Live Review: The Drones, Harmony

Tonight's sold out hometown show for The Drones unfortunately begins with hitches. Due to a 'miscommunication' between the venue and punters, set times run an hour ahead of time, which causes many to miss opening act Exek. Inadvertently arriving midway through Harmony's set is quite the surprise and they're borderline unlistenable due to a poor mix. While it is hard to capture this unique band's sound, it feels devoid of any personality and becomes shamefully talked over as the room begins to fill.

Coming on stage to (of all things) Enya's Orinoco Flow (Sail Away), The Drones remind us that yes, they're here and they're the same characters we know and love. But unfortunately from opener Private Execution, the mix is so muddy and incoherent that it makes it hard to distinguish what's even going on. Guitars are too low, keyboards way too high, drums come and go and the less that can be said about the bass the better. A misfire of following track Taman Shud causes the band to restart as frontman Gareth Liddiard's amplifier blows. In trademark Liddiard style this incident is, humorously, played upon (although this isn't as funny as the Gumtree user he intends to sell it to).

The set draws largely from tonight's centrepiece, Feelin Kinda Free, which offers up highlights, singalong To Think That I Once Loved You being the cream and also coaxing the ladies from Harmony back to the stage to reprise their on-record performance. But again, the mix suffocates the atmosphere. The grandeur and impact as the track progresses gets so lost in translation that, instead of standing proudly on two feet by its conclusion, it feels more like a passing glance. The Drones' performance also feels slightly compromised with occasional musical slip-ups standing out as plain as day in this environment; I Don't Ever Want To Change is a prime example and sees Liddiard sitting behind the rest of the band, vocally and musically, as they reach the song's peak. The band finish with their trademark cover of Kev Carmody's River Of Tears which, if you have seen the band regularly over the years, proves amazing — they can still make the track emotive and fresh to the audience and themselves.

Tonight wasn't The Drones at their best. Nor did it warrant the hefty ticket price. A more valid observation is that the show was 'paint by numbers' and this venue was not the appropriate site for a fan to experience a Drones rock'n'roll show.