The Triffids Artistfacts

1978-1989
Phil KakulasGuitar1978-1979
David McComb Vocals, guitar, piano, bass1978-1989
Allan MacDonaldDrums1978-1980, 1982-1989
Byron SinclairBass1978-1979, 1992
Robert McCombViolins, guitar, keyboards1979-1989
Will AkersBass1980-1982
Jill BirtKeyboards1983-1989
Martyn CaseyBass1982-1989
Margaret GillardKeyboards1979-1982
Graham LeeGuitar, pedal steel, lap steel1985-1989
Mark PetersDrums1980-1981
Jill YatesKeyboards1982
The Triffids took their name from The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham's 1951 post-apocalyptic novel about carnivorous, mobile plants that overrun civilization after most of humanity is blinded. It was a fitting choice for a band whose music was atmospheric and slightly unsettling, rooted in landscapes that felt both beautiful and threatening. Frontman David McComb was a voracious reader, and the literary bent of the band's name reflected the bookish intensity he brought to his songwriting.
The Triffids formed in Perth, Western Australia, one of the most geographically isolated cities on earth, roughly 1,680 miles (2,700 kms) from the nearest major Australian city. That isolation shaped the band's sound and outlook. Unable to build a sustainable career in Perth's limited market, they spent years driving between the East Coast and back again before eventually relocating to London in the early 1980s, living in famously squalid conditions as they built a cult following in the UK.
The band's masterwork, Born Sandy Devotional (1986), was largely written during the Triffids' first few months in the UK, which is what gives it such a powerful sense of longing for home.
"Wide Open Road," the centerpiece of Born Sandy Devotional, was named one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) in May 2001 as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations.
Born Sandy Devotional was recorded at Mark Angelo Studios in Farringdon, London, and produced by Gil Norton, who was just three days away from starting the sessions when he was brought on board. Guitarist Graham Lee noted to Mojo magazine that McComb had the album "virtually produced in his head," complete with written lists of reference points for each song. His inspiration for "Stolen Property," for instance, was Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?"
After the success of Born Sandy Devotional, the Triffids signed to Island Records and recorded Calenture (1988). Pressure to deliver a hit took its toll on the record. Initial sessions with US producer Craig Leon were abandoned entirely before the band started over. Publicist Mick Houghton told Mojo that the demos were "a damn sight better than the finished record, which has that awful click-track '80s production."
The Triffids' single "Bury Me Deep in Love" reached a wider audience when it was used in the Australian soap Neighbours for the 1989 wedding of Harold Bishop and Madge Mitchell. The band's management had hoped the placement would unlock radio play. The single was nevertheless re-issued in the UK to coincide with the episode's British broadcast.
David McComb developed a degenerative heart condition called cardiomyopathy, and underwent a heart transplant in May 1996. He appeared to be recovering when a car accident in January 1999 left him hospitalized overnight. A few days later, on February 2, 1999 - just two weeks before his 37th birthday - he died at home in Northcote, Victoria. The coroner found his death was caused by heroin toxicity combined with mild acute rejection of the transplanted heart. His ashes were scattered at the McComb family farm at Jerdacuttup, Western Australia - the same stretch of country that had inspired so much of his music.
The Triffids were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008, with Steve Kilbey of The Church performing "Wide Open Road" in place of the late David McComb. The band's legacy has only grown since McComb's death - Missy Higgins performed "Wide Open Road" at the Mushroom 50th Anniversary concert in 2023, and the song has been covered by artists including The Church, Weddings Parties Anything, and The Panic.

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