The Immortal Lee CountyKillers III, The Drones, TheKamikaze Trio @ Ding DongLounge, 14/12/04

Thu 16th Dec, 2004 in Gig Reviews

It was a surprising quiet and sparsely populated Ding Dong Lounge when I arrived to catch the only Melbourne show of the US’s The Immortal Lee County Killers III.  Perhaps this was because the bands started an hour and a half after the advertised starting time!

Melbourne’s The Kamikaze Trio were first to take the stage, featuring Sam and Andy of Digger & The Pussycats fame.  Their material was in parts a lot darker than that of Digger - in some songs I was reminded of early Fugazi, with even a touch of Joy Division creeping in.  Andy and his red afro are a joy to watch, bashing away at his kit like there’s no tomorrow.  Sam’s vocal style ranged from crooning to spitting into the microphone, and he spent a lot of time darting about the stage and pulling feedback out of his amp.  A highly entertaining band - it was a pity the Tuesday night crowd didn’t get a bit more involved.

When fellow Melburnites The Drones opened their set with Hell And Haydevils, I was immediated reminded of why they are such an exciting live band – their songs seem to morph into a different monster with each performance.  So much so that they only fitted six songs into their 45 minute set.  Their music is part punk, part rock, part country, part blues, but all completely original.  Noodling guitar parts by Gareth and Rui fed off each other, as the goddess of Melbourne rock, Fiona kept it all together with her solid bass lines.  Drummer Mike Noga has fitted so well into their line-up that he was a focal point of the show. 

The Drones played four songs off their soon to be released new album, including the very dirty Shark Fin Blues (dedicated to all those with class A drug-overs from Meredith!).  They closed out their amazing set with The Country of Love and an ending that Sonic Youth would have been pround of.  Bring on that new album – I neeeeed it…

The half-capacity Ding Dong audience waited in anticipation while The Immortal Lee County Killers III logo was projected onto the stage emblazoned with the advice: “Everlasting Life = Truth + Energy”.  When they arrived on stage I was surprised by how young they looked, given the ugly swamp blues music they play. 

Guitarist/vocalist Chetley Weise provided most of the on-stage action swirling around the stage, and screaming into his microphone.  Drummer The Token One (who owns the greatest stage name ever) was very solid and stylish behind the kit.  He provided a brief interlude mid-set with a negro-Christian type song that was a nice touch.  New addition Jeff Goodwin added some extra keyboard sounds and backing vocals.

The band played only a couple of songs from their Love is a Charm of Powerful Trouble album, preferring mainly newer material from their upcoming album Love Unbolts the Dark, and quite a few covers (including Been Down So Long by The Doors).  Special mention must be given to the visual images that were projected behind the band.  It added a fantastic extra element to their performance, with black cats transforming into acid-inspired patterns, amazing shots of a clouded sky, and a trip down a Lee County country road.

Credits rolled across the screen during the last song, and all of a sudden it was all over.  No encore - just a quality set of blues, rock, truth, and energy.