It’s a busy time for Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, with the pair preparing to hit the road with The Drones while their other musical incarnation, Tropical Fuck Storm, announces a new live album of its own.
THE DRONES are celebrating their return to the live stage with the release of Distant Hen’s Night – The Drones Live At The Tote, a limited-edition live vinyl release available exclusively at the band’s shows.
Recorded at Melbourne’s legendary Tote on 29 May 2026 by Ryan Hazell and mixed by Liddiard, the eight-track collection captures The Drones in their famously volatile live environment. The release follows the band’s return to The Tote for a run of sold-out shows and gives fans the opportunity to take a piece of the experience home on vinyl.
The album features Private Execution, Taman Shud, The Minotaur, Boredom, Then They Came For Me, To Think That I Once Loved You, Shut Down SETI and River Of Tears.
Recorded at the Tote on 29/5/2026 by Ryan Hazell and mixed by Gareth Liddiard, you can watch that full set right now on YouTube here!
The Drones’ current Australian tour has grown considerably from its original six-show plan, expanding to 18 headline dates as well as appearances at Darwin Festival and Yours and Owls in Wollongong. The band’s explosive live performances have already generated strong reviews, with the Sydney Morning Herald describing Liddiard as he “spat, writhed, kicked and hit his way through the mesmerising set.”
Joining The Drones on much of the tour are longtime friends The Mess Hall, who have themselves returned to live performance in 2026 following a decade-long hiatus. Additional guests include Michael Beach/Unit, DB4 and Time For Dreams on selected Melbourne dates.
Meanwhile, TROPICAL FUCK STORM are also turning their attention to the live experience with Inflatable Graveyard Vol. 2, their second live album and a follow-up to Fairyland Codex.
Due for release on October 16 via Fire Records, Inflatable Graveyard Vol. 2 was recorded over three nights during a sold-out residency at New York’s TV Eye. The album captures Tropical Fuck Storm at full intensity, with the band’s already unruly catalogue pushed into even more abrasive, unpredictable territory.
The eight-track set features live versions of Irukandji Syndrome, Bloodsport, Goon Show, Stepping on a Rake, Who’s My Eugene?, Moscovium, You Let My Tyres Down and This Perfect Day.
While The Drones’ release documents the band’s return to one of Melbourne’s most important live rooms, Inflatable Graveyard Vol. 2 transports Tropical Fuck Storm’s chaotic performance aesthetic across the Pacific, capturing the band at full force in New York.
Tropical Fuck Storm’s album announcement comes as the band prepares for an equally busy run of international and Australian activity. The group will guest curate this year’s Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht before heading to the UK, followed by seven Australian and New Zealand dates supporting Queens of the Stone Age and Primus in December.
For fans of Liddiard and Kitschin, the two releases offer complementary snapshots of two of Australia’s most unpredictable and uncompromising live bands: The Drones revisiting a defining chapter of their live history on home soil, and Tropical Fuck Storm capturing their visceral attack in the intensity of a New York residency.
The Drones Live At The Tote Tracklisting:
1. Private Execution
2. Taman Shud
3. The Minotaur
4. Boredom
5. Then They Came For Me
6. To Think That I Once Loved You
7. Shut Down SETI
8. River Of Tears
The Drones 2026 Tour Dates
With Guests The Mess Hall
Tix on sale now from the venues.
Friday, 14 Aug SOLD OUT Thornbury Theatre Thornbury VIC
Saturday, 15 Aug SOLD OUT Thornbury Theatre Thornbury VIC
Friday, 21 Aug SOLD OUT Thornbury Theatre Thornbury VIC
Saturday, 22 Aug Thornbury Theatre Thornbury VIC *With guests Time For Dreams Tix from here.
Wednesday, 26 Aug Crowbar Brisbane QLD Tix from here.
Thursday, 27 Aug SOLD OUT Crowbar Brisbane QLD Tix from here.
Friday, 28 Aug SOLD OUT Crowbar Brisbane QLD Tix from here.
Saturday, 29 Aug SOLD OUT Factory Theatre Marrickville NSW
Sunday, 30 Aug SOLD OUT Factory Theatre Marrickville NSW
Friday, 4 Sept SOLD OUT The Gov Adelaide SA
Saturday, 5 Sept SOLD OUT Rechabite Perth WA
Sunday, 6 Sept Rechabite Perth WA Tix from here.
Friday, 11 Sept SOLD OUT Theatre Royal Castlemaine VIC
Saturday, 12 Sept SOLD OUT Archie’s Creek Hotel Archies Creek VIC
Friday, 18 Sept SOLD OUT Hamilton Station Newcastle NSW
Saturday, 19 Sept Factory Theatre Marrickville NSW Tix from here.
Friday, 25 Sept SOLD OUT Altar Hobart TAS
Saturday, 26 Sept Altar Hobart TAS
Oct 3& 4 Yours & Owls Festival Wollongong NSW
Tropical Fu*k Storm’s Inflatable Graveyard Vol. 2 is out October 16, 2026, on Fire Records.
Inflatable Graveyard Vol. 2 Track list
1. Irukandji Syndrome (Live at TV Eye NYC)
2. Bloodsport (Live at TV Eye NYC)
3. Goon Show (Live at TV Eye NYC)
4. Stepping on a Rake (Live at TV Eye NYC)
5. Who’s My Eugene? (Live at TV Eye NYC)
6. Moscovium (Live at TV Eye NYC)
7. You Let My Tyres Down (Live at TV Eye NYC)
8. This Perfect Day (Live at TV Eye NYC)
Inflatable Graveyard Vol. 2 pre-order https://tropicalfckstorm.lnk.to/InflatableGraveyard2
Tropical Fu*k Storm 2026 Tour Dates with Queens of the Stone Age, Primus
8 Dec Adelaide, SA @ The Drive
11 Dec Hobart, TAS @ MyState Bank Arena
13 Dec Melbourne, VIC @ Rod Laver Arena
15 Dec Sydney, NSW @ Afterpay Arena
16 Dec Newcastle, NSW @ Newcastle Entertainment Centre
18 Dec Brisbane, QLD @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
20 Dec Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena