Brown, flat plains of Jerdacuttup
No foreign pair of dark sunglasses
Will ever shield you from
The light that pierces your eyelids,
The screaming of the gulls
David McComb, The Seabirds
Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more;
Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast,–’
William Shakespeare, Macbeth (Act II, Scene II, 34-39)
Well I’m cold and hungry but don’t hold me tight
I just shake cause I’m living at the speed of light
David McComb, The Spinning Top Song
Comforting news, friends: the great mysterious power from West Australia is intact. Sandy devotional, old flame. Legendary band The Triffids appeared on stage for the first time in 17 years, one week ago in Hasselt (of all places). Not obvious, since singer (and songwriter) David McComb died in 1999 following a car accident/heroine overdose. Since they stopped being a band in 1989, they have not played together once. Alsy Macdonald is now a lawyer in Perth, clean cut and happy, and married to Jill Birt — the keyboardist and mother of their three children. Robert McComb is a teacher in Melbourne. Martyn Casey plays bass for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Graham Lee makes a living as a guest musician and runs a country music club. They look great and healthy. Only Martyn Casey shows some signs of rock ‘n roll lifestyle. How different is he from the slim boy on the cover pictures of the In The Pines album.
David McComb’s place was taken by two guest singers, and also Graham Lee, Jill Birt, Alsy Macdonald and Rob McComb each sang one or more songs. Mark Snarski (of Jackson Code fame) sung most songs, and he did an excellent job. Harald Vanherf sang on Property Is Condemned. His youth’s dream come true, no less.
I remember Camper Van Beethoven destroying the beautiful memory I had of the II&III album a couple of years ago in a reunion concert I wish I hadn’t witnessed. No such thing here. This concert (Saturday, June 24th, 2006) was better than anticipated — pure and touching with excellently brought music spanning the entire Triffids (and some McComb solo) carreer. From their 1981 debut single Stand Up to a lot from the re-released Born Sandy Devotional album (Wide Open Road, Life Of Crime, Personal Things, Stolen Property, Tender Is The Night and, especially noteworthy, a breathtaking Lonely Stretch, slightly slower than the original with superb singing by Mark Snarski), Once A Day, Raining Pleasure, Jerdacuttup Man, Too Hot To Move, Goodbye Little Boy, Good Fortune Rose and much much more. My favourite Triffids song, Estuary Bed, unfortunately wasn’t played.
I posted some pictures on Flickr, and I found others posting some really nice group portraits and rehearsal pictures from The Triffids’ week in Hasselt.
After the concert, I continued drinking through the night and when morning broke I walked to the sea and called out for the birds to take me, no longer afraid to die, but even the starved gulls wouldn’t touch my body.
