-piece outfit....
), Ricky Maymi
Ricky Maymi
Ricky Rene Maymi is a multi-instrumentalist from San Francisco, California. Born September 15, 1972. He is most famous for his work with the neo-psychedelic rock band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre .-The Brian Jonestown Massacre:...
(The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American eclectic musical group led by Anton Newcombe, whose music spans multiple genres including psychedelia, electronica, folk music, blues, experimental music, and many others....
), and Toby Martin (Youth Group) on stage with the remaining members of the band. After the Perth performances video artists VJzoo showed a selection of David McComb’s personal photographs live on screen to a soundtrack compiled from his mixtape collection.
'The Triffids and Friends' is a loose collective of some of the aforementioned musicians with remaining Triffids members. Performances by the band along with The Church and Ed Keupper are scheduled for late 2011 in Perth.
Legacy
One of the most critically acclaimed bands from Greece, Raining PleasureRaining Pleasure
Raining Pleasure is an Indie / Rock band originating from Patras, Greece, often credited with spearheading the newest wave of Greek bands with English lyrics. The band was formed in September 1990 under the name "Rest in Peace". A year after their formation the band started appearing live locally....
, took their name from the song "Raining Pleasure" by The Triffids.
Melbourne-based acoustic rock group The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel are a critically and commercially successful independent Australian band from Hobart, Tasmania, first active from 1995–2000, who reformed in 2008.-Formation and early releases 1994–1998:...
are frequently likened to the work of The Triffids whose work they have covered.
ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
announced in June 2008 that The Triffids would be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
, upon the announcement Graham Lee commented that David McComb would find the accolade ironic, given that the band were hardly superstars in their home country, but would have appreciated the belated recognition. On 1 July 2008, The Triffids were inducted by Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
into the ARIA Hall of Fame, former The Triffids members were joined on-stage by Rob Snarski as vocalist for "Red Pony" and Steve Kilbey
Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey is the lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for The Church, an Australian rock band. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter....
as vocalist for "Wide Open Road".
In 2009, Australian scholars Chris Coughran and Niall Lucy
Niall Lucy
Niall Lucy is an Australian writer and scholar best known for his work in deconstruction.-Career:Niall Lucy is a professor in the School of Media, Culture & Creative Arts at Curtin University, and a former Head of the School of Arts at Murdoch University...
's rock biography on The Triffids, Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids, was published by Fremantle Press, and includes contributions by Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, John Kinsella, DBC Pierre and Judith Lucy
Judith Lucy
Judith Mary Lucy is an Australian comedian, known primarily for her stand-up comedy. She has toured Australia with several highly successful one-woman shows, including No Waiter I Ordered the Avocado , King Of The Road , An Impossible Dream , The Show , The Show 2 , Colour Me Judith...
. Bleddyn Butcher's biography of David McComb Save What You Can: The Day of The Triffids was published by Treadwater Press, Sydney, in November 2011.
Cover versions
- "Wide Open Road" has been covered by Bob EvansKevin Mitchell (musician)Kevin Edward Mitchell , is an Australian musician, known for his role as the vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Jebediah and also his solo work under the stage name of Bob Evans....
, Weddings Parties AnythingWeddings Parties AnythingWeddings Parties Anything were an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1998. Their name came from The Clash song and musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the '70s.-Formation and...
, The ChurchThe Church (band)The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
and Perth folk-rock bands Carus and The True BelieversCarus and The True BelieversCarus and The True Believers are an Australian folk/country/roots/reggae band based in Melbourne, Australia. The band which was formed in 1995 has since risen to national prominence as a major band on the new roots-folk scene and are beginning to develop a loyal fan base in Europe and North America...
, The Laughing ManThe Laughing Man (band)The Laughing Man is a pop group from Wuppertal, Germany. Founded in 2001, the line-up changed several times since. The band is playing pop music. Singing in English with an audible German accent, singer Stefan J. Gedsudski tries to "deconstruct the language to get new meanings out of it".The...
, Not Enough RopeNot Enough RopeNot Enough Rope were a five piece folk-rock band that came from Perth, starting in 1994 before their break-up in 2001.-Biography:Not Enough Rope began in 1994 over a few beers at the Kalamunda Hotel in Perth, Western Australia. The initial idea was to get together, play a few songs and tell a few...
and Shanks Pony, as well as by fellow Perth outfit The PanicsThe PanicsThe Panics are an ARIA Award–winning indie rock band originally from Perth, Western Australia, and currently based in Melbourne, Victoria.-History:...
for Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's 'Like a VersionLike A VersionLike a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show...
' in 2007. - "American Sailors" has been covered by Mick ThomasMick ThomasMichael James Thomas is an Australian singer-songwriter.Mick Thomas was born in Yallourn, 7 February 1960, the middle child of three. His father, Brian Thomas, was an electrical engineer with the old State Electricity Commission. His father's family were from Tasmania and his mother, Margaret, was...
, and also The Blackeyed SusansThe Blackeyed SusansThe Blackeyed Susans are an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1989, based in Melbourne since 1992.-Perth 1989-1990:The original line-up consisted of David McComb on vocals and guitar, Alsy MacDonald on drums , Phil Kakulas on bass guitar , Rob Snarski on vocals and guitar, and... - "Bury Me Deep in LoveBury Me Deep in LoveBury Me Deep In Love is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was released in October, 1987 and reached No. 48 on the Australian Singles Charts. The single was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb...
" has been covered by Kylie MinogueKylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
and Jimmy LittleJimmy LittleJimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene... - "Raining PleasureRaining PleasureRaining Pleasure is an Indie / Rock band originating from Patras, Greece, often credited with spearheading the newest wave of Greek bands with English lyrics. The band was formed in September 1990 under the name "Rest in Peace". A year after their formation the band started appearing live locally....
" was covered by Charles JenkinsCharles Jenkins (musician)Charles Jenkins is a musician based in Melbourne, Victoria. He is a member of Icecream Hands and has released three solo albums.Jenkins was born in Mildura, Victoria and soon was moved to Adelaide, South Australia. He started performing solo and later joined The Mad Turks From Istanbul and in 1989...
(Icecream HandsIcecream HandsIcecream Hands were a power pop band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 1992 as Chuck Skatt and His Icecream Hands with Charles "Chuck Skatt" Jenkins as lead singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist, Arturo "Arch" Larizza on bass guitar, his brother Dom "Benedictine III" Larizza on lead guitar and...
) on his second solo album City Gates in 2005. - "Beautiful WasteBeautiful Waste"Beautiful Waste" is a single released by The Triffids in February 1984. Whilst "Beautiful Waste" was not included on any of the band's studio albums or EPs , the B-side, "Property is Condemned", was included on the 1984 EP Raining Pleasure...
" was included on Paul KellyPaul Kelly (musician)Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
's DVD Live Apples released in April 2008 and covered by Youth GroupYouth GroupYouth Group are a rock band based in Newtown, Sydney, Australia signed to Ivy League Records.- Biography :Youth Group formed in Sydney in the late 1990s. They have released four albums in Australia, with the three most recent albums also gaining releases worldwide...
for Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's 'Like a VersionLike A VersionLike a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show...
' in May 2008.
In the media
- "Bury Me Deep in LoveBury Me Deep in LoveBury Me Deep In Love is a single released by The Triffids from their album Calenture. It was released in October, 1987 and reached No. 48 on the Australian Singles Charts. The single was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb...
" was used for the wedding of Harold and Madge in the internationally successful Australian TV series NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
.
Members
- Will Akers - bass (1980–1982)
- Jill BirtJill BirtJill Birt is an Australian rock musician and architect, best known as the keyboardist of the 1980s band The Triffids.-Early years:Jillian Birt was born in Tambellup, where she attended Tambellup Primary School. She attended Methodist Ladies College in Perth, as a boarder...
- keyboards, vocals (1983–1989) - Martyn CaseyMartyn P. CaseyMartyn Paul Casey is an English-born Australian rock bass guitarist. He had been a member of The Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. Casey plays either his Fender Precision Bass or Fender Jazz Bass.-Biography:...
- bass (1982–1989) - Simon Cromack - percussion (1982–1983)
- Margaret Gillard - keyboards (1979–1982)
- Phil Kakulas - guitar, vocals (1978–1979)
- Graham LeeGraham Lee (Australian musician)Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
- guitar, pedal steel, lap-steel, vocals (1985–1989) - Allan MacDonaldAlsy MacDonaldAlan MacDonald is an Australian rock musician and lawyer, best known as the drummer of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he performed under his nickname 'Alsy'....
- drums, percussion, vocals (1978–1980, 1982–1989) - David McCombDavid McCombDavid Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
- vocals, guitar, piano, bass (1978–1989) - Robert McComb - violins, guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals (1979–1989)
- Mark Peters - drums (1980–1981)
- Byron Sinclair - bass (1978–1979, 1982)
- Jill Yates - keyboards (1982)
Discography
Studio albumsExtended plays
Live recordings and compilations
Cassettes
External links
- ABC - Long Way to the Top - The Triffids
- Something Old, Something New website - Triffids profile
- Domino Records - Triffids profile
- Howlspace website - Triffids profile
- Domino re-release program
- Inner City Sound website - Triffids profile
- Nostalgia Central website - Triffids profile
- David McComb obituary (1962-1999)