Triffids

The Triffids are an enigma in the evolution of Australian music. One of the country's most original bands, they emerged from an environment where originality was anathema to success. Often a group that sounded like a number of groups trying to break out, Triffids' reluctant leader David McComb's songs shone through and influenced a generation of Australian songwriters. Almost totally influenced by American music, McComb created some of the most evocatively "Australian" songs ever written.

The Triffids and David McComb started their journey in Perth, Australia's most isolated capital city, where international music tours often don't go, and Australian music tours often can't go, because of the distance that has to be travelled, and the cost. In the late seventies and early eighties especially it meant that the most popular and successful Perth bands were invariably cover bands. What was left of Perth music fans were listening to music on their own, in David McComb's case, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, Television, early electronica and hip hop. His religious parents sent him to the secular Christ Church Grammer School where David won prizes in English Literature and Divinity.

Whilst still in high school David formed his first band, Dalsy, with Alsy MacDonald. Ambitious from the start, Dalsy was a multimedia project that saw the boys producing music, books and photographic images. By the end of Dave's high school years, Dalsy had become the Triffids. The original plan was to have a female singer. As well as wordsmith songwriters Dave was also interested in the early girl groups. But the lead singer role fell into his reluctant lap.

While Dave continued his education at Curtin University, studying journalism and literature, the Triffids' musical adventure continued, via independently-released cassette albums, filling with the prolific McComb's songs. In 1980 he won a songwriting competition held by a Perth radio station, resulting in the release of Triffids' first single, 'Stand Up'. At this stage the band was an active, but fluid affair.

After graduating in 1981 Dave moved to Melbourne before eventually settling in Sydney with a more formal and permanent version of Triffids. In November 1983 the band delivered its self-produced first album 'Treeless Plain', containing a number of stage favourites, followed by the mini-album 'Raining Pleasure' produced by 'Treeless Plain' engineer Nick Mainsbridge.

The Triffids' records were gaining far more favourable reaction in England. Via Perth, the group relocated to London and recorded the landmark 'Born Sandy Devotional' album and its quintessential single 'Wide Open Road'. Intentionally or otherwise the Triffids had invented a music which served as dual metaphors for Australia's environment and personal refection. As if to bring their discovered vocabulary into even greater focus the next album 'In The Pines' was recorded in an isolated shearing shed on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain, 600 kilometres south east of Perth.

If he ever intended it in the first place David McComb didn't want the mantle of capturing the national character in song and 1988's 'Calenture' saw the music explore themes of insanity, deception and rootlessness. The album was again recorded in London, and cost a small fortune to make. The album title referred to the type of insanity which used to be suffered by seamen crossing the oceans. The nomadic Triffids travelling back and forth from Australia to England to record a 'difficult' album, obviously related to the disoriented seamen.

The Triffids wanted to record the next album in Australia again, but after the 'Calenture' experience Island Records wanted to keep the band nearby. 'The Black Swan' album proved to be the sound of that Triffids which sounded like more than one group trying to break out. One aspect of that sound became The Blackeyed Susans, a group David McComb formed as a sideline during yet another Triffids summer tour of Australia. By the end of 1989, bored with the travelling and the lack of commercial success, the group had disbanded.

During that journey the Triffids had become incredibly popular in Scandinavia and they left behind a live recording, 'Stockholm', as their final album. The Blackeyed Susans took on a life of their own, playing originals instead of the covers they were formed to play, and spawned two more splinter groups, The Jackson Code and Dirty Three.

David McComb eventually embarked on a solo career, releasing one memorable solo album in 1994. He died in January 1999 following a car accident. Having recently recovered from a heart transplant he was preparing to resume his music career.