The Doomed Bird of Providence of always taken inspiration from fiction and non fiction sources relating to early colonial history. The first book that motivated the idea of the band was Robert Hughes’ The Fatal Shore; an account of the founding of Australia. It is an often dark and unflinching and provided great source material for a number of songs from the 1st self titled EP and the first album, Will Ever Pray.
Alongside The Fatal Shore an early fiction work provided inspiration. This was For the Term of His Natural Life (1874) by Marcus Clarke. Marcus Clarke was an English-born Australian novelist, journalist, and playwright who became a prominent literary figure in colonial Australia. He is most noted for being the author of For the Term of His Natural Life. The book’s main character is Rufus Dawes, a man wrongly convicted of a crime and transported to an Australian penal colony, where he endures suffering and injustice. Through his story, the novel exposes the cruelty of the convict system.
Another aspect of the book is Clarke’s incredible depictions of the sea.
“Borne before the returning whirlwind, an immense wave, which glimmered in the darkness, spouted up and towered above the wreck. The wretches who yet clung to the deck looked shuddering up into the bellying greenness, and knew that the end was come.”
The first time Clarke’s novel provided direct inspiration was In the Terror of the Moment. This was a track from an EP which was a part of the larger Collection/Detection project, created by Manchester label Front & Follow.
The band’s new album Meteoric Heralds of Danger took descriptions of the sea from the novel as a starting point. The most evocative descriptions were used as inspiration. Graphic scores, with chord progressions and melodies were written that enabled opportunities to respond in an improvised way. The album is an appreciation of Clarke’s words.
The Doomed Bird of Providence 