Blogpost: The Triffids: Vagabond Holes & Beautiful Waste

Posted by T • August 7, 2020

Posted by T • August 7, 2020

The Triffids

Fremantle Press

Vagabond Holes: David McComb & The Triffids

 

Despite having left a legacy of fantastic music and an album that should not be missing from the record collection of anyone remotely into independent music (my entry point recommendation would be the classic  “Born Sandy Devotional” album), the reverberations of which can still be felt on terra australis, the Western Australian post-punk band The Triffids are not exactly a household name.

However, aficionados can be found around the world, especially amongst acclaimed musicians of which quite a few contributed to this tribute in literary form, many of which are esteemed luminaries from the realm of Australian independent music and if you are not familiar with some of the names, this book can serve as the ideal trigger for a journey down the rabbit hole of Australian musical greatness. Needless to say that big ticket names such as Steve Kilbey and Nick Cave are there as well to contribute to-the-point elaborations on their appreciation for The Triffids.

Eye candy is delivered courtesy of Sean Dower along with photographic depictions and poetic writings and fiction, which round out this book and tackles the sujet nicely from different and up until now unexplored angles.

The book is not a chronologically narrated biography but essentially a printed shrine for Triffids fans and the uninitiated those who would like to be inducted through an elegant compendium to a band that captured the context and DNA of their time of existence in Australia like no other.

With the loving and gritty recollections of fellow artists on one hand and borderline academical essays on the, Vagabond Holes manages not only to catapult you back to the times of a band that was led by their enigmatic front man David McComb and his undeniable talent but also portrays his uncompromising commitment to his art.

Beautiful Waste

Having left an evocative catalogue of music after his untimely departure in 1999, part of David McComb’s artistic appeal was his lyricism and poetry that dealt with addiction as well as the mundane and metaphysical in equal measure.

Beautiful Waste is a collection of his literary emissions during his most productive era, i.e. his Twenties and Thirties, when The Triffids were at the height of their career and in essence, a complementing volume to Vagabond Holes.

Given that it is the first time that McComb’s poetry is published, ordering it alongside Vagabond Holes should be mandatory as it lends both depth and perspective to what drove and concerned the creative force behind The Triffids.

T • August 7, 2020

More recent blogposts

PJ Harvey @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Posted by T • March 14, 2025

PJ Harvey Sydney Opera House Forecourt 13 March 2025 Sydney, Australia photo courtesy of Daniel Boud and the Sydney Opera House.Caption Some artists perform. PJ Harvey transmutes. Like a figure walking between worlds, she never lingers too long in one place, never allows herself to fossilize into nostalgia. Instead, she reinvents - without ever severing the thread that binds her … Read more

The Get Up Kids/Ozma @ The Glass House 3/7/25

Posted by Aaron H • March 14, 2025

The Get Up Kids - Credit: AMH The Get Up Kids just finished the US leg of their 25th Anniversary Tour for their seminal album, Something To Write Home About with 2 nights at The Glass House in Pomona. Of course, I didn't wanna miss it. Following support from Indie-Rock band, Ozma -- who ran through tracks from their first … Read more

Chat Pile/Gouge Away @ The Glass House 2/22/25

Posted by Aaron H • March 4, 2025

Chat Pile Fans - Credit: AMH Chat Pile are about to wrap up their US West Coast and Canada tour with Gouge Away this week. I was fortunate enough to catch the sludgy rockers when they came through Pomona last week. Nightosphere - Credit: AMH Kansas City's Nightosphere has opened the shows every night. The trio's unique blend of shoegaze … Read more

Cursive/Pile @ The Glass House 2/14/25

Posted by Aaron H • February 18, 2025

Cursive - Photo Credit: AMH In a time of a lot of bullshit going on, spending Valentine's Day with my wife and Cursive at my favorite venue was a great escape. Cursive are out on the road in support of their newest album, Devourer, with support from Boston-Rock quartet, Pile. I hadn't previously heard of Pile and was surprised to … Read more

Luke Combs @ Accor Stadium

Posted by T • February 2, 2025

Luke Combs 01 February 2025 Accor Stadium Sydney, Australia On a balmy February evening in Sydney, country music fans from across NSW flocked to Accor Stadium for what promised to be a historic night. Luke Combs, the global superstar who has redefined modern country music, made history as the first country artist to headline a full stadium tour in Australia … Read more

Wardruna @ Enmore Theatre

Posted by T • January 28, 2025

Wardruna 25 January 2025 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia photo courtesy of Wardruna In the humid haze of a Sydney summer evening, the Enmore Theatre became a portal to another realm, a sacred space where time and place blurred. On January 25, 2025, Wardruna delivered a transcendent performance that not only captivated but transported its audience into the heart of Nordic … Read more

Best of 2024 Playlist

Posted by Loren • January 23, 2025

Sometimes I get all introspective and ask myself why I do this. Not very often, but the answer is always because I like music. It's that simple. I like to discover new stuff and I like to share it. Every year, the staff at Scene Point Blank sink a ton of time into 3 big Year End features. Part of … Read more

Lung @ Lee's Palace

Posted by Mirela Z. • December 10, 2024

Lung @ Lee's Palace Toronto, ON Canada November 19, 2024 Have you ever heard a distorted electric cello, with intense vocals and heavy drum beats? Powerhouse duo, cellist Kate Wakefield and drummer Daisy Caplan, are not to be underestimated! Seeing them for the first time perform live has left me wanting more! Read more

Better Lovers @ The Observatory 11/30/24

Posted by Aaron H • December 5, 2024

Better Lovers: Photo Credit - AMH Better Lovers are making the rounds again, this time with a new full-length LP, Highly Irresponsible, released earlier this Fall. The hardcore mash-up of ex-Dillinger Escape Plan and ex-Every Time I Die members recently brought their show to So-Cal, and I had the pleasure of seeing how things have been going since last year. … Read more

Rise Against/LSDunes/Cloud Nothings @ HOB 11/20/24

Posted by Aaron H • November 28, 2024

Rise Against Fans - Photo Credit: AMH Rise Against decided to hit the road this past fall and brought along L.S. Dunes. Depending on your city, different acts opened the show. Cleveland, Ohio's Cloud Nothings covered the crowd warm-up duties on their run through California. With a bill this stacked, I didn't want to miss it. Cloud Nothings - Photo … Read more

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025