The Drones - Still Calling Australia Home

After winning the inaugural Australian Music Prize in 2005 for their second album, Wait Long By the River & the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By, the Drones went on to record Gala Mill, in early 2005 in an historic mill on a property in Tasmania. Since the release the band have been touring widely both in Australia and overseas ever since.

Just getting back from a stint across Europe with 54 dates over 63 days, Mike Noga sat down to chat about the past few months and what to expect from The Drones in the future.

With the recent slog across Europe in his recent memory, Mike had a few words to describe the experience, “I reached an all time low I think actually. It was really hard work. I think people think we go over there and party for two months but it was quite the opposite. It was work and this one really felt like going to work. You can throw your personal life out the window. I've been living out of a suitcase for 2 years now and I've spent more time overseas than I have in Australia which is great, I'm not whinging about it, but it's just the same as any job, there's good things about it and shit things about it. The shit thing about touring is there's a lot of gigs and lot of travel and a lot of late nights and a lot of early mornings”.

With touring being such a strain in the first place, why did the Drones attempt such an ambitious tour schedule in such a short period of time? “Because our fucking booking agent... and you can print this... our booking agent in Spain turned out to be a complete asshole and basically he saw it as any night off for us is a night that he loses money, so he just flogged us to death and he had no sympathy. We told him about a hundred times that it was too much and he'd email back with new gigs booked. He just refused to listen to us.”

As much as it is a huge workload for the guys, it seems to be paying dividends, with much of Europe embracing the act on the road. “Yeah, Spain is incredible. I think Spain is really good for any Australian Rock bands. Tim Rogers does well as does the Beasts (of Bourbon). France and Italy are always strong.”

Getting on the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival has also been a big boost for The Drones helping gain much needed publicity in a market flooded with bands. “It's the third time we've played. We did one with Mudhoney a few years back. It gives the press something to talk about: ‘These guys played with Nick Cave and Alan Vega and The Dirty Three’. It was a good reference point for them and such a fantastic weekend for us. We met all our heroes; we were like fans over there taking some great photos. Every second band there was Australian, and we knew them all. It was like a big party.”

At one show in Madrid last year, The Drones happened to catch it on DVD releasing it recently. Mike had fond memories of the night, “It was recorded last year. I remember that night in Madrid; we were all really sick and throwing up backstage having a terrible time... I don't think it shows, I think it looks alright. I think they did a pretty good job. I don't think you could tell we were too sick.”

With the release of a new DVD, I suppose the question of a new album release had to be discussed. “We haven't started yet but we've got a few bits and pieces together. We've got this Australian tour first and then the days after we head to the states for 2 months for another 20 -30 shows with Band of Horses. We're their main support doing a big lap of the country, starting on the East and ending back in New York. We'll start work on the new album when we return in December."

“A houseboat is what we want to do it on, but the logistics are a bit too much. We may just end up back in a boring old studio. When we recorded Gala Mill we knew what we doing so banged it out in a week, but I think the next one we'll take our time on it.”

With a national tour just around the corner, “we're looking forward to touring Australia after being away for so long. Australia's always so much fun because we're home and can party with our friends. Travel is easy so it'll be a cushy tour.”

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