The Drones (Australian band)

Formation and early years (1997–2004) The Drones were formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1997 by Warren Hall on drums, Gareth Liddiard on lead vocals and guitar, James McCann on guitar and Rui Pereira on bass guitar. From February to May 2020, the band released a series of five archival live recordings through Bandcamp. The first one compiles performances recorded between 2001 and 2004, ending with an interview with future member Luscombe. The second release compiled a live show recorded at Melbourne's Spanish Club on 4 March 2006 (shortly before the release of Gala Mill). The third compiled recordings from between 2004 and 2008, which includes covers of "Manic Depression" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and "Words From A Woman To Her Man" by Beasts of Bourbon (recorded for PBS 106.7FM and 3RRR, respectively). The fourth compiled live recordings from between 2009 and 2012, including a series of promotional idents they'd recorded for radio stations in the UK. The fifth and final release in the series was a 2016 live show recorded at The Tote Hotel in Melbourne that was previously uploaded to YouTube through the band's official channel. Former drummer Mike Noga's death was announced on 27 August 2020; he was 43. In February 2025, the band announced they would reunite for two shows only in May at the Croxton Bandroom in Melbourne as part of a benefit concert for an undisclosed friend. The Feelin Kinda Free line-up played the shows, alongside sets from Paul and Dan Kelly, Don Walker, The Nation Blue and Mod Con. In April 2026, the band announced a one-off reunion tour of Australia to take place across August and September of that year. == Members ==

Current members • Gareth Liddiard – lead vocals, lead guitar (1997–2016, 2025, 2026), keyboards (2015–2016) • Christian Strybosch – drums (2000–2004, 2014–2016, 2025, 2026) • Fiona Kitschin – bass guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals (2002–2016, 2025, 2026) • Dan Luscombe – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2007–2016, 2025, 2026), keyboards (2015–2016) • Steve Hesketh – keyboards, piano (2013–2016, 2025, 2026) Former members • Warren Hall – drums (1997–2000) • James McCann – rhythm guitar (1997–2000) • Rui Pereira – bass guitar (1997–2000), rhythm guitar (2000–2007) • Brendon Humphries – bass guitar (2000–2002) • Mike Noga – drums, backing vocals, harmonica, percussion (2004–2014; died 2020) Timeline (1997–2016) ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:22 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:110 top:5 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1997 till:12/02/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1997 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1997 Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_lead_guitar id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:ovocals value:coral legend:Backing_and_occasional_lead_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Rhythm_guitar id:keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion,_harmonica id:lines value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = at:08/01/2002 color:black layer:back at:04/18/2005 color:black layer:back at:09/02/2006 color:black layer:back at:09/20/2008 color:black layer:back at:03/01/2013 color:black layer:back at:03/18/2016 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Gareth text:"Gareth Liddiard" bar:James text:"James McCann" bar:Dan text:"Dan Luscombe" bar:Steve text:"Steve Hesketh" bar:Rui text:"Rui Pereira" bar:Brendon text:"Brendon Humphries" bar:Fiona text:"Fiona Kitschin" bar:Warren text:"Warren Hall" bar:Christian text:"Christian Strybosch" bar:Mike text:"Mike Noga" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Gareth from:01/01/1997 till:12/02/2016 color:vocals bar:Gareth from:01/01/2004 till:06/01/2006 color:keyboard width:3 bar:Gareth from:06/01/2015 till:12/02/2016 color:keyboard width:3 bar:Rui from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2000 color:bass bar:Rui from:01/01/2000 till:06/01/2007 color:guitar bar:Rui from:01/01/2004 till:06/01/2007 color:bvocals width:3 bar:James from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2000 color:guitar bar:Warren from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2000 color:drums bar:Brendon from:01/01/2000 till:01/01/2002 color:bass bar:Christian from:01/01/2004 till:06/01/2004 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Christian from:01/01/2000 till:06/01/2004 color:drums bar:Christian from:03/12/2014 till:12/02/2016 color:drums bar:Fiona from:01/01/2002 till:12/02/2016 color:bass bar:Fiona from:01/01/2002 till:06/01/2006 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Fiona from:01/01/2004 till:06/01/2006 color:keyboard width:7 bar:Fiona from:06/01/2006 till:12/02/2016 color:ovocals width:3 bar:Mike from:06/01/2004 till:01/01/2014 color:drums bar:Mike from:06/01/2006 till:01/01/2014 color:perc width:7 bar:Mike from:06/01/2004 till:01/01/2014 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Dan from:06/01/2007 till:12/02/2016 color:guitar bar:Dan from:06/01/2008 till:01/01/2013 color:keyboard width:7 bar:Dan from:06/01/2015 till:12/02/2016 color:keyboard width:7 bar:Dan from:06/01/2007 till:12/02/2016 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Steve from:01/01/2013 till:12/02/2016 color:keyboard == Discography ==

Studio albums • Here Come the Lies (2002) • Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By (2005) • Gala Mill (2006) • Havilah (2008) • I See Seaweed (2013) • Feelin Kinda Free (2016) ==Awards==

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. APRA Awards The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Australian Music Prize EG Awards / Music Victoria Awards The EG Awards (known as Music Victoria Awards since 2013) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005. ==References==