Irrefutable Facts About Two Piece Bands – Plus Hear Two New Songs By Drenge

Drenge
Drenge

Adding a third person to a two-piece isn’t always a smooth transition. The day Brad Pitt tentatively sidled up to Jennifer Aniston and suggested that the addition of Angelina Jolie might, in some ways, add to the fun they were already having was probably not his most successful negotiation, although some of us can understand why he felt it might be worth having a try. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for two piece musical acts either…

Irrefutable Facts About Two Piece Musical Acts

  • In music, as everybody knows, the first ever two piece act was Peter, Paul and Mary, when one of them went to the toilet.
  • Simon and Garfunkel then formed a prototype White Stripes, but continued to argue over who should play drums and split up acrimoniously as a result.
  • The Pet Shop Boys then tried again with the two piece set up, but weren’t really noisy enough. They knew it, and broke up after releasing no more than a dozen albums.
  • The White Stripes eventually rescued the format, proving that two people could make the noise of ten, even when not plugged in, especially when moaning about The Black Keys, or the press and its reaction to guacamole. The Power Duo was born, putting more than three thousand bass players onto the dole queues across the Western Hemisphere.

The economic crisis did the rest. The result: two piece bands became common. Suddenly having just two mouths to feed and only one person to have “musical differences” with became a positive advantage at a time of dwindling revenues and record sales.

The Black Keys were next to explore the two-piece sound but now have two or three musicians onstage with them. Closer to home, Royal Blood (getting bass players back in the game), Cowbell and Drenge showed what could be done with the format.

Drenge are now the latest two-piece band to put a postcard in the local newsagent’s window and pull in extra help to transform into that hip seventies thing, the Power Trio.

Not that we are likely to see new hire Rob Graham with a Geddy Lee-style bank of bass pedals, keys and twin necked bass / guitar just yet.
First song from the new album “We Can Do What We Want” builds on the raw aggression of Drenge’s debut album and then surpasses it. This is Queens of the Stone Age riffery with a punky snarl rather than some progressive musical experiment. Don’t expect to see the Loveless brothers wearing capes or kimonos. You probably won’t even see then wearing flared trousers.

Having declared Drenge’s self-titled debut the ERTAS 2013 Album of the Year, it is great to see Drenge develop and build on the early promise of the debut. Here’s the track….

Following hot on the heels of that song is the next release – this time called “Never Awake”. It’s another great song – and here it is:


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4 responses to “Irrefutable Facts About Two Piece Bands – Plus Hear Two New Songs By Drenge”

  1. Mark Gelder Avatar

    You could also add Honeyblood, DZ Deathrays, and Death From Above 1979 to the current list of guitar + drums two-pieces. DFA 1979 are the only one I can think of where the drummer is the singer.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. John Avatar
    John

    Uhhhhhhh, The Everly Brothers. Remember them?

    Liked by 1 person

  3. John Avatar
    John

    Les Paul and Mary Ford?

    Like

    1. Every Record Tells A Story Avatar

      Laurel and Hardy’s “Trail of the Lonesome Pine”?

      Like

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