The Necks: The best band you’ve never heard of

THEY have been described, by the New York Times as “one of the greatest bands in the world”. The Guardian has been similarly breathless, eulogising them as “one of the most extraordinary groups on the planet”.

To other critics and fans, the trio are simply “masters” and “nothing short of miraculous”. And on Thursday they play their first concert in Cork as part of a mini-tour of Ireland.

The band are called The Necks, they are from Australia, and they comprise Chris Abrahams on piano, Lloyd Swanton on bass, and Tony Buck on drums. Playing together in various groups since they were teenagers more than 30 years ago, the trio formed The Necks in 1987 and have released 17 albums. Slowly but steadily they have become something of a cult band, in that they have a small but dedicated following, can sell out gigs in hours, and are championed by other pioneering musicians such as Nick Cave and Brian Eno.