Drink the Sea – The Button Factory – Live Review – 14/12/25
by Killian Laher

Drink the Sea is a new band made up of Duke Garwood, Alain Johannes, Barrett Martin and Peter Buck.  They recently released a self-titled double album and have been touring it around Europe.  Although Garwood was centre stage as the nominal frontman, Johannes seemed to be the main spokesman for the group, introducing the songs, band members, etc.

The songs themselves are more about a feeling and, for want of a better word, a ‘vibe’ than memorable hooks.  It was mainly an Eastern-tinged blend of world music and dead slow rock n roll.  Sacred Tree saw Garwood unleash the saxophone for the first and by no means the last time of the night.  Although at times the set stretched the patience a little, songs like Where We Belong and Paredes were well received.  Barrett Martin swapped percussion for some sort of xylophone on Midnight Starlight before a fine duet with Duke Garwood on the Mad Season song Long Gone Day, dedicated to the late Mark Lanegan.  The more stripped-down likes of Butterfly stood out purely by offering a little less instrumentation.

What of Peter Buck?  It was very interesting to see him play as part of this collective. He stood off to the side, and his guitar playing added to the mix rather than dominating.  They did find time to play R.E.M.’s The One I Love with Alain Johannes on vocals, and the band concluded their set with two Desert Sessions-derived songs –  Making A Cross and the Garwood/Johannes duet Hangin’ Tree.  At times, it felt a bit like some not very rich musicians jamming (with one obvious exception), but their subtle music was enjoyed by most in an audience who spent the evening feverishly nodding their heads.