Gareth Liddiard was flying solo tonight, in support of The Wreckery, armed with his acoustic guitar and a beer. If it’s not his unusual and unique vocals that catch your attention, it is definitely his provocative lyrics, touching, dark and often macabre. There is something brutal and unforgiving about his delivery, the harshness at which he projects his songs, creating the same appeal on his single acoustic guitar as they would with the rest of the Drones by his side. His set contained blistering rendition of older songs Locust and I Don't Ever Want To Change, while also showing his acoustic hand at some newer songs off of the Drones ‘Havilah’, like Oh My and Your Acting Like It's The End Of The World. There is a clear poignancy and intelligence to Gareth’s performance, reminiscent of Nick Cave, and replicated so successfully by few.

For The Wreckery, this was encore reunion performance, the first held earlier in the year. I don’t know what it was but I found myself interested in this band I knew nothing about, to discover just how influential this band has been (playing shows alongside Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, back in the early 80’s), and continues to be and yet how little recognition they receive, at least, publically. Anyway, when a second show was announced, my curiosity got the better of me and I went to see what this band could do. Well, the be-all and end-all of it was that they were amazing! Their hour and forty five minute set exhumed a clever viciousness expressed through bluesy rock and roll songs, with more punk attitude than you could poke a stick at. There was a great strength and passion behind their performance, something that many of today’s band should definitely take note of. Though, watching this extraordinary performance made me annoyed, realising just how much I have missed in the past and how this band may not ever play another show again. There was something completely captivating in the Wreckery’s bluesy and rock and roll songs, possessing so much energy and brutality. It was not as if watching a reunion show, but a band that could continue to draw crowds a thousand times over if playing today, and a band whose music holds a great importance without the recognition deserved. What the Wreckery showed the Ding Dong lounge crowd was a genuinely energetic show; I only hope that some time in the future they could be convinced of playing again.