The Drugs
| The Drugs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Alternative rock, punk rock |
| Years active | 1999-2005, 2008-2009 |
| Labels | Rubber Records, Shock Records |
| Website | http://www.thedrugs.net.au |
| Members |
Ian Baddley Harry Snow Benny Drill Mark Tracks David Live John Citizen (live only) |
The Drugs were a five-piece Australian alternative rock band from Sydney. Formed by ex-Drop City members Matt Downey (vocals, keyboards) and Tim Paxton (vocals, bass) in 1999, they released their first single, "Pop Song", in 2000. Their debut album, Music's in Trouble, was released in 2002. Their second album, The Very Next Of, was released in 2004.
They disbanded in 2005, but reunited in 2008 for a national tour before disbanding again in 2009. A documentary about the band, Masking Agents, has been made and was released in November 2011. They appear as guest vocalists on Jewish punk rock band Yidcore's album Fiddlin on Ya Roof.
History
The Drugs formed in 1999. Their first single, "Pop Song", was released in 2000, closely followed by the EP The Only Way is Up. In 2002, The Drugs won an ARIA for The Only Way is Up and recorded two singles, "Metal vs. Hip Hop" and "The Bold and the Beautiful"; the latter was performed on Rove Live with The Bold and the Beautiful cast member Ronn Moss pretending to play the bass guitar. Their debut album, Music's in Trouble, was released in October to positive acclaim. The album consists of the two singles, 10 new tracks, two bonus tracks from the Only Way is Up EP and four filler tracks. The third single, "Burger King", was released for free online.
In 2003, The Drugs released "Was Sport Better in the 70's?", their final single. Shortly after, a feud occurred between The Drugs and rap metal band 28 Days over the song "Metal VS Hip Hop" after 28 Days fans threw cigarette butts at The Drugs, slashed the tyres on their van and destroyed their equipment. Ian Baddley then posted a letter to 28 Days lead singer Jay Dunne on The Drugs' website accusing him of being homophobic and using hateful slurs. He also accused Dunne of being a hypocrite because Dunne had accused Rammstein of being Nazis because they sang in German.[1] Later that year, The Drugs went back into the studio to record their second album.
In 2004, The Drugs released the track "I Was a Teenage Voter" on the Rock Against Howard compilation. Two weeks later, the album The Very Next Of was released, which included "Teenage Voter", two then-radio-only tracks (Rogue States and Appease Your God), 15 new tracks and 7 filler tracks. This turned out to be their last album. In 2005, they played their final concert at the Metro in Sydney. Their back catalogue, except for The Very Next Of and "Burger King", was released in 2006 on iTunes.
In 2007, Myspace pages in the names of Clifford Campbell and Cheque Records were created. Vimeo accounts in the name of Cheque Films and Bang the Gong Productions were created soon after. Clifford's page had a blog and the page of Cheque Records had two songs, Clifford's "I Can Dress Myself" and "Prison Love Song" by a fictionalised version of the Drugs.
In 2008, The Drugs got back together for the Osama Holiday tour.
In 2010, the trailer for the Masking Agents movie was uploaded, featuring the aforementioned Clifford Campbell and Cheque Records. The Drugs were signed to Nibbles Music soon after. In 2011, Masking Agents was released and was screened in Sydney and Melbourne.
As of 2013, Clifford Campbell's MySpace blog is inaccessible due to the redesign of Myspace in that year.
Members
- Ian Baddley (real name Matt Downey, keyboards and lead vocals)
- David Live (real name Tim Paxton, bass and vocals)
- Mark Tracks (guitar)
- Benny Drill (guitar)
- Harry Snow (drums)
Discography
Albums
- Music's in Trouble (2002)
- The Very Next Of (2004)
EPs
- The Only Way Is Up (2000)
Singles
- "Pop Song" (2000)
- "The Bold and the Beautiful" (2002)
- "Metal vs. Hip Hop" (2002)
- "Burger King" (2002)
- "Was Sport Better in the '70s?" (2003)
Videos
- Masking Agents (2011)