Dirty Three back for new musical storm
The instrumental violin-led trio Dirty Three, arguably the most intriguing contemporary act to have emerged from Australia since the faraway country’s indie-music boom of the 80s, have managed to put themselves on the international music map – despite rendering unlikely and unconventional work. Well-received early gigs – circa 1993 – at modestly sized clubs on the domestic circuit, accompanied by early albums that underscored the trio’s creative, honest and expressive approach to music making, swiftly encouraged the Australian band to take its work overseas. Nowadays, seven albums and countless shows later, Dirty Three rates as a prime player on the international indie circuit. Highlighting their stature, just weeks ago, the trio acted as curators at one of the indie scene’s leading festivals, All Tomorrow’s Parties, in the UK. Then, it was back on the road again for a 13-date European tour that ends this Saturday in Athens at the Gagarin club. Dirty Three also plays in Thessaloniki on Thursday at the Xylourgeio club. «I think we followed the lead of the underground [Australian] bands of the early 80s, like the Birthday Party, Go-Betweens and the Triffids, who left the country because what they were doing was not viable to the commercial establishment, and the rest of the world seemed more exciting,» noted Warren Ellis, the band’s violinist, in an older interview, of their decision to step out. Dirty Three have visited Greece for shows twice before, initially as a largely unknown quantity back in 1996, as the support act for compatriot Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. But the trio did manage to introduce itself in the best of ways with a spirited set that gained it instant recognition among Cave’s considerable Greek following. The trio returned to the Greek capital just over five years ago for two scintillating sold-out shows at the Small Music Theater. On stage, Ellis can be quite a sight as he immerses himself in his band’s material. A freak violinist who uses electric guitar pedals to thicken and distort his instrument’s sound, Ellis – who has also been a member of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds over the past decade and recently launched a new, well-received project, Grinderman, with Cave and a couple more Bad Seeds – is an explosive and expressive performer who tends to succumb to the flow of the music. His high-caliber musicianship is often accentuated by an assortment of stage antics. By comparison, his Dirty Three bandmates, Mick Turner and Jim White, both also sought-after musicians who work regularly as guests with other acts, including indie greats Cat Power and Bonnie «Prince» Billy, are subdued stage personas. But they play a very willing and crucial part in creating the musical storms that often characterize Dirty Three’s work. The act’s material, which combines elements of folk melody, rock energy and 20th century classical music, has often been described as «cathartic.» This is particularly apparent on numbers whose gentle and melodic beginnings gradually intensify into a frenzy. After putting out a ferocious debut album, aptly titled «Sad and Dangerous,» Dirty Three gradually shifted to a slower, more melancholic style of playing. But the emotional peaks have remained intact throughout the band’s course, especially on stage, where the trio tends to play louder and coarser versions of its recorded material. «I think that counting on success has certainly not been the way I’ve approached anything, nor a reason for doing something. It was never on my mind,» said Ellis. Dirty Three’s most recent album, 2005’s «Cinder,» marked a drastic change from the band’s previous works, all entirely instrumental. «Cinder» features vocal performances by Cat Power and Sally Timms of the Mekons on two of the album’s 19 songs. Also, the songs on «Cinder» are shorter, more concise efforts. Whether this was a temporary stylistic shift remains to be seen. The members of Dirty Three plan to gather in Australia to record a new album not long after this European tour. All three are nowadays scattered around the world. Ellis is based in Paris, White spends most of his time in New York City and Turner has remained in Melbourne. There are a couple of Greek connections to this band. As curators at the recent All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, Dirty Three’s list of chosen performers included Cretan lyra-player Psarantonis, whose frenzied style of playing can draw comparisons to Ellis’s approach. Last time they were in Athens, Dirty Three rushed off from the club they had just played to catch Psarantonis at a venue across town. Moreover, the Australian band’s «Horse Stories» album, released in 1996, includes «I Remember a Time When Once You Used to Love Me,» a radicalized cover of a modern Greek classic written by Yiannis Spanos and originally sung by the respected singer-songwriter Arletta. She is aware of the Dirty Three’s version and the two sides have met. Commenting on his double-fronted role as a member of Dirty Three and Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds in recent years, Ellis remarked: «The Dirty Three is something we’ve all worked at together. I’ve been with the band through the good and the bad. The Bad Seeds were already happening when I arrived. With the Dirty Three we do whatever we want. We’ve watched it grow, a bit like a child. Sometimes it behaves, other times it doesn’t.»
