I must start this review by clearly stating that I am a relatively new Drones cult initiate. I had heard their name discussed in hushed tones of awe for several years, with friends telling me that they were the finest band our country had ever produced, and that frontman and songwriter Gareth Liddiard was some kind of second coming. And now... I'm hooked. I first saw them two months ago and I've never seen such intensity from a frontman - ever. Since then I have obsessed over each album and each song, and shaking my head at this man's ability to tell a tale so well crafted that each punch line comes on like a smack in the face.
So where the hell does this frothy diatribe about The Drones fit in to an Augie March review? It turns out that Liddiard and Drones guitarist Dan Luscombe are supporting Augie March on their current Australian tour. As the venue began to fill, Liddiard and began a set that saw Liddiard on his acoustic, and Luscombe making the most of Augie March's organ, alternating between an acoustic and a beautifully battered Telecaster. Once more I was struck by how intense their world is; you cannot help but be transported into Liddiard's lyrics of heartache or tales of old Australiana. As he spat out his words with his face contorted, its clear to see why so many people have been converted: this is music and storytelling at its most pure, and whenever an artist manages to bravely dip into that vein so completely, they tap into something alive or latent within us all that we can all connect to.
It is against this backdrop that I begin my somewhat unenthused review of Augie March. They have been around for 13 years; they do indeed have some very beautiful songs; they have done the hard slog and deserve the rapturous audience who came to see them tonight. But for me personally, their show just didn't hit the same high watermark left by their support act. I felt as though the five-piece crafted their music in a way to create emotion without ever really supplying it, as if going through the motions. Each breakdown and each rise and fall in sound seemed almost formulaic, and while Glenn Richards' voice was very beautiful and emotive, it seemed put on rather than pure. Maybe it just wasn't their night, or maybe I was too deluded by Liddiard. Augie March were good, but they didn't impact on me, and I couldn't help but think it was simply too safe.
Julianne Gill
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