The Drones - Gala Mill

‘Gala Mill’ is considered as the ‘Exile on Main Street’ in The Drones’ discography.

In 2014, Flavorwire included the track "Sixteen Straws" on their list of "The 50 Best Album Closing Tracks Ever". In 2021, Rolling Stone Australia listed Gala Mill at number 155 on their list of "The 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time" (one of two Drones albums on the list). The highly awaited reissue has a new sleeve artwork as the band desired. ‘Gala Mill’ is the third studio album by Australian band The Drones, which was released in September 2006.

Recorded in an abandoned mill in Tasmania, it was their last album to feature founding member Rui Pereira and the first to feature Mike Noga on drums. The music, which makes "an epic leap beyond garage rock", adds influences from folk rock and contemporary folk music to their usual punk blues style.

Gareth Liddiard's lyrics for the album are centered more on Australia's colonial and recent history, evident in tracks such as "Jezebel", "Words From The Executioner To Alexander Pearce" and "Sixteen Straws". Much like its predecessor, the album received critical acclaim from sources both within and outside Australia, with much of it centered on the album's raw musical style and Liddiard's dark lyricism.

Nowadays Garreth and Fiona ply their trade in Tropical Fuck Storm